Checking your receipts:$102.13 for 2 Tomatoes?

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from the NYTimes

Surveys indicate that consumers lose $1 billion to $2.5 billion each year because of scanner pricing errors. While many states and municipalities have enforcement officers who go to stores to check the accuracy between stated prices and what rings up at the register, it's up to consumers — whether eating in a restaurant, buying groceries or items at drug stores — to reconcile receipts as soon as they get them...some restaurants they'll charge you for something you didn't get, not charge you for something you did get or you might even get someone else's bill...

I know that personally, I find errors all the time and don't always go back if the error is a small one ... but I should ... and I always check the bill in a restaurant before signing the receipt.

Happening to anyone else? Personal worst example? Receipt showed $95 for a pack of chewing gum ... I stopped buying the stuff after that! those tiny decimals are actually essential .... Names of stores not required ...

[moosnsqrl]

I'm better about it at the grocery than in restaurants. I have to admit, when the s.o scrutinizes a restaurant check, I feel a little weird...like he's impuning the integrity of the server or something.

[TPO]

I usually know in my head how much a restaurant bill should be and only look at it good if it is higher or lower than I expected it to be. If there was a problem with the meal, such as never receiving an item I ordered, I do check the bill to be sure I didn't get charged for it.

Grocery stores and "super" department stores that sell food are the worse. Things scan wrong often, and sometimes -- depending on the store -- you are treated as though you are a criminal trying to get a lower price. When things scan wrong, often the cashier cannot fix it so you have to go to customer service. Then they send a clerk to check the price on the shelf, because you obviously wanted to wait in line for ten minutes to scam them out of $1.00.

But I suppose these stores know what they are doing. When my mom worked at a grocery store (more than a few decades ago), the owner kept a broom leaning up against the checkout area. The cashiers were instructed to charge everyone for the broom, and when someone complained that the broom wasn't theirs, to refund the money immediately.

The owner knew a certain percentage would pay for the broom and either never figure it out or never both to get their money back. I think it's the same with this big chain stores -- they know a certain percentage of people will not notice incorrect scans, and of those that notice a certain percentage won't bother waiting ten minutes at customer service for an error of a dollar or two.

But fortunately not all stores are like this, and I do business with those that don't make customers jump through hoops to get small errors corrected.

[JSD]

My personal worst was not at a grocery store or restaurant, but at a college bookstore in Wisconsin. I was buying a sweatshirt for my son (go badgers) and the clerk told me it came to $62,000. I looked at her and just said, I've changed my mind, I think that's too much for a sweatshirt. Only then did she realize how ludicrous it was! She had entered the bar code number as the price.

[Rachel Perlow]

My dad picked up the check at a local restaurant and called the waiter back. The bill was for over $900, when it should have been a hundred and something, it was quickly taken care of. Forget to hit that decimal point and bad things happen. Jason tends to just put down the credit card and not look at the bill. I always look at the bill, it's so easy to make a mistake at a register where someone has to type in the numbers. Think about how many typos you make at the computer. Incorrectly programmed scanners are another issue altogether.

[Pam R]

I find the most mistakes at 'wholesale stores'. Being charged for extra cases of items can add up.

My mom has a reputation for punching things into the cash register incorrectly. Luckily her mistakes tend to be a minimum of $100,000 - so it rarely goes unnoticed.

[torakris]

I have a photographic memory when it comes to grocery and restaurant prices. I could still probably tell you the price of of everything I bought last week. I always keep an eye on the register when things are being rung up and I have to admit I notice quite a few more mistakes in the US than I do here in Japan.

My most recent overcharging was just a month ago and it was in Bali. It was our first dinner in Bali and it was a restaurant I had heard good things about from two sources. I should have known something was up when we sat down and the waitress kept trying to get us to order their special (and very pricey) Christmas Eve Dinner. It was December 27th....

We ordered from the menu and I tallied up the bill in my head, when the check came it was almost $50 when it should have been more like $35. I glanced at the prices and noticed almost everything was different than was listed in the menu.

