A report issued by Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm on the subject of item pricing has been slammed by the Michigan Grocers Association and the Michigan Retailers Association.
"The research and conclusions of this study are misleading and harmful. This isn't a white paper, it's a whitewash that unfairly singles out and bashes one of Michigan's most economically valuable industries," said Larry Meyer, chairman and CEO of the Michigan Retailers Association.
"Essentially, the attorney general paints retailers as cheaters preying on consumers. That's both wrong and irresponsible. It's an insult to the tens of thousands of honest, hard-working retailers in this state," said Linda Gobler, president of the Michigan Grocers Association.
The retailers support passage of legislation that would, in their words, “enable retailers to get out from under the inefficient, costly and time- wasting burdens of individual price marking if, and only if, the store achieved an audited and certified 98 percent pricing accuracy, used clear signage on store shelves to mark prices. placed remote scanners in the store so that a consumer could verify the price and receive a printout that could be checked against the register receipt at checkout or at home, and paid the consumer double the current penalty whenever a mistake did occur.”
Gobler said that consumers are protected from deceptive pricing practices by state law and the intense competition that exists throughout the retail industry. "This study ignores the price and service competition that exists in the retail marketplace, as well as the fact that any retailer that does cheat consumers doesn't stay in business," she said.
"The research and conclusions of this study are misleading and harmful. This isn't a white paper, it's a whitewash that unfairly singles out and bashes one of Michigan's most economically valuable industries," said Larry Meyer, chairman and CEO of the Michigan Retailers Association.
"Essentially, the attorney general paints retailers as cheaters preying on consumers. That's both wrong and irresponsible. It's an insult to the tens of thousands of honest, hard-working retailers in this state," said Linda Gobler, president of the Michigan Grocers Association.
The retailers support passage of legislation that would, in their words, “enable retailers to get out from under the inefficient, costly and time- wasting burdens of individual price marking if, and only if, the store achieved an audited and certified 98 percent pricing accuracy, used clear signage on store shelves to mark prices. placed remote scanners in the store so that a consumer could verify the price and receive a printout that could be checked against the register receipt at checkout or at home, and paid the consumer double the current penalty whenever a mistake did occur.”
Gobler said that consumers are protected from deceptive pricing practices by state law and the intense competition that exists throughout the retail industry. "This study ignores the price and service competition that exists in the retail marketplace, as well as the fact that any retailer that does cheat consumers doesn't stay in business," she said.
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