Chain Discontinues Bulk-Wrapped Candy

Lovers of Abba-Zabas, Mary Janes, Sugar Daddys and other wrapped candies formerly sold in bulk at Sweet Factory stores will have to satisfy their sweet tooth elsewhere.

The San Diego-based company has removed the candies from its 55 California stores in 16 counties, including those in Thousand Oaks and Ventura, in response to a civil lawsuit filed by the Ventura County district attorney’s office.

The office’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Division announced Wednesday it settled a civil lawsuit against Sweet Factory Inc. Without admitting wrongdoing, the privately owned company agreed to pay $56,380 in penalties for selling certain candies without deducting the weight of the wrappers.

Exactly how much the company overcharged consumers depends on the type of wrapper used on a particular candy, Deputy Dist. Atty. Mary Peace said.

“If you buy a Tootsie Roll, [the wrapper] might be lighter than if you buy a lollipop,” she said.

Although not part of the settlement agreement, the company simply elected to discontinue bulk-wrapped candy sales because they accounted for less than 5% of store sales, Sweet Factory spokeswoman Frann Wolfe said.

“We have received questions from customers as to why we’re not selling them anymore,” Wolfe said. “But we never once received a complaint from a customer that we were unfairly charging them for these products.”

Company clerks are trained to deduct wrapper weight, Wolfe said. However, the county’s Division of Weights and Measures determined that didn’t always occur.

The company sells its pick-and-mix candy for $7 a pound, so the overcharges quickly add up, Manager Bill Korth said.

Still, people missing their regular Lemonhead fix needn’t despair, Wolfe said. Sweet Factory stores carry more than 200 pick-and-mix candies. “Chances are you can find something you’ll be satisfied with,” she said.