Ryan Passes Bill in the House to Improve Consumer Savings

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As the prices of everyday essentials continue to rise across the country, state Rep. Rick Ryan, D-Evergreen Park, is working to provide some immediate relief to Illinois customers by passing a new measure to ensure the price people see is the price people pay.

“We’ve been working hard to lower costs for Illinoisans across the board,” Ryan said. “This bill addresses just one issue that customers have been having with expensive and unreliable prices.”

Grocery stores, drug stores, and other businesses increasingly entice customers with advertised savings that require apps and digital coupons, which are often unreliable and require smartphone access. In some cases, customers have faced difficulty locating and “clipping” advertised deals on the app, connectivity issues in large stores, and technological barriers for consumers without smartphone access.

In order to reduce these barriers to savings, Ryan passed House Bill 45, which requires retailers to honor all advertised savings, even if customers cannot access their app or operate their digital coupons.

“When customers are shopping in a store with coupons in tow, they expect those lower prices to be honored. That’s why I voted to change the law so consumers can continue to shop within their budget without needing to pre-download or screenshot faulty app coupons that may not work at checkout,” said Ryan. “Savings shouldn’t be determined by whether or not a consumer can pull up an online coupon. Stores should be able and willing to honor those no matter what.”

House Bill 45 now moves to the Senate.