BOSTON (WWLP) – Massachusetts lawmakers are demanding information from Stop & Shop’s parent company on reports of price-gouging concerns.
A letter was sent to CEO Frans Muller of Ahold Delhaize, the parent company of Stop & Shop, concerning higher prices in minority and working-class communities in Massachusetts. “These types of price discrepancies place significant burdens on already-struggling consumers,” wrote U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren, and Ed Markey, along with Representatives Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley.
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A 2023 study by a group of Boston youth volunteers at the Hyde Square Task Force revealed Stop & Shop was charging 18 percent more for groceries in a largely minority and working-class area of Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood, compared to the store location in Dedham, a more affluent suburb.
Examples from Stop & Shop in Jamaica Plain vs. Dedham included:
- Bubba’s turkey burgers were $2 more
- Stop & Shop-branded crinkle-cut French fries were 90 cents more
- Smithfield bacon was $2 more