Popular Washington Grocery Store Chain Admits to Price Gouging

During and after the recent pandemic, a major supermarket chain in Washington increased the prices of two staples. 

What exactly made the prices inflate during COVID-19 years?

“The shocks to food and energy prices” caused the sharp rise in inflation during the COVID-19 period. Energy price spikes were the primary cause of the high inflation rates.

We have been led to believe that energy price hikes and poor supply chains were the villains. 

But did trusted grocery chains in Washington take advantage of the pandemic to pump up the prices needlessly for profit?

One company admitted this during a recent antitrust trial. A Kroger executive admitted that Kroger's increased milk and egg prices exceeded the inflation rate.

The admittance of price gouging is now on record.

According to the Common Dreams website, the price gouging came to light during a Federal Trade Commission investigation with Andy Groff, Kroger's senior director for pricing: "The grocery chain raised its egg and milk prices above the rate of inflation…”

The FTC investigation has been underway due to Kroger's pending acquisition of Albertson's. Bloomberg reports that a spokesperson for Kroger said that admission was "cherry-picked" and "does not reflect Kroger's decades-long business model to lower prices for customers by reducing its margins."

Kroger currently operates 168 grocery stores across Washington, including Fred Meyer, QFC, and the planned merger that would acquire Albertson, Haggens, and Safeway—the fourth-most of any state in America.