Target Fined $10,000 for Selling Short Weighing Goods

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Kerry Shine said the Government will continue to crack down on retailers who rip off customer by selling underweight products.

Mr Shine’s warning follows a $10,000 fine handed to Target Australia Pty Ltd after the company today pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for selling underweight goods at two Queensland stores

“Inspectors from the Office of Fair Trading discovered the short weight products on sale at Target’s suburban Brisbane stores at Morayfield and Springwood during routine trade measurement checks,” Mr Shine said.

“The products included two types of moisturiser, Hydrating Body Balm and Invigorating Body Polish, and a candle from the Body Coffee brand range, supplied to Target by a company in California, USA.

“The Fair Trading inspectors found 62 of these products with actual weights between 42 per cent and two per cent short of the weights shown on the packaging of the goods.”

Target submitted to Magistrate Sheryl Cornack that the Body Coffee products had been supplied with written assurances they weighed exactly what was written on the packaging.

“The company conducts its own measurement checks but in this case it appears to have relied too heavily on assurances from the supplier,” Mr Shine said.

“This serves as a warning to all retailers that breaches of Queensland’s trade measurement laws will not be tolerated.

“Target has undertaken to put in place a system to guarantee the correct weight of products it sells.

“Consumers can be assured that Government inspectors are out there making sure they get what they pay for.





“No conviction was recorded against the company after Target pleaded guilty to all the charges and cooperated with the Office of Fair Trading throughout the prosecution.”

For more information about Queensland’s trade measurement laws, visit www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au or phone 13 13 04.



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