Grocery stores nickel and diming us by overcharging

SteveGrabowski · Mar 22, 2024

I have noticed this over and over at Walmart, where I'll see a pack of say Ballpark hot dogs listed on the shelf for $3.85 and then I get to the checkout at it's $4.65 and I thinking WTF for that price I might as well just spend the $4.97 for Nathan's. Or when they had some great ice cream bars for $1 package and I get to checkout and they're $1.20 each. Apparently same thing is happening at Dollar General, as exposed here by the More Perfect Union youtube channel. When you guys go grocery shopping check if you're being overcharged, I'm interested to see if everyone is doing this to hide price increases. No way I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to corporations as evil as Walmart and Dollar General.

Brainonska511 · Mar 22, 2024

I always check the receipt because of how discounts get applied - it's hard to track on the screen. And because I live in MA, if the item is priced wrong, I should actually be able to get one of them for free if the item was <$10 (or a $10 discount if >$10). And consumer protection laws demand that people can get the discounted price as long as the shelf is marked wrong.

I also don't shop at retailers habitually known for abusing both their customers and employees like Dollar General.

Fanatical Meat · Mar 22, 2024

Brainonska511 said:
I always check the receipt because of how discounts get applied - it's hard to track on the screen. And because I live in MA, if the item is priced wrong, I should actually be able to get one of them for free if the item was <$10 (or a $10 discount if >$10). And consumer protection laws demand that people can get the discounted price as long as the shelf is marked wrong.

I also don't shop at retailers habitually known for abusing both their customers and employees like Dollar General.

Yeah I live in MA too and it isn’t a big problem here. It do think on the low level places keeping staff is difficult and it is more of we don’t have enough labor hours to change all the damn prices.

GodisanAtheist · Mar 22, 2024

I tend to do my shopping at a small bougie place so I already know I'm being overcharged for convenience and quality, but I tend to keep a rolling, rounded up tally in my head (Meat was $10-ish, Tortillas were $5-ish, Chips were $5-ish, Salsa was $5-ish, Beer was $10-ish... so check out should be ballpark $35-ish).

If something is way off the mark I go back and look, it almost never happens and when it does something was accidentally double scanned.

Ken g6 · Mar 22, 2024

I once saw two different prices posted for the same chips at Walmart. The register/app price was a third, higher price. I took a photo of the shelf to customer service and got a discount. A week later they still hadn't fixed it!

Colorado, Nevada reach agreements with Walmart for alleged price discrepancies - Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – Colorado and Nevada both reached multi-million dollar settlement agreements with Walmart for allegedly overcharging customers for products, the attorneys general in each state announced on Thursday. Colorado’s settlement is $3 million, which will go towards funding food...

www.washingtonexaminer.com

Johnny Ringo · Mar 22, 2024

Happens all the time at the Walmart I frequent for groceries. It is not a large amount typically on each item, but it will be marked for $2.43, and ring up at $2.62. The problem isn't the 19 cents (it won't bankrupt me), it is that it ends up being many items just like this and it ends up being an extra $5 at checkout. Again not the end of the world and is just part of living in our current level of inflation that continues to increase, but if this is happening for every customer it does end up being a significant amount of money for each business day. My suspicion is that they can update the prices in the computers far faster than they can pay people to keep increasing the prices on the shelves....so you get charged what they are having to pay at the wholesale side of things to replenish the stock.

brycejones · Mar 22, 2024

SteveGrabowski said:
I have noticed this over and over at Walmart, where I'll see a pack of say Ballpark hot dogs listed on the shelf for $3.85 and then I get to the checkout at it's $4.65 and I thinking WTF for that price I might as well just spend the $4.97 for Nathan's. Or when they had some great ice cream bars for $1 package and I get to checkout and they're $1.20 each. Apparently same thing is happening at Dollar General, as exposed here by the More Perfect Union youtube channel. When you guys go grocery shopping check if you're being overcharged, I'm interested to see if everyone is doing this to hide price increases. No way I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to corporations as evil as Walmart and Dollar General.

Treat your employees as if they are disposable, don’t be shocked when they don’t give a shit to do the basic blocking and tackling required to run your business.

It’s less a deliberate strategy by retailers to charge you the wrong price as it it is a symptom of just how badly they treat their employees who respond with quiet quitting.

I promise you can get the price that is on the shelf. But the person giving you that won’t have the initiative, time, or even basic ability to fix the problem.

SteveGrabowski · Mar 22, 2024

Johnny Ringo said:
Happens all the time at the Walmart I frequent for groceries. It is not a large amount typically on each item, but it will be marked for $2.43, and wring up at $2.62. The problem isn't the 19 cents (it won't bankrupt me), it is that it ends up being many items just like this and it ends up being an extra $5 at checkout. Again not the end of the world and is just part of living in our current level of inflation that continues to increase, but if this is happening for every customer it does end up being a significant amount of money for each business day. My suspicion is that they can update the prices in the computers far faster than they can pay people to keep increasing the prices on the shelves....so you get charged what they are having to pay at the wholesale side of things to replenish the stock.

I think that's giving too much benefit of the doubt to these companies that they just didn't get around to updating the prices on the shelves. I can't default to honesty when we're talking about some of the greediest and sleaziest corporations in this nation.

nakedfrog · Mar 22, 2024

There's a whole class action lawsuit against them specific to weighed items currently.

