• The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has filed a complaint against Wal-Mart, saying that the retailer “has failed to accurately tag or price items in stores in Arizona since 2001,” and that Wal-Mart is guilty of “repeated violations of Arizona price posting and price verification laws.”
Goddard’s office charges that there are consistent discrepancies between the prices posted on shelves and those charged at checkout; Wal-Mart has said that the discrepancies often work in favor of the consumer.
AutoZone also has been targeted by the Arizona attorney general for pricing violations.
"AutoZone and Wal-Mart evidently see paying fines as the cost of doing business rather than making the effort to correct the problem," Goddard said. "Consumers have a legal right to know the accurate price of a product when they shop. These companies have consistently failed to comply with the law."
The Yuma Sun reports that Wal-Mart has pledged that it will work with the Arizona Attorney General’s office “to comply with laws on accurate pricing,” conceding that because the retailer operates almost four thousand stores with hundreds of thousands of items and often makes more than five thousand price changes a week, “there is the slight possibility for error.”
Earlier this year, Wal-Mart in April paid $1.5 million to settle pricing violations charges in Michigan.
• Wal-Mart has filed a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina, saying that it overpaid state corporate income taxes by more than $30 million because the state required the company to pay taxes on money not made in North Carolina.
The state has asked the courts to dismiss the suit.
Goddard’s office charges that there are consistent discrepancies between the prices posted on shelves and those charged at checkout; Wal-Mart has said that the discrepancies often work in favor of the consumer.
AutoZone also has been targeted by the Arizona attorney general for pricing violations.
"AutoZone and Wal-Mart evidently see paying fines as the cost of doing business rather than making the effort to correct the problem," Goddard said. "Consumers have a legal right to know the accurate price of a product when they shop. These companies have consistently failed to comply with the law."
The Yuma Sun reports that Wal-Mart has pledged that it will work with the Arizona Attorney General’s office “to comply with laws on accurate pricing,” conceding that because the retailer operates almost four thousand stores with hundreds of thousands of items and often makes more than five thousand price changes a week, “there is the slight possibility for error.”
Earlier this year, Wal-Mart in April paid $1.5 million to settle pricing violations charges in Michigan.
• Wal-Mart has filed a lawsuit against the state of North Carolina, saying that it overpaid state corporate income taxes by more than $30 million because the state required the company to pay taxes on money not made in North Carolina.
The state has asked the courts to dismiss the suit.
- KC's View:
- It sure sounds like if you want a steady job, a good place to be is in Wal-Mart’s legal department…
