Stop & Shop Lawsuit Alleges Grocery Store Adds ‘Sneaky Fees’ to Online Pickup Orders

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Stop & Shop faces a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the supermarket chain underhandedly adds to online grocery orders a pickup fee that is not prominently disclosed before checkout.  

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The 20-page lawsuit says that customers who begin an online pickup order through the Stop & Shop website or mobile app are not given the total price of their order and are instead “ambushed” by a hidden $3.95 “Pickup Fee” at checkout, in alleged violation of the Massachusetts Unfair and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

According to the complaint, Massachusetts law deems unfair and deceptive the misrepresentation of or failure to clearly and conspicuously disclose a product’s total price, including any fees to be imposed on a transaction. The state law further requires the nature and purpose of such fees to be disclosed to consumers, per the filing.

The class action lawsuit accuses Stop & Shop of “nickel and diming” consumers as it presents subtotals in a customer’s virtual “cart” that encompass only the cost of their selected groceries without mention of the $3.95 pickup fee.

In fact, consumers are not informed of the $3.95 fee and any applicable bottle deposit fees until they scroll to the bottom of the virtual cart page, where they are presented with an unexpectedly increased price, the case says.

The case argues that because consumers do not need to scroll to the bottom of their cart to proceed to the checkout page and must navigate through several screens to select a pickup time, it is unlikely that they will notice the “sneaky fees.”

“This cheap trick has enabled [Stop & Shop] to swindle substantial sums of money from its customers,” the lawsuit charges.

The filing claims that if a customer clicks the information icon next to the denoted “Pickup Fee” on the cart page, they are informed that the fee is not a tip or gratuity for pickup attendants, yet the disclosure still does not enlighten consumers as to the purpose of the fee.

The Stop & Shop class action lawsuit looks to cover all individuals in the United States who placed online pickup orders through Stop & Shop’s website, https://www.stopandshop.com, or mobile app on or after September 2, 2025.

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