One example cited by the state says olive oil went from $6.99 to $10.99 before a BOGO deal, then dropped again.
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Attorney General Nick Brown sued Albertsons Companies on Monday, accusing the grocery chain of overcharging shoppers through deceptive “buy one get one free” deals at Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen stores.
The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, says Albertsons raised prices on items before BOGO promotions, then lowered them again shortly after the deals ended.
The state argues the practice made customers think they were getting a second item free when they were actually paying an inflated price for the first item.
Albertsons Companies, based in Boise, owns and operates all Safeway, Albertsons and Haggen grocery stores in Washington. The company runs 225 stores across the state.
According to the complaint, the alleged price increases affected staples such as bread, cereal, fresh produce and olive oil.
The state says Washington shoppers were overcharged in more than 3 million transactions from October 2019 to May 2024.
The stores brought in as much as $19.7 million through the disputed transactions, according to the lawsuit.
“We’re not going to stand for people getting fleeced by these deceptive practices,” Brown said. “That’s why we’ve filed this case. We want to make sure we’re protecting people’s pocketbooks, and we all know that affordability is a major issue these days. We’ve got to push back when companies are misleading their customers.”
One example cited in the lawsuit involves a Gig Harbor Albertsons, where the price of a 16.9-ounce bottle of O Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil increased from $6.99 to $10.99 before a BOGO promotion. The price went back to $6.99 after the promotion ended, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit also cites a Tacoma Albertsons where Oroweat Premium Italian Bread increased from $3.69 to $4.29 before a BOGO deal.
In Battle Ground, the state says Signature Select Sourdough Hoagie Rolls increased from $3.39 to $4.29 before a BOGO promotion, then dropped to $2.49 afterward.
In another example, the complaint says the price of a mini watermelon at a Colville Safeway increased from $3.99 to $5.99 shortly before a BOGO deal and later returned to $3.99.
The Attorney General’s Office says Albertsons violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act by using unfair or deceptive practices and misrepresenting prices.
Regarding the lawsuit, Albertson’s sent KING 5 News the following statement:
We are aware that the Washington Attorney General has filed a lawsuit related to certain buy‑one‑get‑one promotions. We engaged in good‑faith discussions with the Attorney General’s Office and strongly disagree with its claims, which are based on flawed analysis and data errors that we identified and raised.
Albertsons Companies is committed to complying with the law and to offering customers clear value through our promotions. As this is pending litigation, we will address the matter through the legal process and cannot comment further.
Brown is asking the court to stop the company from using the alleged BOGO pricing practices, order restitution for Washington consumers and require Albertsons to pay civil penalties and interest.
The lawsuit says Albertsons has faced similar claims before. The company paid $107 million to settle a 2016 class action lawsuit tied to BOGO promotions in Oregon stores and also settled a proposed federal class action filed in 2023 over BOGO promotions in Washington stores.
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