Contra Costa County Targets Target

Be careful to check the cost of your next crock-pot—especially if you’re buying it from Target.  That’s the message of a recent lawsuit involving the Target Corporation and a consortium of California counties (led by Contra Costa), in which the discount icon was forced to cough up $1.7 million to settle a suit for allegedly overcharging customers at the register.

"In some cases, the difference could be a matter of cents, but in others where you are talking about two-for-a dollar versus a dollar a piece, it could really add up," said Steven Bolen, supervising prosecutor with the Contra Costa County DA’s consumer fraud unit.  "The problem is people buy so many items at big retailers that they forget the price on the shelf for an individual item and don't notice when they are overcharged."  Target, for its part, admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.

The Contra Costa Times reported that “[i]n the past decade, Contra Costa County has brought similar lawsuits that resulted settlements against other large retailers, including Safeway, Staples, Longs Drugs and Walgreens.”