Consumer assoc. sues Albert Heijn over price differences on shelf and at cash register

The Consumentenbond has filed a lawsuit against Albert Heijn over differences between prices stated on its shelves and what consumers end up paying at the cash register. Several studies by the consumer association have shown that for years, prices were different on the receipts than on the shelves.

The Consumentenbond wants the court to force Albert Heijn to share the results of internal investigations into these receipt errors and compensate consumers for the damage suffered.

“We have spoken with Albert Heijn several times. The supermarket chain says that it had its own investigation into receipt errors and the problem was very minor but refuses to give us access,” Consumentenbond director Sandra Molenaar said. “We now ask the judge to order Albert Heijn to share this with us so that we can better determine the damage caused and then enforce compensation for consumers.”

A different price at the cash register causes relatively little damage per consumer per shopping round, so consumers rarely notice them. “But all together, it amounts to millions of euros,” the Consumentenbond said.

It found similar errors at Jumbo and Plus and also demanded that they compensate consumers for the damages.