Quote:
Originally Posted by swooner
I recently received an e mail from Fresh Market announcing a Prime Beef Sale (25% off) from Friday 3/18 -Sunday 3/20. I Paid little attention at the time of purchase to the pricing of the 4 Ribeye Steaks which cost me $65.97 after their 25% discount. After returning home I realized that each steak weighed exactly 10 ounces. They were each priced at $21.99 ea., not $21.99 per pound. Since 10 ounces is only .625 pounds, the actual price per pound of these Ribeye Steaks was $2.19/oz multiplied by 16 for an outrageous price per pound of $35.18.
I then went to the Fresh Market website ( It'''s Prime Time | USDA Prime Beef | The Fresh Market) and discovered that their advertised price per pound for Prime Ribeye Steaks on the same day was in fact $24.74 / lb.
So, the bottom line is that instead of giving me a 25% discount on their advertised price for this item ($24.74/ lb.) they gave me a 25% discount on the identical item priced at $35.18 / lb. Accordingly, if I had purchased the same four 10 ounce Steaks at their advertised price of $24.74 my total cost would have been $61.85 less 25% or a net total of $46.39 versus the $65.97 price I was actually charged me for the same exact item. A quick subtractions suggests I was overcharged $19.58 based on the actual advertised price for the same item on their website.
Not only is this deceptive, in my opinion, it represents price gouging by offering a discount on a drastically overpriced item ($35.18/lb.) when compared to their own advertised pricing of ($24.74/lb.) for the same item.
Yes, I reported this to FM in writing and was essentially told, tough cookies.
I am posting this as a public service in the hope that others won't be deceived by similar future offers from Fresh Market. PS, I no longer shop there! |
Well, while it's partially your fault for not paying attention, I get quite irritated when retailers pull stuff like that. To the point that if I catch them, I'll never return. Ever. I keep an eye occasionally on FMs prices, and I've never found their "deals" to be all that great. Perhaps their quality makes up for it, or maybe it's just their marketing.
Thanks for the heads up. I'll be doubly wary now.