Tech giant Apple will pay New Jersey a $150,000 fine for failing to properly label prices in its Garden State stores, Attorney General Matt Platkin announced on Thursday.
The settlement between Apple and state officials will require the stores to switch away from its digital pricing system and instead mostly place stamps, tags, labels, or signs on or near the merchandise. The Attorney General’s Office said Apple failed to heed a 2017 consent order requiring the company to adjust its pricing practices.
The 1996 Merchandise Pricing Act requires New Jersey companies to conspicuously place a price on or near an item for sale, as well as any refund policies.
“At a time when prices are skyrocketing, consumers deserve to know what they’re paying for products on the shelves. Once again, Apple has violated the law by failing to display the prices for products in their retail stores—keeping consumers in the dark,” Platkin said. “It’s bad enough when companies violate the law once. It’s even worse when they are held accountable for violating consumers’ rights and then engage in the same unlawful conduct again. There is no excuse for Apple’s repeated misconduct here, and consumers deserve better.”
The Attorney General’s Office said the $150,000 penalty is the largest settlement under the Merchandise Pricing Act.
Apple did not immediately return a request for comment.
