Grocery giants Safeway, Albertsons, and Haggen are accused of overcharging customers through deceptive “buy one get one free” promotions.
In a lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court Monday, April 27, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown alleges Albertsons – and its subsidiaries Safeway and Haggen – manipulated prices on everyday items to make BOGO deals appear more valuable than they actually were.
According to the complaint, the company raised prices on products in the weeks or months leading up to a promotion, then lowered them again shortly after the deal ended.
The result, the state argues, is that customers were not truly getting a free item, but instead paying an inflated price for the first product.
Brown said the practices misled consumers at a time when grocery costs remain a major concern.
“We’re not going to stand for people getting fleeced by these deceptive practices,” Brown said. “We want to make sure we’re protecting people’s pocketbooks.”
The lawsuit claims the alleged pricing tactics affected more than 3.1 million transactions between October 2019 and May 2024, generating as much as $19.7 million for the company.
Examples cited in the complaint show prices jumping sharply just before promotions began. In one case, a bottle of olive oil increased by more than 50% before a BOGO deal, then returned to its original price afterward, according to the filing.
The Attorney General’s Office alleges the company violated Washington’s Consumer Protection Act by engaging in unfair and deceptive practices and misrepresenting prices to shoppers.
The lawsuit also notes similar allegations have surfaced before. Albertsons previously paid $107 million to settle a 2016 class action case in Oregon involving comparable BOGO promotions, according to the complaint. A separate case in Washington was also settled in 2023.
Brown is asking the court to declare the practices unlawful, block the company from continuing them, and require restitution for affected customers. The state is also seeking civil penalties for each violation.
Albertsons Companies operates more than 200 Safeway, Albertsons, and Haggen stores across Washington.
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