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Cynthetiq · 07-15-2007, 06:31 AM

If I recall correctly in California there is a law if something is scanned and it is incorrectly priced not as on the shelf, then it is free, though that was in the 80's that law may have changed. I believe that it only applies to grocery stores.

Here is a link to an FTC study in 1996 about the accuracy of checkout scanning.

Off the Shelf

Quote:

Michigan Scanner Law Overview
Michigan is the only state that I am aware of who has made any attempt to protect consumers from scanner errors. This law provides a "bounty" to shoppers who are overcharged.

The law reads, in part:

"...a buyer who suffers loss because the price charged for the item is more than the price stamped on or affixed to the item shall notify the seller in person or in writing that the price charged is more than the price stamped or affixed. The notice shall include evidence of the loss suffered by the buyer. If, within 2 days after the notification, the seller tenders to the buyer an amount equal to the difference between the price stamped or affixed and the price charged, plus an amount equal to 10 times that difference but which is not less than $1.00 or more than $5.00, the buyer is barred from any further recovery for that loss."

Red Tape Chronicles from WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO PRICE TAGS?

Quote:

Shapiro does her shopping in Michigan, one of the last states to require price tags on every item in grocery stores, and still makes a lot of “bonus” money doing it. She often finds price tag mistakes on bread, milk, cereal and everything else in grocery stores. In Michigan, state law grants consumers a "bonus" of 10 times the difference every time they spot a price tag error, up to $5. So stores get nervous when Shapiro arrives.

"When I feel like enhancing my income there's always one store I shop at," she says. "They just look at me and pull out the money."

The extra cash is nice, but Shapiro says this isn't really about getting her bonus money. Consumers need price tags to make sure they're not getting cheated at the checkout, Shapiro says.

"It's the nibbling away of those dimes and dollars over a period of time," she says. "It's not pennies. It adds up to a lot of dollars over the years."

Quote:

Beyond catching errors
But price accuracy is only one benefit of price tags, Dworsky says. Without price tags, consumers who don’t have photographic memories simply can't comparison shop as they wander around a store. Is the jar of spaghetti sauce near the checkout cheaper than the one they already picked up in aisle seven? Who would know? Without price tags, what consumer is smart enough to add up the price of the items in their cart to see if they've got enough money? Price tags also lead to price awareness after consumers bring their groceries home. That box of cereal in the cupboard says it's $3.29, so why is it now $3.49?

But even more basic than that, Shapiro says, is the problem posed by shelf label confusion.

"Items move around," she says. And sometimes, it's hard to know what price goes with what item. Item abbreviations on shelf labels are often written in tiny print, with cryptic abbreviations that are confusing.

"And stores work hard to divert you from thinking about what you are buying, by playing music, distracting you," Shapiro says. "If you aren’t given the price … it's very hard to concentrate on getting your money's worth."

Confusion, of course, is good for stores and bad for consumers. A confused customer, particularly one who's in the dark about the cost of an item, will always spend more in a store. Why then, do so few people seem to get upset about the end of the price tag?

"There is a generational gap there," Shapiro says. "Senior citizens were brought up to watch these pennies," but today's generation is not nearly so price-focused, she says.

Having scanners at various locations isn't good enough.

I too read my receipts and watch the panel. When I open the bills, I double check them for accuracy as well. Just because it is electronic does not instantly mean there are no mistakes.

I know that our local grocery store is notorious for putting up a sign that says Coke $.99 on Sunday, and the following Saturday it is being scanned at $1.39 or higher.

The FTC and Consumer Protection groups are not protecting consumers well enough in the scanner marketplace.

Because of this unclear marked items, I hate shopping and will generally only purchase items that are clearly marked and carry a clear sticker for that price.