Computer Glitch Sells Premium Steaks for $2.99 a Pound — Shoppers Clear the Shelves Before Store Notices

A simple computer pricing error turned an ordinary shopping day into a carnivore’s dream after a grocery store accidentally listed premium beef steaks for just $2.99 per pound, sending bargain hunters into a buying frenzy.

The mistake occurred Tuesday morning at a Harvest Market grocery store in suburban Columbus, Ohio, where a routine overnight price update reportedly went very, very wrong.

Instead of charging between $19.99 and $27.99 per pound for ribeyes, New York strips, filet mignons, and porterhouse steaks, the store’s computerized pricing system mistakenly labeled nearly every premium cut at just $2.99 per pound.

It didn’t take customers long to notice.

Within minutes, shoppers were calling friends, texting family members, and—of course—posting photos on social media.

Before long, shopping carts began filling with enough steak to make every backyard barbecue within a 20-mile radius suddenly look a lot more ambitious.

One shopper admitted he arrived planning to buy milk and eggs but somehow left with nearly 40 pounds of beef.

“I’ve never made so many important financial decisions standing next to a meat cooler,” he joked.

Employees quickly realized something wasn’t quite right after noticing the meat department looked like it had been visited by a swarm of very hungry wolves.

Store managers soon confirmed the pricing error and corrected the computer system.

Fortunately for bargain hunters, management decided to honor every purchase made before the mistake was discovered.

“We made the error,” a store spokesperson said. “Our customers shouldn’t be penalized for finding a good deal.”

The decision earned praise from shoppers, although employees reportedly spent much of the afternoon explaining why the sale had ended to customers arriving after hearing about it online.

One disappointed latecomer summed up the situation perfectly.

“I guess I should’ve skipped work.”

By closing time, the premium steak cooler looked less like a supermarket display and more like the aftermath of a locust invasion.

Store officials say the pricing glitch has since been corrected.

Meanwhile, freezers throughout central Ohio suddenly became much more crowded.