Missouri’s attorney general says Walgreens stores are still displaying expired price tags, and that’s causing customers to be overcharged when they check out.
A Walgreens store (courtesy; Walgreens.com)
Chris Koster has filed a motion for contempt against the Illinois-based pharmacy chain saying its stores routinely display expired tags despite its promise to change that practice. That promise was part of a court settlement it agreed last year, after Koster’s office sued Walgreens over expired tags. Under that agreement, Walgreens said it would remove tags within 12 hours of their expiration.
Koster said his investigators visited 50 Walgreens stores in Missouri between July 26 and September 1 and found more than 1,300 tags displayed past their expiration date. Two expired in 2013.
Walgreens already paid $136,500 for pricing violations discovered in regular, independent audits required under court order. Koster today has asked the Jackson County judge to fine the company up to $5,000 for every expired tag found in recent inspections, plus a penalty for each day expired tags are found in a store.
Koster said under the 2014 court order, a consumer who is overcharged for something that costs $5 or less will receive that item free. Someone overcharged for an item that costs more than $5 will receive a $10 Walgreens gift card and can purchase the item for the lowest advertised price.
