Kohl’s Corporation is being targeted by two class action lawsuits in California over its pricing practices. These suits were recently filed in the U.S. Southern District of California.

Both lawsuits argue that Kohl’s discounted pricings on its own brands violate California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act because the retailer gets to set the original price in the first place. One suit alleges that it is possible that hundreds of thousands of California consumers, “have been victims of [Kohl’s] deceptive, misleading, and unlawful pricing scheme.”

The lead plaintiffs essentially argue that if Kohl’s wants to sell a piece of clothing for $20, then they mark the original price at $40, place a 50-percent discount on the item, and the consumer buys the product at $20 thinking they are getting a deal even though the item was never worth $40. The plaintiffs argue these pricing schemes have led to Californians unknowingly purchasing merchandise of lesser value and quality than they expected.

The suits only alleges state law claims and therefore only applies in California. Read the complaints here and here.

Kohl’s is based in Menominee Falls and operates 1,164 department stores in the United States including 126 in California.