The Los Angeles City Attorney charged Ralphs grocery stores with multiple counts of overcharging their customers. The Los Angeles County Department of Weights and Measures recently conducted an undercover investigation of Ralphs Grocery Stores and Ralphs failed miserably. As a result, Los Angeles City Attorney Don Cocek filed multiple charges against Ralphs for overcharging their customers.
By the way, this is not the first time this has happened. Here is how it works: The store gets caught overcharging and criminal charges get filed. Nobody goes to jail, but the store agrees to plead guilty and pay a fine for the violations. In the last two years Ralphs has paid over $15,000 in fines in the County of Los Angeles for similar charges.
Apparently the store still has not changed their ways. Could it be that they overcharge customers so much money that paying a fine of $10,000 does not even begin to cover the amount that they overcharged their customers?
These days it is very hard to keep track of what our groceries cost. We pick them up, put them in our carts and unload the items on the conveyer where they are scanned electronically. The checker tells us our total and we pay the bill. How could we possibly keep track of what we are being charged on every item. Moreover, Ralphs problems stem from overcharging for items sold by the pound. Do we really need to carry our own scales to keep from getting scammed by our local grocery store?
To Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek, I say, well done. I have known Don for close to twenty years. He is an upstanding, ethical prosecutor and a nice guy. Keep up the good work Don.
If you have questions about this or any other criminal case, call me: (818) 783-5700 or send me an email at vallenslaw@yahoo.com.