I was about to ask to see the menu again when the waitress came over with this clipboard and flyers about their Special New Year's Eve dinner/party with a jazz band and open bar for something like $75 a person. On the clipboard she had written party of 5 for 7:00pm and she said all she needed was our name. I just stared at her and told her I wasn't interested. She wouldn't give up, she kept going on about this upcoming event and saying "if you just give me your name...".

My husband had taken the 3 kids outside so I was alone, even telling her that we were leaving the island that morning didn't phase her. Finally I just stood up put the $50 on the table and walked out of the restaurant. I just didn't have the energy anymore.

I really doubt the overcharging in this place was accidental....

[jaynesb]

I've had a bunch of experiences where the cashier casually glances at similarly packaged items and punches in a quantity and scans one of the items. The most recent was for jumbo size cans of Planters brand nuts at one of the food warehouses. One can was peanuts the other was mixed nuts (and once opened, turned out to be mostly peanuts anyway). Both cans are blue metal with a yellow plastic lid. The price difference was $5.00 and the can that got scanned was for the more expensive mixed nuts. I don't think the cashier even tried to understand what I was saying but he pointed me off to customer service where the problem was immediately resolved. (Had there been a long line at customer service, I would have been a lot more annoyed than I already was.)

jayne

[jgm]

This tends to be a point of irritation for me. I don't have the best eyesight, and often I cannot read the fine print on shelf labels without getting within about 18 inches of them. If the price (which is usually about 1/2 to 3/4 inch high) is obviously for the item above it, it's no problem. But when I shop at the cheese case in the grocery, it takes a few minutes to read all of the labels and figure out which one is for the product I want to purchase.

I wish I had the aforementioned photographic memory. But often, it's difficult to see what I'm being charged on the display, because I'm busy pulling items out of the cart.

I will often check prices on receipts, but if I suspect a problem, it's usually not more than a few cents off what I remember. Then, if I go to the shelf and check it, even if I find a discrepancy, it can take 20 minutes or more to get it corrected. So more often than not, I let it go. And I have a feeling the stores count on that happening.

Even more frustrating is when there's no price at all, anywhere, and I have to remember to watch for it as I go through check-out, which I often forget to do. If a store is really bad about not having items marked, I will shop there only when I have no other choice.

So on the rare occasion when I find I've brought something home I wasn't charged for, I figure it all evens out in the end. I suppose it's easier to rationalize cheating the store if it was a computer mistake instead of a human mistake.

I'm old enough to remember when bar coding was introduced, it was The Next Great Thing and was supposed to result in more accuracy, not less. Consumers understood then, that less accuracy would be the case, and we weren't wrong.

[Lady T]

Recently, the cashiers at the Whole Foods near me were -- obviously -- instructed to scan each and every item individually, even where there were obvious duplications: four entries for four smoothies, rather than the swift scan of one item and a "x 4" multiplier entry. This is a time-consuming pain in the tail, but it uncovers all sorts of fascinating BS as to what kind of lint-brained scanner labelling happens before we, mere customers that we are, get our hands on the product.

I check my Whole Paycheck receipts religiously before I leave the register,even if it causes a delay, because all too often I find errors that never seem to be to my advantage. Can't imagine why, can you?

[prasantrin]

I'm old enough to remember when bar coding was introduced, it was The Next Great Thing and was supposed to result in more accuracy, not less.  Consumers understood then, that less accuracy would be the case, and we weren't wrong.

←

Not only has scanning resulted in less accuracy, but it has also resulted in poorer customer service. If not for scanning, cashiers and the like (and yes, I have worked as a cashier--in fact, it was my dream job as a five year old) would actually have to use their brains, and would therefore require brains and perhaps even some common sense.

No offense intended to all those presently working as cashiers...

[maggiethecat]

I can SWAG a grocery bill, but I'm fortunate in that I don't shop at chain grocery stores -- ever. OK, Whole Paycheck three times a year, but that's for two items and I have burned the prices into my brain long before checkout.

I find that the independents hire better checkers: the kids at Caputos, Vallis, Bobacks or the Supermercado have to be seriously on the ball concerning the wonderworld of produce or "strange" meat. It's because the customers are very price-aware -- no yuppies here! Immigrants and first gen folks, my fellow shoppers aren't rubes at the cash register.

