False advertising is against the law. You can make a complain with the Department of Weights and Measures. They can check the books to see if Meijer did have that many in stock.

As for the bikes, which you saw in trunks prior to sale time, those probably belonged to store employees, who were allowed to purchase them prior to customers being allowed access. I do not know this to be fact but that would be my educated guess.

You should make a formal complaint with Meijer management. They have the authority to make it right and allow you to purchase one at the sale price or give you a rain check to purchase one at a later date.

Please let us know if you get the matter resolved to your satisfaction.

Thanks for sharing your story.
~Annette

I am very upset, as I got up early for the Meijer 5 am sale and was there at 4:30 am, to purchase one of their bikes they had advertised for $25. While I was parking the car I noticed a few cars trunks already filled with the advertised bikes aboard.

This sale was not to have started until 5 am, yet these bikes were purchased earlier than advertised time.

While in the store shopping I noticed a few people in line to purchase these bikes. How can the store have sold bikes before the allotted time and already be sold out prior to sale time? That is unfair to customers who wasted thier time exspecting to purchase one when others bought them early?

The advertisement said 5,000 were available chainwide? That is a bunch of false boloney [paraphrased]. When I inquired about them to a store manager, he just said they are all gone and there’s nothing he can do about it. That would mean there would have had to have been at least 50 or more bikes in each store when there wasn’t. That’s false advertisement and to let people buy them and be out the store before sale time was even in effect is even more frustrating.

I asked how can that be when coming into the store I saw these bikes here in the trunks of cars and it isn’t even 5am yet. I got the shove off basically. “I can’t help you,” and off he went.

There is no way that Meijer had 5,000 chainwide. I was talking with a few other customers who said they had come from the Belleville store which is 1/2 an hour away from store I was in, which was the Westland store (Michigan). That would mean they were there even earlier and the bikes were already gone, and they were told that store had only 11 bikes to begin with, before the store sale was in effect.

That is so misleading to advertise a certain quanity in stock, only to find out they really didn’t have even close that the advertised figure in stock.

I have never participated in these early morning – Black Friday sales and to find out that it was all lies about the quanity and seeing vehicles laden with these bikes in their trunks before selling time is so depressing.

I even stopped at two more stores and they said there wasn’t that many to sell to begin with. What a waste of time.

I was there way early enough, before the time to have purchased one, and would really have like to had had one for my son under the tree, for that price. Not being rich like some, it was a nice price to have purchased a bike I would not otherwise have been able to afford.

I don’t understand how they could be so unfair as to even have sold the bikes before the sale. I knew it was all to go to be true. Never, will I ever give Meijer my time like that again. I am very dissatisfied and upset that I wasted my time gas and energy for nothing and to see them sell them before time is even more unfair.

~So sad

I’ve had those alarms go off on me after a shopping trip and I know they can be very embarrassing. You would think that stores would properly train all their employees, especially in being sensitive on this issue.

I’m so glad to hear that you are standing up and letting your voice be heard loud and clear. I’m very proud of you and the strength you have demonstrated. It is serious business when you detain a person, there are laws against it and you can be sure that Meijer is fully aware of it.

Sounds to me like you could even have a good legal case against them. Before you write too many letters of complain, you might want to contact an attorney for legal advice.

~Annette