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TALLAHASSEE -- Three major retailers have agreed to provide enhanced pricing disclosures to settle allegations that they misled consumers about potential savings on the purchase of furniture, Attorney General Bob Butterworth announced today.

The separate agreements between the state and
Bloomingdale's, Burdines and Macy's were praised by Butterworth as a unique approach to giving consumers information they need to more accurately compare prices in the retail furniture market.

"This breaks new ground in the area of comparative pricing," Butterworth said. "Major Florida retailers have adopted a uniform disclosure standard that offers a truer picture of the value of so-called 'sale' prices."

Butterworth last June filed a civil complaint charging Burdines with marketing furniture at bogus discount prices. He subsequently opened investigations into similar practices by Bloomingdale's and Macy's.

According to Butterworth, furniture was sold at prices advertised to be considerably lower than the stores' "regular" prices. He charged, however, that in many cases the stores never sold any items at the regular prices referenced in the ads. Consumers who were told they were saving hundreds of dollars were essentially paying the regular price, the attorney general said.

Under the agreement, the retailers' ads must contain the disclaimer, "Savings may not be based on actual sales" in those instances where there were few or no sales at the higher, referenced price. They also agreed to limit discount claims to those furniture items which had been offered for sale at a legitimate regular price for a reasonable amount of time.

In addition, the stores agreed to work with the attorney general's office and other retailers to develop programs to help consumers better understand comparative pricing. The stores also will pay a total of $300,000 to fund such programs and cover investigative costs. Butterworth praised Burdines for agreeing to take a leadership role in the effort to raise public awareness of comparative pricing.

The settlement agreement was handled by Special Counsel Walter Dartland and Assistant Attorney General Kent Perez.