Portland, Oregon—OCJ Law, P.C., along with co-counsel, filed a class action lawsuit against Grocery Outlet on June 2, 2025, on behalf of Oregonians seeking to hold the California-based grocery chain accountable for a deceptive sales strategy. Oregon Consumer Justice partners with OCJ Law to provide legal services and solutions that center consumers so they can access and win justice through the courts.

The case alleges Grocery Outlet marketed and sold products, including near-to-term items, to Oregon consumers through a widespread, coordinated scheme of fake savings and made-up reference prices—vaguely attributed to "Elsewhere"—in violation of Oregon laws. 

The complaint provides photo evidence from recent transactions that demonstrate Grocery Outlet's consistent practice of displaying fabricated price comparisons that do not clearly identify the competitor whose price is supposedly being referenced. In some instances, the prices either do not correspond with other products sold regionally or are intentionally inflated to give the illusion of better in-store deals. 

"Grocery Outlet doesn't even bother to name competitors in its false price comparisons," points out Oregon Consumer Justice's Executive Director Jagjit Nagra. "Now, the team at OCJ Law and collaborating firms have the receipts to show just how egregious the store's deception has been. This class action is about doing right by consumers impacted by Grocery Outlet and holding the company accountable for their unethical and duplicitous pricing scheme that shuts down consumer choice." 

Stewart, Franz, and Sullivan v. Grocery Outlet et al., filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court, seeks to end these misleading practices and to right the injustice experienced by likely more than 100,000 customers statewide.

Oregonians are grappling with the rising costs of living and rates of food insecurity. This lawsuit shows how those looking to more affordably provide for their families by shopping at Grocery Outlet, a supposedly "bargain market", end up paying roughly the same amount or even slightly more than if they had shopped at another store. Pricing information should be fair, honest, and transparent, not obscured by smokescreen tactics that falsely inflate product value and place an undue burden on consumers to fact-check sales costs without enough data to do so. These practices crush consumer choice and disrupt competition by putting companies that play by the rules at an unfair disadvantage. 

"The case reinforces why Oregonians' right to consumer-led enforcement is invaluable in the fight against injustices by large corporations," says Nagra. "While violations of the law, like those alleged in this action against Grocery Outlet, may start as small-dollar scams, in aggregate, they disproportionately strip wealth from the people who can least afford it and make the marketplace less safe for all Oregonians."

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