Bargain Hunters Beware: Is it Really a Sale?

President’s Day sales ads are already hitting the airwaves, but how can you be sure the price on the item is really a bargain? A spate of retailers have gotten into hot water for promoting discounts and sales that actually weren’t much of a deal for customers. Here’s a list of top stores facing penalties or class-action lawsuits alleging deceptive pricing issues.

Target: This “Expect More, Pay Less” retailer paying out $4 million to settle charges that it charged more.

Amazon: Facing class-action lawsuit that alleges its pricing makes consumers believe they are getting a bigger discount than they actually are.

Neiman-Marcus: Price comparison tags at outlet stores mislead consumers, a class-action lawsuit alleges.

Overstock: Ordered to pay $6.8 million in civil penalties for deceptively advertising the savings customers would get on items as compared to MSRP reference prices.

The Gap: Class-action lawsuit alleges it deceives consumers about the quality of the lower-priced items sold at its outlet stores.

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