Lawsuit Investigation: Overcharged at Hobby Lobby Due to Price Differences?

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org are investigating whether a class action lawsuit can be filed against Hobby Lobby over its reported practice of pricing identical products differently, potentially causing some customers to be overcharged.

Reports have surfaced of items on Hobby Lobby shelves being marked with prices that vary by up to $10, meaning shoppers who don’t check each price tag or who buy multiples of the same item could end up unknowingly paying extra due to the discrepancy. Indeed, some shoppers who noticed the price differences at Hobby Lobby have notified store employees and had the lower price honored at checkout.

Why Are Hobby Lobby Prices Different?

The different price tags at Hobby Lobby have gained attention online, with some customers and store employees commenting as to what they believe is the reason behind the discrepancies. Seemingly, the most popular theory is that when prices go up, old stock isn’t removed and repriced. This means items marked with older, lower-priced stickers remain on the shelves, leading to the price discrepancy. Hobby Lobby doesn’t use barcodes, which could be scanned to charge the customer the price allocated to that item in the system, and cashiers must manually enter the cost displayed on each price sticker.  

Examples of Hobby Lobby Price Differences

One TikTok user posted a video of her flipping through decorative signs at Hobby Lobby, showing identical items marked with prices that varied by anywhere between $1 and $10.

Similarly, one shopper got video of two identical bird figurines priced at $8.99 and $16.99, respectively, with a commentor mentioning she noticed a seven-dollar difference between two of the same lanterns at her Hobby Lobby store.

Another woman posted video of identical dollhouse accessories, including steps and doorknobs, marked with different prices at her Hobby Lobby store.

On its website, Hobby Lobby states that it will honor competitors’ prices in store; however, it is unclear as to what the policy is when it comes to differing prices on its own shelves. While some shoppers have had success getting a price adjustment at Hobby Lobby, a commentor on the video showing the bird figurines said her manager refused to honor the lower price for one customer upon checkout. 

How Could a Lawsuit Against Hobby Lobby Help?  

If a class action lawsuit is filed and successful, customers may be able to get some money back on their purchases. A successful case could also force Hobby Lobby to come up with a more consistent pricing strategy.   

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