SoCal Shoppers React To Apology By Whole Foods' Executives For Overcharging NY Customers
WEST HOLLYWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Top executives for Whole Foods Market have issued a public apology in a video posted to YouTube after the natural grocer says it mistakenly overcharged customers in New York on certain foods.
However, as KCAL9's Peter Daut reports, this isn't the first time the grocery chain has made similar mistakes when it comes to pricing.
In the apology issued by top executives for Whole Foods, Walter Robb, the store's co-CEO says: "Straight up, we made some mistakes. We want to own that."
The store's admission that it incorrectly priced prepackaged fruits, vegetables and deli meats came after a New York investigation found that stores routinely overcharged.
Whole Foods says there were "weighing errors" and that the mistakes were unintentional.
"We know they're unintentional because the mistakes are both in the customer's favor and sometimes not in the customer's favor. It's understandable sometimes mistakes are made. They're inadvertent. They do happen," Robb said.
The admission comes a year after the Texas-based grocer agreed to pay nearly $800,000 in penalties for overcharging in California stores.
"It's really a little disappointing, I would say. And I hope that, I thought knowing it once, that it wouldn't happen again," said Peg Verdi, a Whole Foods shopper.
"Each dollar counts, especially when you're struggling or working a lot and working hard. It's hard-earned money going down the drain for someone's simple mistake of weighing," said Brett Girard, another shopper.
To solve the problem, Whole Foods says it will increase training in stores nationwide. In the future, the company says, customers who determine they're being overcharged will get the products for free.
"I mean, I think if they did that deliberately or by even mistake, they should make sure that customers are happy," said Caroline Klebl, another shopper.
Whole Foods says it's implementing a third-party auditing system to check on progress, and the store will report back to customers in 45 days.