Walmart Weighted Goods Settlement

TO: All Persons who Purchased Weighted Goods and/or Bagged Citrus in-person at a Walmart retail store, supercenter, or neighborhood market in the United States or Puerto Rico (“Walmart Store”) from October 19, 2018 through and including January 19, 2024 (the “Settlement Class Period”). YOU MAY...

www.walmartweightedgroceriessettlement.com

Fanatical Meat · Mar 22, 2024

SteveGrabowski said:
I think that's giving too much benefit of the doubt to these companies that they just didn't get around to updating the prices on the shelves. I can't default to honesty when we're talking about some of the greediest and sleaziest corporations in this nation.

It’s true, they just don’t have the staff or the motivation to do it.
Paying more would remedy this so I guess they are aware in a sense. Also fewer price changes would reduce the work.
Money solves all problems.

manly · Mar 22, 2024

GodisanAtheist said:
I tend to do my shopping at a small bougie place so I already know I'm being overcharged for convenience and quality, but I tend to keep a rolling, rounded up tally in my head (Meat was $10-ish, Tortillas were $5-ish, Chips were $5-ish, Salsa was $5-ish, Beer was $10-ish... so check out should be ballpark $35-ish).

If something is way off the mark I go back and look, it almost never happens and when it does something was accidentally double scanned.

That's way too much planning and arithmetic for the average Murican. Besides, it's easier to blame Joe Biden when your grocery bill unexpectedly surges past $200.

brycejones · Mar 22, 2024

@SteveGrabowski in all seriousness document the specifics and hit up your state AG’s office of consumer protection. This is the kind of thing they should be all over.

Stokely · Mar 22, 2024

I'll admit I don't check every item. I mostly scan to make sure my BOGO items are coming up correctly If they are tacking on small amounts I doubt I'd ever notice. As mentioned, if something looks way off I'd hopefully catch it.

Thump553 · Mar 22, 2024

Rarely happens here in CT. We have a state law that basically says if you are overcharged for an item costing less than $20 then you are entitled to get it free.

However it is simple common sense to get and check receipts every time for every purchase or banking transaction.

I also review my credit card records daily or nearly so. It's amazing how often a charge gets double posted. Most of the time your bank catches it and automatically corrects it but not all the time.

dank69 · Mar 22, 2024

brycejones said:
@SteveGrabowski in all seriousness document the specifics and hit up your state AG’s office of consumer protection. This is the kind of thing they should be all over.

I'm sure Ken Paxton will get right on that. I wouldn't be surprised to find out every nickel of overcharge in the entire state goes directly to his bank account.

SteveGrabowski · Mar 22, 2024

brycejones said:
@SteveGrabowski in all seriousness document the specifics and hit up your state AG’s office of consumer protection. This is the kind of thing they should be all over.

My state's AG is Ken Paxton

brycejones · Mar 22, 2024

dank69 said:
I'm sure Ken Paxton will get right on that. I wouldn't be surprised to find out every nickel of overcharge in the entire state goes directly to his bank account.

Oh he lives in Texas? Yeah he is fucked.

brycejones · Mar 22, 2024

SteveGrabowski said:
My state's AG is Ken Paxton

Sorry, your state has a corporation protection unit that will sue you if you dare to defame the good name of Walmart.

BonzaiDuck · Mar 22, 2024

brycejones said:
Sorry, your state has a corporation protection unit that will sue you if you dare to defame the good name of Walmart.

You put a whole nightmare in one sentence.

hal2kilo · Mar 22, 2024

BonzaiDuck said:
You put a whole nightmare in one sentence.

I was just going to say that there seems to be a core issue here. Don't shop at Walmart! Must suck if you have no choice.

esquared · Mar 22, 2024

My Target store does this bad behavior, fairly frequently.

For example, their store brand (Up & Up) of hand soap refill is usually 3.99 for 50oz. Now this weeks ad, if you buy four of them, you get a 5.00 Target gift card. Not a huge saving but buy more you get a discount.

These assholes have now raised the hand soap to 4.99, so in effect, buy four bottles and they give you back a dollar via that 5.00 GC, instead of the 5.00 you should get.

Pretty sure that's gotta be against some consumer law.

Fanatical Meat · Mar 22, 2024

esquared said:
My Target store does this bad behavior, fairly frequently.

For example, their store brand (Up & Up) of hand soap refill is usually 3.99 for 50oz. Now this weeks ad, if you buy four of them, you get a 5.00 Target gift card. Not a huge saving but buy more you get a discount.

These assholes have now raised the hand soap to 4.99, so in effect, buy four bottles and they give you back a dollar via that 5.00 GC, instead of the 5.00 you should get.

Pretty sure that's gotta be against some consumer law.

I bet that’s the new price going forward

esquared · Mar 22, 2024

Fanatical Meat said:
I bet that’s the new price going forward

It's possible but I've seen this before, and the price had dropped (another item), after this supposed "sale with GC", at Target.

Target does the same things as the OP stated Walmart did with him. Many prices ring up cents higher than what shows up on the shelf. I check my receipts before I leave and if they are significant I'll ask for a refund.

I am proactive and I check the prices that will ring up at the register on their many scanners throughout the store. If I see a discrepancy with the shelf price and I want to buy that item, out comes my phone to take a pic so I can show them the shelf price at the register when they ring up the wrong price.

I won't bother with pennies but when it off a dollar or two, I'll squawk.

interchange · Mar 23, 2024

Never noticed this at Aldi thankfully. Apart from their somewhat limited inventory, I can think of nothing that isn't better about Aldi than everyone else.

brycejones · Mar 23, 2024

interchange said:
Never noticed this at Aldi thankfully. Apart from their somewhat limited inventory, I can think of nothing that isn't better about Aldi than everyone else.

Aldi has eink shelf tags that are updated wirelessly. For all its tech spending it’s a solution I am surprised Walmart hasn’t adopted.

Grocery stores nickel and diming us by overcharging

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