[deltadoc]

My wife almost always finds errors at the grocery stores. And she goes to Cub, SuperTarget, Rainbow, as well as others. She notes sale prices, and 50% of the time, the register scans the "regular" price, not the sales price. She always makes them take the time to send someone over to confirm the sale price.

A restaurant that we used to eat at 2-3 times a week when we were younger, once handed me the wine menu, and I ordered the $56 dollar bottle of Cabernet.

She came back later with the same menu and specifically asked me to confirm that the $56 Cabernet was the one I ordered. I confirmed it.

After the meal was over, I looked at the bill and I was charged $75 for the Cabernet.

I brought this to the attention of the waitress, who then brought over a menu and lo and behold the price on this menu said $75. I told her to go back and find the menu that I had ordered from because it said $56.

About 20 minutes later, she returned with the house manager, who informed me that some of the menus had not been updated with the new price. I just glared at him, know ing that this really wasn't an oversight. They were counting on us to not notice the price increase on our bill. A couple weeks later we ate there again (the food really was great food, but I waited 2 weeks to calm down from that incident), and noticed that the menu still showed the Cabernet priced at $56!

We had water with that meal~

doc

[Becca Porter]

Recently, the cashiers at the Whole Foods near me were -- obviously -- instructed to scan each and every item individually, even where there were obvious duplications: four entries for four smoothies, rather than the swift scan of one item and a "x 4" multiplier entry.  This is a time-consuming pain in the tail, but it uncovers all sorts of fascinating BS as to what kind of lint-brained scanner labelling happens before we, mere customers that we are, get our hands on the product.

I check my Whole Paycheck receipts religiously before I leave the register,even if it causes a delay, because all too often I find errors that never seem to be to my advantage.  Can't imagine why, can you?

←

The reason they do this is because even though you got 10 yoplait yogurts, you might have gotton different kinds. Strawberry, blueberry, etc.

Since it is the computer that reorders, they have to make sure the right types are reordered.

They do not trust the cashiers to make the distinction between types, so they are instructed to always ring up each item seperately regardless of the two types being exactly the same. Most cashiers are lax on this rule though.

[jgm]

I brought this to the attention of the waitress, who then brought over a menu and lo and behold the price on this menu said $75.  I told her to go back and find the menu that I had ordered from because it said $56.

About 20 minutes later, she returned with the house manager, who informed me that some of the menus had not been updated with the new price.  I just glared at him, know ing that this really wasn't an oversight.  They were counting on us to not notice the price  increase on our bill.  A couple weeks later we ate there again (the food really was great food, but I waited 2 weeks to calm down from that incident), and noticed that the menu still showed the Cabernet priced at $56!

We had water with that meal~

doc

←

I'd be tempted to start carrying a Sharpie, and make my own corrections...

[miladyinsanity]

My most recent overcharging was just a month ago and it was in Bali. It was our first dinner in Bali and it was a restaurant I had heard good things about from two sources. I should have known something was up when we sat down and the waitress kept trying to get us to order their special (and very pricey) Christmas Eve Dinner. It was December 27th....

We ordered from the menu and I tallied up the bill in my head, when the check came it was almost $50 when it should have been more like $35. I glanced at the prices and noticed almost everything was different than was listed in the menu.

I was about to ask to see the menu again when the waitress came over with this clipboard and flyers about their Special New Year's Eve dinner/party with a jazz band and open bar for something like $75 a person. On the clipboard she had written party of 5 for 7:00pm and she said all she needed was our name. I just stared at her and told her I wasn't interested. She wouldn't give up, she kept going on about this upcoming event and saying "if you just give me your name...".

My husband had taken the 3 kids outside so I was alone, even telling her that we were leaving the island that morning didn't phase her. Finally I just stood up put the $50 on the table and walked out of the restaurant. I just didn't have the energy anymore.

I really doubt the overcharging in this place was accidental....

←

Helen, it's because you were tourists.

I've not been to Bali, but I've heard similar horror stories from relatives and friends who have.

[Shalmanese]

I think Australia stores have a policy that if theres a mistake on your bill, you get that entire item free. I think it's a good one and encourages more faith in the supermarkets.

