Written by CNN Staff
A Canadian grocery haul that cost $95 to $105 (CA$140-$180) is causing a price debate across social media platforms.
In a Reddit post on Monday night, a customer in Hamilton, Ontario, Ontario, claimed to have been overcharged by Target as much as $35.
According to the Reddit user, Mere Privacy, the Price-Minister Price Difference meant that while he was not overcharged, he was being charged at a higher margin than he would normally.
As “several people commented on this example,” Mere Privacy wrote, “I took a close look at this situation and found a pattern of mistakes, little or no follow up by the stores and practices that forced me to pay much more than what the price was. Once my original estimate of what I was being charged came out of line with what I was spending, the stores demanded a total refund. By that time my request was likely already too late.”
The post quickly spread across Reddit and was shared more than 1,000 times.
The post caused a sharp reaction from Reddit users, with one comparing the product in question to “gold coins.”
Target Canada launched in late 2013, and closed its doors in early 2018, after failing to make money. Although the company was contracted by the US Target chain, it opened its own stores in an attempt to counter its cheaper brick-and-mortar competitor.
According to the Redditor, his experience occurred at the Grace Hill One Stop, a Target in Hamilton.
Though the Hamilton Grace Hill location is no longer open, a representative of the store said that it wouldn’t be able to corroborate the authenticity of the story.
“Due to the recent price situation, it would be impossible for our Operations team to ascertain if pricing discrepancies are happening at locations which are no longer being operated by Target Canada,” the representative said in a statement.
As for the user’s estimation, the representative was unable to provide pricing information on a wide range of goods across the store.