Minnesota Jumps on the Pricing Transparency Bandwagon
Minnesota is the latest state to join the roster of those that have recently adopted pricing transparency laws. As background, on February 11, 2024, New York amended General Business Law 518 to provide that consumers could not be charged at the point of sale any amount greater than the highest price previously displayed to them, although the law expressly permits dual pricing for different forms of payment. On July 1, 2024, California passed its sweeping Honest Pricing Law, also known as SB 478, which made it an unfair and deceptive trade practice to fail to disclose the total price a consumer would be required to pay for a good or service, excluding only taxes and shipping costs. These laws are similar to the Federal Trade Commission’s so-called Junk Fee Rule, which was proposed over a year ago, but has not yet been enacted. If it is approved, that rule would likewise require that the total price of a good or service, including all mandatory fees, be clearly and conspicuously displaye...