Price Gouging Enforcement

​AG Grewal announced updates on the Division of Consumer Affairs’ actions to stop price gouging. As of this week:

  • The Division has issued 92 subpoenas to retailers and online market places reported by consumers for allegedly engaging in unfair price increases.
  • Approximately 756 cease-and-desist letters have been sent, warning retailers about the penalties for violating New Jersey’s price-gouging law, and the Consumer Fraud Act’s protections from gross and unreasonable inflation of the price of any product during a state of emergency.

The Division has logged a total of 4,245 complaints related to the COVID-19 emergency against 2,358 locations. Nearly 90 percent of the complaints allege unlawful price hikes on essential items like food, bottled water, cleaning products, and personal protective equipment such as masks, disinfectants and sanitizers.

Examples of alleged price hikes that consumers have reported to the Division include:

  • a convenience store allegedly charging $4.50 for a quart of milk
  • a wholesale store allegedly selling a case of paper towels for $65, almost double the previous $35 price
  • a supermarket allegedly raising the price of bacon from $4 to $9.99—an increase of over 50%
  • a medical supply store allegedly selling a 2.4-once bottle of hand sanitizer for $13.42
  • a convenience store allegedly charging $30 for a single face mask
  • a dollar store allegedly charging $3.99 for a package of gloves that used to cost $1.49
  • a gas station allegedly selling purified water that normally costs $3 for $14 a pack
  • a pharmacy allegedly charging $10 for small plastic containers of sanitizing wipes, which were previously sold for $3.99
  • a deli allegedly selling a dozen eggs for $5.99