The Commission should take action to protect the public from the ongoing, continuing and harmful violations of the Federal Trade laws by the Publix Corporation, 1936 George Jenkins Blvd, P.O. Box 407, Lakeland, FL 33802-0407.
Anticompetitive actions: price-fixing, price gouging, price-collusion, frequent and ongoing deception of consumers. The perpetrator, Publix, exerts its market control at over 230 locations. In the areas where the perpetrator operates, consumers are often excluded from competitive markets, goods, and services while would-be competitors are muscled out of the areas. The perpetrator firm has acquired market domination amounting to monopoly in many neighborhoods and areas of the southeastern United States.
The perpetrator, Publix, is responsible for systematically defrauding consumers by price switching at the cash register, deceiving consumers in shelving areas, and exploiting senior citizens unable to read tiny OCR price labels on the distant bottom and top shelves.
The process of switching prices against consumers is particularly detrimental to the elderly, the vision-impaired, those with poor memory, and the handicapped - people who may be unable to read an electronic cash register display (showing the prices actually being “rung up”) or consumers may be unable to crawl on the floor to read the Publix price labels on the lowest shelves.
Mr. Chairman, the perpetrator has imposed a far more wide ranging system of market dominance and control over local prices than did the Von's Supermarkets. In the Von's cases, the Commission acted vigorously to protect the public from practices. I look forward to the Commission carrying out its responsibilities promptly and effectively.
There is no way to "fix" a price to be higher at the register, and if you read the signs posted throughout the stores, it tells you if the item rings up for more than the advertised or listed price, you get that item FREE. It's called the Publix Promise. Publix is a great company that is customer service oriented.
What do you want? A one-foot by one-foot price label on the bottom shelf? Name me ONE other store that doesn't have small writing?
And no... you are NOT a senior economist for the ICC.
You wrote: "consumers are often excluded from competitive markets". How? Do they hold a gun to your head and make you shop there? In most cases, in the South (I am in Florida), there's an Albertson's and a WinnDixie across the bloody street.
"would-be competitors are muscled out of the areas". Who? Is Albertson's "muscled" out of the area?
I am sorry if you have trouble reading the labels on the bottom of the shelf.... but that's not only Publix. Go to the Albertson's ACROSS THE STREET and look at their labels.
You mention they are preying on "those with poor memory". How? Find a consistent pattern and you have a lawsuit. You are NOT with the ICC, because you won't be writing anything here. Publix has a policy, still standing from 20 years ago. If a product is rung up wrong, you GET IT FOR FREE!
And where do you get "price fixing"? If all of the stores have the same price, that's not price fixing!!! If it was, McDonalds would be guilty for selling their Double Cheeseburger for $1 all across the country. It's only price fixing and collusion if they are COLLUDING with OTHER stores (Winn Dixie, Albertson's, etc....) If you were actually retired from the ICC, you would know that.
![]("http://www.pissedconsumer.com/templates/pc2/images/spacer.gif){kind=spacer}
Comments
Comments (2)
