Kroger
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1883 |
| Legal Structure | Public |
| Industry | Grocery |
| Also known as | Dillons, Food 4 Less, Foods Co., Fred Meyer, Fry's, Harris Teeter, Home Chef, King Soopers, Kroger, The Little Clinic, Mariano's, QFC, Ralphs, Roundy's, Metro Market, Pick 'n Save, JayC, Ruler Foods, Smith's, Vitacost |
| Official website | https://thekrogerco.com/ |
The Kroger Company is an American supermarket chain conglomerate.
Consumer-impact summary
[edit | edit source]- False Advertising
- Monopoly
- Surveillance
- Data Collection
- Security Vulnerabilities
- Health-related issues
- Evidence Tampering
Incidents
[edit | edit source]This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Kroger category.
Email Data Base Hacked (2011)
[edit | edit source]
On 30 March, Kroger's email service provider, Epsilon experienced a security breach that leaked customers names and email addresses.[1] On 01 April, Kroger sent letters to affected customers that described the incident being sourced from a "outside company" and warning customers of phishing attacks and spam.[2] Several organizations asked Epsilon the number of customers affected, however they refused to respond.[3][4][5]
Third-party vendor Accellion data breach (2021)
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Accellion data breach
In December 2020, Kroger was involved in a data breach that resulted in around 2% of customers' personal info leaking after hackers infiltrated Accellion systems. Kroger became aware of the incident in January, and after conducting an investigation, released a statement around 19 February.[6][7]
Kroger merger deal with Albertson (2024)
[edit | edit source]- Main article: Kroger merger deal with Albertson
On 10 December 2024, the Federal Trade Commission blocked a $24.6 Billion merger agreement between Kroger and Albertsons over risk of higher food prices and fewer product choices. [8][9]
Kroger Grocery store electronic shelf labels & facial recognition (2024)
[edit | edit source]Kroger introduced electronic shelf labels and facial recognition cameras across various stores citing it was for improving customer experience and lower prices. However, customers have raised concerns about price manipulation, privacy violations, and potential discrimination.
Overcharging customers who paid discounted items (2025)
[edit | edit source]Consumer Report, the Guardian, and the Food & Environment Reporting Network released a report on 14 May after conducting an 3 month long investigation into several Kroger stores in the U.S. that revealed several products expired tags were out of date by at least 10 days and were overpriced by around $1.70. Kroger initially responded by saying the investigation was inaccurate. A few weeks later on 29 May, the company announced hiring over 15,000 employees to "enhance the customer experience". Additionally, after publication, employees claimed they were ordered by managers to correct price tags in a matter of days, however the company claims it was false and that it "hasn't issued any orders".[10][11][12]
"The characterization of widespread pricing concerns is blatantly false. the complaint noted by Consumer Reports included a few dozen examples across several years out of billions of customers transactions annually. While any error is unacceptable, the characterization of widespread pricing concerns is patently false"[13]
Kroger Loyalty Programs collects extensive customers' data (2025)
[edit | edit source]An investigation by Consumer Reports detailed Kroger's extensive data collection from customers who signed up for their free loyalty card program. Data collected or inferred includes customer's income level, purchase history, educational level, household size, ethnicity, pet ownership, and online behavioral data. In addition to being used for personalized marketing and discounts, Kroger sells customer's profiles to other companies including data brokers, tobacco companies, financial institutions and healthcare technology companies.[14][15][16][17]
Lawsuits
[edit | edit source]Misleading Prescription drug prices (2026)
[edit | edit source]Plaintiff Judy Kirkbride filed a class action complaint against Kroger on 05 January 2021 over allegedly conducting an pricing scheme on customers with third-party insurance providers on prescription medication products.[18] Plaintiff claims the company mislead customers by excluding Rx Savings Club discount from "usual and customary prices", resulting in customers overpaying for medication products.[19][20] Kroger denied the claims, arguing it has "no duty to disclose its usual and customary prices". [21][22] The case would reach a $17 million settlement in late March 2026, compensating customers purchases between 09 December 2018 .[23][24]
Products
[edit | edit source]See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Epsilon Notifies Clients of Unauthorized Entry into Email System". Epsilon. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Spammers Target Kroger Customers". KrebsonSecurity. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ Lennon, Mike (1 April 2011). "Kroger Notifies Customers of Data Breach Stemming from Third-Party Email Vendor". SecurityWeek. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Sarno, David (5 April 2011). "Hacking of data firm Epsilon exposes customers of 50 firms". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Data breach hits JPMorgan, Kroger customers". Reuters. 2 April 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Accellion Incident". Kroger. 25 March 2026. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ Burgess, Monica (31 October 2025). "Accellion Data Breach". Huntress. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Statement on FTC Victory Securing Halt to Kroger, Albertsons Grocery Merger". Federal Trade Commission. 10 December 2024. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ Durbin, Dee (11 December 2024). "Albertsons sues Kroger for failing to win approval of their proposed supermarket merger". AP News. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Kravitz, Derek (14 May 2025). "Kroger Stores Overcharging Shoppers on Sale Items, CR Price Check Finds". Consumer Reports. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Cunningham, Mary (16 May 2025). "Kroger overcharges customers for items marked as being on sale, Consumer Reports finds". CBS News. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Hudson, Michael; Kravitz, Derek; Ross, Theodore (14 May 2025). "'Customers are being duped': how murky grocery sales tactics are squeezing some Kroger shoppers". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Investigation finds some Kroger stores are overcharging customers". Youtube. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Kravitz, Derek (21 May 2025). "Inside Kroger's Secret Shopper Profiles: Why You May Be Paying More Than Your Neighbors". Consumer Reports. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Consumer Reports investigation uncovers Kroger's widespread data collection of loyalty program members to create secret shopper profiles". Consumer Reports. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Hori, Adrian (25 May 2025). "Kroger's Data Practices Under Fire: Consumer Reports Exposes Privacy Violations and Discriminatory Pricing". Captain Compliance. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Consumer Reports investigates the true costs of loyalty programs". Youtube. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Webster, Katherine (5 January 2021). "Kroger Overcharges Insurance for Generic Drugs Claims, Class Action Lawsuit". Top Class Action. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kirkbride v. The Kroger Co., No. 2:2021cv00022 - Document 42 (S.D. Ohio 2022)". Justia U.S. Law. 29 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kirkbride v. The Kroger Co., No. 2:2021cv00022 - Document 153 (S.D. Ohio 2025)". Justia U.S. Law. 29 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO EASTERN DIVISION" (PDF). govinfo.gov. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF OHIO EASTERN DIVISION" (PDF). Justia U.S. Law. 29 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kroger Had a Discount Prescription Club. Insured Customers Say They Never Got the Benefit — and Overpaid Every Time". All About Lawyer. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kroger agrees to $17M class action settlement over prescription drug prices". Top Class Action. 24 March 2026. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)