June 4, 2008 — After being hit at the end of May with more than $23,000 in fines for incorrect pricing at its two St. Croix stores, Pueblo Supermarkets now faces fines of almost $60,000 for the same offense on St. Thomas.
The fines were assessed after inspectors from the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs' Division of Consumer Protection scanned more than 2,400 items and discovered that the scanner price was different than the advertised price.
"At Pueblo in Long Bay, our inspectors found violations on 2,300 items in the store, while about 151 violations were found at the supermarket in Subbase," said Commissioner Kenrick Robertson, according to a news release. He could not be reached for further comment.
The Long Bay Pueblo store was fined $59,625, while the Subbase Pueblo was fined $2,125.
On St. Croix, Pueblo at Villa La Reine was fined $10,075 for its violation after inspectors found 403 items with the wrong price. Licensing hit the store at Golden Rock shopping center with a $13,255 fine. Inspectors found a total of 529 items priced wrong. (See "'Deceptive Pricing' Results in Fines for Pueblo Supermarkets.")
Licensing has received complaints from the public about pricing irregularities, Robertson said.
"These are the first violations we have uncovered based on the complaints," he said. "We will continue to dispatch our inspectors to follow up on the complaints the public files with our offices on both St. Thomas and St. Croix."
Licensing will continue to monitor prices of goods offered for sale throughout the Virgin Islands to ensure that merchants not engage in deceptive trade practices, Robertson said.
"I thank those who have called our office to register their complaints and their concerns," he said.
Licensing encourages consumers to check the advertised price of products against the scanner price on the receipt and keep their receipts for a period of time to monitor price changes.
Steve Bockino, who oversees Pueblo operations on St. Thomas, was out of the office and could not be reached for comment.
For more information, contact Licensing at 773-2226 on St. Croix, 774-3130 on St. Thomas or 693-8036 on St. John.
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