[awshepard]

I've had similar experiences, though can't claim whether or not it's a scam or artificially inflated. When we shop and scan our loyalty card I say "we saved X dollars!" and my wife replies, "you mean, we avoided getting overcharged X dollars."

Since we alternate between QFC and Fred Meyer, I have noticed that Fred Meyer doesn't have yellow stickers everywhere, and generally scanning my loyalty card doesn't reduce any prices, just accumulates points. In a trip to QFC around the same time frame, I've definitely seen the same item listed at a higher standard price, and the loyalty card price will be on par with the Fred Meyer "standard" price.