Class Action Accuses At Home of Selling Items at Fake Discounts

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A New Jersey consumer claims in a proposed class action that At Home Group, Inc. has violated state law by offering its products in store at fake discounts.

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The 23-page lawsuit accuses At Home of engaging in a “markup to markdown” scheme whereby the retailer inflates the original price of an item before selling it at a discount. The case claims the home décor seller uses this “deceptive” tactic to mislead consumers into thinking they’re receiving a better deal than they actually are.

The plaintiff says she visited At Home’s Cherry Hill, New Jersey, location in November 2023 and saw that it was selling galvanized metal candle holders at a 50 percent discount. Stickers on the products indicated that they were originally sold for $11.99 each but had since been marked down to $5.99, the complaint says.

Enticed by the deal, the woman bought five candle holders, the case shares. However, after her purchase, the plaintiff was upset to find that At Home had placed the $11.99 price stickers over ones that originally advertised the candle holders as $9.99, the suit says.

According to the case, the plaintiff overpaid $1 for each candle holder due to At Home’s illicit advertising scheme. The woman says she would not have bought the items had she known their prices were falsely inflated.

As the case tells it, the candle holders purchased by the plaintiff are just one example of At Home’s alleged “markup to markdown” pricing scheme.

“The candle holders are not the only items At Home fictitiously priced,” the complaint notes, claiming that potentially thousands of New Jersey consumers have been “lulled” into purchasing various items sold by the big-box store at “illusory” discounts.

“At Home’s actions were deceitful and in derogation of New Jersey’s consumer protection framework and other standards,” the case contends.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in New Jersey who visited At Home’s stores, in person or online, and purchased a “discounted” product for which the defendant fictitiously inflated the original price.

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