Item Scanned Wrong Price at Store-Get It Free?

[RedAngie]

Thanks for the replies. This happened at an Acme supermarket in Delaware. The woman at Customer Service explained their policy, which is identical to the one for Publix posted above. I was pleasantly surprised. I only bought one bottle of olive oil, so just the free one for me. I'm sure they sent someone to correct the shelf price. I looked in the circular later, but didn't see the item advertised in it.

 

[scrapquitler]

At the supermarket this afternoon there was a great price on Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Regular Price $10.99, a sale tag said $5.99. After checking out for some reason I decided to look at my receipt and saw that it scanned at full price. I went back to check the shelf price and sure enough the tag said $5.99 for that item.

I went to customer service and they refunded me the $10.99 AND gave me the bottle of oil for free. I was just expecting a five dollar price adjustment. Or, if they couldn't do that, just the refund. Not both.

Usually I don't bother checking the receipts. On the rare occasions that I do, it's not until I get home. I guess I did it in the store today because I only intended to buy a few items and somehow ended up spending $80.

I'm not sure I would have bothered going back to the store if I didn't discover the error until I got home. Usually the rare errors I find are very minor.

In CT, it's the law. If the item (and there's a limit on what the items can be, but it definitely applies to most everything in the grocery store) scans above the marked price, you get the item for free, up to a certain amount...I think it's something like $20

 

[smokeyblue]

Note that the displayed price they refer to is the ticketed price, and not any sale sign. Many store will give you the bounty fee anyway, but technically they don't have to. But it is easier to do that then try to explain the details of the crazy law to them.

I don't think this law is crazy at all; I think it is fair to the consumer and to the store. It's not a huge amount but enough of an incentive for the store to do things right. My time is valuable, and I work hard for my money and I'm not giving either time or money away freely to any business!

Probably 50%-75% of each grocery trip is strictly sale items. I find mistakes ever so often and they are never in my favor. If I catch it at the checkout, I say something and that's fine. If it's a small error of a few cents it isn't worth my effort. If it's more than a few dollars, than you bet I'm going back and I'm getting the bounty. I actually went shopping tonight and had a problem. I got out to my car and I examined my receipt and found 3 incorrect amounts. They actually asked me to go grab the sign for one of them. I didn't feel bad in the least for asking for the bounty since I basically had to do their work for them.

Also, they DO have to honor what is on the sign at purchase, even if it is a sale sign.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

I once happened to notice while the cashier was scanning that the advertised sale Ragu sauce rang up at the regular price. I went to the courtesy counter and they gave me one for free and one other at the sale price. The ad did leave them an out however. It said "select varieties." I bought several different varieties and the others scanned at the sale price. I don't know if they just forgot to program those particular UPCs for the sale price, or if for some odd reason they were excluded from the sale. They honored the sale price anyway.

Years ago my brother's mother-in-law told a story about how the supermarket tried to overcharge her by about 6 cents. She was definitely in the wrong, but boasted that she got the item for free. No doubt they gave her the item free just to get rid of her.

 

[bcla]

California has a specific law that says that if there's a shelf tag (even one that's clearly expired) with a lower price, that price must be honored. I don't believe there's any specific law that requires that an item be free, but quite a few retail businesses have such a policy.

http://consumerwiki.dca.ca.gov/wiki/index.php/Item_Pricing/Item_Pricing_Accuracy

Safeway got sued by the State of California, as had a court order requiring them to give any item for free (up to $5) if it scanned higher than the lowest advertised price, or a $5 gift card if it was higher than that.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/20...y-under-scrutiny-for-overcharging-complaints/
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/dms/notices/qc/2008/QC-08-5.pdf

 

[justgrace]

Really? I didn't know that they had to give your money back. Last time we got something that was marked wrong, we bought multiple items of it (body lotion) to stock up because the marker said it was on sale for a great deal. We got up to the cash register and when they rang up for more than the listed price, they told us we could only have one item for the listed price and the rest of them would be sold at regular price. I thought they should have honored the price for all 4 of them, but didn't protest it.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't think this law is crazy at all; I think it is fair to the consumer and to the store. It's not a huge amount but enough of an incentive for the store to do things right. My time is valuable, and I work hard for my money and I'm not giving either time or money away freely to any business!

Probably 50%-75% of each grocery trip is strictly sale items. I find mistakes ever so often and they are never in my favor. If I catch it at the checkout, I say something and that's fine. If it's a small error of a few cents it isn't worth my effort. If it's more than a few dollars, than you bet I'm going back and I'm getting the bounty. I actually went shopping tonight and had a problem. I got out to my car and I examined my receipt and found 3 incorrect amounts. They actually asked me to go grab the sign for one of them. I didn't feel bad in the least for asking for the bounty since I basically had to do their work for them.

Also, they DO have to honor what is on the sign at purchase, even if it is a sale sign.

I mean crazy as in complicated. Not that it is a bad law.

 

[manning]

I thought there was a law about that?

Even so, I have never challenged it. Usually I just get the $$ difference refunded back to me. I wouldn't mind getting the free product, too!

The price is what is posted by the product. Had this happen to me once. They tried to charge full price but stood my ground. Told them the law. That was a long time ago when the price was marked on the can. I learned that from Mom. she would search the shelf looking for one marked low. Sometimes got lucky. Got even, walked the store telling everyone about the bargain

I think the whole store was remarking. A friend of mine saw them and said why not pull all the stock and put out the ones with correct price. They were not even smart enough to do that.