Customer wary of Black Friday ads, pricing
EAGLE -- A CBS 58 viewer reached out with a question about why a Walmart ad she was looking at excluded Wisconsin. The online ad showed a certain product at a significant discount but the fine print is what prompted her question.
\"There on the front page was Leapfrog (LeapPad 2), $39.99. So that got me all excited.\"
It's an exciting time for Chris Zastrow. She has eight people to buy gifts for. There's one who's made his way to the top of the list.
\"Anything for a grandson,\" Zastrow said.
She's been working to find a Leap-Pad 2, more of a children's version of an iPad.
Toys-R-Us has it priced at 39.99 in its Black Friday ad which starts Thanksgiving night.
But when she saw a pre-black-Friday ad for Walmart that kicks off Friday morning - she thought she was set.
\"Hoping to get it online so i don't have to stand in line,\" Zastrow said.
But the fine print says otherwise.
\"There in fine print on the bottom, not valid in Wisconsin.\"
So she called her local walmart stores - they told her it's because of Wisconsin law they can't give that price.
The unfair sales act in Wisconsin helps stop retailers from dropping prices on certain items to attract customers. It's commonly called the minimum markup law.
The Walmart ad appeared online with Zastrow's Waukesha store as an option - but has since been removed.
\"If I can't do it online, earlier in the day, we'll venture out and try and get it in the stores. Fight the crowds,\" Zastrow said.
Toys-R-Us still shows the Leap-Ppad 2 at $39.99 next Thursday night during its Black Friday sale, but even that leaves Zastrow uneasy.
\"I don't want to stand in line for hours at Toys-R-Us and then find out, oh no, we can't sell it to you.\"
Toys-R-Us plans to keep the price point next Friday. At that point, Walmart says they'll match that price. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says this law is on the books but isn't sure if this is what Walmart could be referring to.