Grocery Outlet Sued Over Alleged Deceptive Pricing

A class action was filed on June 2 against Grocery Outlet in Oregon’s Multnomah County Circuit Court, alleging deceptive sales strategy. 

OCJ Law P.C., along with co-counsel, filed the lawsuit on behalf of Oregonians. The case alleges that Grocery Outlet marketed and sold products, including near-to-term items, to Oregon consumers through a "coordinated scheme of fake savings and made-up reference prices" — vaguely attributed to "Elsewhere"— violating Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act.

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The complaint provides photo evidence from recent transactions that demonstrate Grocery Outlet's practice of displaying fabricated price comparisons that don't clearly identify the competitor whose price is supposedly being referenced. In some instances, the prices either don't correspond with other products sold regionally or are intentionally inflated to give the illusion of better in-store deals. 

This lawsuit alleges that shoppers of the “bargain market” ended up paying roughly the same amount -- or even slightly more -- than if they had shopped at another store. 

Stewart, Franz and Sullivan v. Grocery Outlet, et al. seeks to end these alleged misleading practices.

Progressive Grocer reached out to Grocery Outlet for comment but had not received a response by press time.

Emeryville, Calif.-based Grocery Outlet offers products sold through a network of independently operated stores at more than 520 locations in California, Washington state, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Idaho, Nevada, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky and Virginia. The company is No. 65 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.