Is the price right?
Two states in the country have consumer laws on the books that require businesses to place prices on most items in the store -- it's a regulation that businesses say is very labor intensive because it requires workers to meticulously change price stickers on products every time there is a sale or some other price adjustments.
I can see both sides of this since I'm sure human or electronic error can cause a lot of problems for a business, but at the same time, it makes me wonder how many consumers get charged the wrong price because of these errors.
For instance, according to this Boston Globe story about the state conducting pricing inspections:
CVS Caremark Corp., the nation's biggest pharmacy chain, was fined more than $275,000 since January 2007 for nearly 2,800 alleged violations of Massachusetts rules on pricing accuracy - by far the most penalized of any retailer in the state.
The story also said:
Fines are issued to retailers as part of about 4,000 random inspections some 20 division inspectors conduct each year, sampling prices on products throughout the stores. While scanners tend to be accurate at most stores and the overwhelming majority of retailers comply with Massachusetts laws, Carroll said some of the bigger chains, including CVS, often miss the mark.
In all, the state meted out more than $1.2 million in fines since 2007 for more than 15,000 violations. Among those issued the most violations are Natick-based BJ's Wholesale Club, which was written up for more than 2,000 violations, and Walgreens and Shaw's each were cited for more than 1,000 in the 18-month period.
Now just imagine, the stores getting caught are based in a state where they do random inspections. What do you think happens in states where there are no inspections at all to make sure the advertised price is what you're getting charged? This is not to say that CVS or any of the other stores that were fined are deliberately pricing their products inaccurately, but it does make me pause to think how much consumers might lose out due to such pricing errors.
How careful are you at checkout? Do you go over every item to make sure you're getting charged correctly? Or do you just assume it's supposed to be right?
(AP Photo)
Categories: Consumer protection, Naughty businesses/NBotW
Comments
Have to admit that I'm usually not very good about checking the scanned prices. That is, unless it's in one of those self-serve checkout lanes where you scan items yourself and can go at your own pace. Can't say that I've ever encountered any discrepancies when I've done the self checkout. But it's sometimes hard to tell what you're really being charged in supermarkets, etc, when discounts are applied (like safeway's frequent shopper card). You're often being charged the regular (full) price until the discount is electronically applied by subtracting a certain amount from the bill. Unless you've got a computer for a brain, it's easy to wonder if some retailers sometimes pull an "Office Space" technique and overcharge you by a cent here and there during this process. Like the guys figured in that movie, they could get rich that way! (unless they misplace that decimal point in their cash register programming...)
Posted by: bob | August 19, 2008 1:11 PM
I usually check the prices as the items are being scanned and also check the receipt before leaving, unless it's a very small purchase. Unfortunately, sometimes when I see an incorrect price, the line at the customer service is so big that it's not worth it.
The receipts at Giant stores are very easy to read, since the actual price is listed right below every item. I also usually have the least discrepancies there. Food Lion is the worst with their sales. The disounts are listed at the bottom (and go figure), also I hate their "one-day" deals.
All in all, it is our money and it is our responsibility to watch it. So read the fine print and check the receipts. If the store makes too many "mistakes", I'd take my business elsewhere.
Posted by: Jelena | August 19, 2008 2:34 PM
I've had the most problems with Walgreens. I've learned to double check the scanner and my receipt for the sale price and coupon discounts.
I always feel like I'm being a nuisance when I make them re-ring the order or call the manager to correct the problem but they shouldn't advertise a price if they're not willing to honor it.
DD: LoriAnn, it's not a nuisance to make sure you're not being overcharged. We should all be so diligent.
Posted by: LoriAnn | August 21, 2008 10:19 AM