NY: Wal-Mart levied fictional 'sugar tax' on soda
The Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York's attorney general has settled a false advertising investigation at Wal-Mart, saying some store personnel were citing a nonexistent "sugar tax" on soda.
The attorney general's office says the retailer launched a national sale in June advertising Coca-Cola 12-packs for $3, but consumers at 117 Wal-Mart stores in New York
were routinely charged $3.50.
Investigators say some consumers who complained were falsely told the state has a "sugar tax." They say the markup of more than 16 percent violated state laws.
They say Wal-Mart ran a similar sale in March, and 66,000 12-packs of Coca-Cola have been sold in New York at an inflated price.
The settlement requires Wal-Mart to pay over $66,000 and improve internal reporting.
A company spokesman says they're enhancing procedures to ensure proper promotional pricing.
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