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Wegmans responds to advertising challenge by Costco

Wegmans is responding to some criticism by Costco over how prices are displayed in its stores.

The complaint made by Costco has to do with certain in-store comparison pricing displays at Wegmans stores. Costco challenged claims made in those displays through The National Advertising Division, which is part of a self-regulatory effort by the advertising industry.

Costco challenged wording at the in-store Wegmans displays that said things like "who has time to comparison shop, we do, we check hundreds of prices each week so you don’t have to.”

The advertising organization NAD, found that phrase is ok, but it did suggest that Wegmans accompany its pricing claims by a clear and prominent disclosure of the date that the comparison shopping was done, and a clear statement that prices are subject to change.

Wegmans issued this statement in response: "NAD confirmed that our price comparisons to Costco were accurate.   The NAD’s recommended changes to our signs were minor, and customers may not even notice the difference."

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.