[Pan]

I'm better about it at the grocery than in restaurants.  I have to admit, when the s.o scrutinizes a restaurant check, I feel a little weird...like he's impuning the integrity of the server or something.

←

I would disagree. Do you feel like when you check over your own work, you are impugning your own integrity, as well? The fact is, all human beings are imperfect and make mistakes. The fact that a waiter could have made an error does not mean or imply that the waiter was trying to cheat you.

[JSD]

I think Australia stores have a policy that if theres a mistake on your bill, you get that entire item free. I think it's a good one and encourages more faith in the supermarkets.

←

Raley's does this, but it is not widely advertised. I've gotten a number of things free. If I don't specifically mention the policy, however, the checker won't give it to me.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Raley's does this, but it is not widely advertised.  I've gotten a number of things free.  If I don't specifically mention the policy, however, the checker won't give it to me.

←

At one time, in the US, Kroger used to do this as well. Perhaps they still do. I think I'll ask about the policy on "errors" when I go to Kroger today ...

[elfin]

I try to watch the price posted on the register as the item is being scanned but the newer moniters/systems are frankly so confusing; they list the original price on one line and on the next line the discount (or in some places the discount is tabulated at the end)meanwhile while trying to read and calulate the multiple lines, Speedy Gonzales checker scans a zillion items while I am trying to verify the first item's price. PLUS, some stores do not even let the customer have eye access to the moniter. All you get is a receipt without a oral recitation of the total. Bad me, I rarely read the register receipt (unnecessarily the length of a roll of toliet paper)and am forced to hit the "YES" button on the credit card machine BEFORE the receipt is available.

[Megan Blocker]

article from the NYTimes

Surveys indicate that consumers lose $1 billion to $2.5 billion each year because of scanner pricing errors. While many states and municipalities have enforcement officers who go to stores to check the accuracy between stated prices and what rings up at the register, it's up to consumers — whether eating in a restaurant, buying groceries or items at drug stores — to reconcile receipts as soon as they get them...some restaurants they'll charge you for something you didn't get, not charge you for something you did get or you might even get someone else's bill...

I know that personally, I find errors all the time and don't always go back if the error is a small one ... but I should ... and I always check the bill in a restaurant before signing the receipt.

Happening to anyone else? Personal worst example? Receipt showed $95 for a pack of chewing gum ... I stopped buying the stuff after that! those tiny decimals are actually essential .... Names of stores not required ...

←

I made leg of lamb for a dinner party last spring, and thought that the total on my bill seemed a little high. Since I was laden with bags and since it was a crazed Saturday afternoon at one of the local gourmet markets, I just walked home and decided to deal with it later.

Once safely back in my apartment, I pulled out the receipt and realized that they'd charged me twice for my $40 piece o' meat. Hmmm...

I went back on Monday to get a refund, and the manager actually asked me, "Did you really only buy one?" No, sir - I bought two IDENTICAL legs of lamb for $40.27 each.

They were really nice about it and gave me a complete refund - I just thought that question was hilarious. I mean, it wasn't a loaf of bread, where one costs the same as another - it was meat by the pound!

[BeeZee]

The other end of the spectrum is at a local market which is staffed by polite kids from the local H.S., where if a price doesn't come up when scanned they just ask how much it was. Don't you hate when a price won't come up (even when they punch in the UPC code) and then you are holding up the line while they send someone to check the price...

[sanrensho]

Here in Canada, we have something called the Scanner Price Accuracy Voluntary Code. It sounds much like the system in Australia. Although it's a voluntary program, quite a few major retailers subscribe to the code. Sadly, a lot of consumers and retail workers are not aware of the program and how it works.

The upshot is that if an item scans at a higher price, you get the item free up up to a max. value of $10.

http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/interne...temID=1262&lg=e

[Sony]

At my local store, which has a 100% refund policy for any mis-scanned item, I've usually had the difference between the sale and regular price returned to me rather than 100% of the item's price. I don't make a big deal out of it because I was intending to pay the sale price..... I just consider it a pleasant surprise when they actually follow their policy