Safeway Pharmacies Accused of Coupon Game

LOS ANGELES (CN) - Safeway lured customers to its pharmacies by issuing discount coupons it did not honor, a class action claims in Superior Court.

Lead plaintiff Betsy Pinkney says she transferred her prescription to Safeway's pharmacy in April in response to an ad that promised 20 percent off of certain items to customers who brought their prescriptions to Safeway.

The coupon excluded items such as liquor, tobacco, and selected gift cards. Pinkney says a pharmacy employee gave her a second coupon and told her to give it to the clerk at checkout. She says the second coupon was valid for only one week, though the original expired in June. She says she picked out several hundred dollars worth of gift cards that were not on the "exceptions" list, but the scanner failed to recognize the discount. Pinkney says she was told she could not use the coupon for the gift cards even though they were not on the exceptions list.

She claims Safeway promised to deal with the matter but never contacted her despite her attempts to reach a resolution.

Pinkney claims it was the old "bait and switch." She seeks damages, costs and an injunction. She is represented by Neil Fineman.

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