I hate store scanners!

Fern · #1 (**permalink**) 12-21-2005, 12:21 PM

Well, it happened again. Bought a few items at Petco, including one bag if Iams dry cat food.

The total I paid seemed awfully high, so drivng home i looked at the receipt and quicksly saw that the clerk charged me twice for the one bag of cat food, overcharging me by $15.

So what a pain to have to turn around in busy traffic, wait on line once again, and get it corrected.

It's so easy for check out clerks to scan the same thing more than once. Let the buyer beware!

This kind of thing happens to me all the time!

fultron · #2 (**permalink**) 12-22-2005, 08:20 AM

a few weeks back my mom had to go back to the supermarket to get a refund because the scanner screwed up and said she purchased 8 ten pound bags of potatoes. thats 80 lbs of taters!

miclason · #3 (**permalink**) 12-22-2005, 08:29 AM

LOL!...my ex-husband was paranoid about them, so we ALWAYS went shopping together, so one could place things on the belt while the other one watche EVERY price as it was being scanned...since I shop alone now- and since I have very limited budget- I always keep track of the amount of "money" in my cart, and, I've been doing that for so long now, I'm generally no more than $2 off (either up or down), so it's a bit more difficult...but, yes, you DO have to be extra careful!

sweeps · #4 (**permalink**) 12-22-2005, 08:36 AM

Those are good ideas. Also look carefully through the receipt when you get home. Recently I was charged $3 for a bizarre "Check Convenience Fee" even though I used a credit card. When I called the store, they said it must have been a coding error.

Bonus: Many stores have a policy that you get money back or the item(s) free if you discover a scanning error.

Fern · #5 (**permalink**) 12-22-2005, 10:45 AM

I've often thought it'd be a good idea to bring a small solar powered calculator with me to the grocery story so i could easily add everything up, but haven't done that lately as people tend to look at you funny.

miclason · #6 (**permalink**) 12-22-2005, 01:08 PM

LOL!...I can never remember whether I've already added something or not, so I just keep track of it in my mind by rounding everything, for example, if I buy 4 baggies of tomato sauce at $0.29, I add that as $1, but, if I then put in something worth $0.50, I add another $1 and so on....I'm usually pretty close to the actual amount with this method...

rob62521 · #7 (**permalink**) 12-27-2005, 08:29 AM

Watching the screen and checking the receipt are the key! Sometimes it gets very frustrating that this technology is abused!

StevenM · #8 (**permalink**) 12-27-2005, 11:31 AM

You can't wait until you get home. Unless you bought a ton of stuff, you've got to stand right there and check it before you leave the store.

BillsGirl · #9 (**permalink**) 01-06-2006, 05:56 PM

I'm totally paranoid about it too so I watch them like a hawk and I tell as soon as it happens to get it off... I am usually a pain to people behind me in line but they aint going to pay my bills so they need to shut up or pick a diffrent line!

PRICEPLUS · #10 (**permalink**) 01-06-2006, 10:27 PM

Sometimes I wonder if the stores purposely make these errors! If you beat a bunch of people for 30 cents here and 40 cennts there it can really add up for the store. Maybe I am paranoid but the wife has caught several errors costing us money!

rob62521 · #11 (**permalink**) 01-07-2006, 06:30 AM

One would only hope they don't do it on purpose, but the bottom line is making a profit.

BillsGirl · #12 (**permalink**) 01-07-2006, 11:27 AM

no they don't do it on purpose.... those scanners are sensitive and the next minute they don't work at all..... but I know when I was a cashier I would notice it as it happened so no one paid twice in my line!!!

Ima saver · #13 (**permalink**) 01-07-2006, 12:17 PM

I was charged for 2 items I did not even buy, they were the last two items on my receipt.

sweeps · #14 (**permalink**) 01-07-2006, 08:10 PM

I agree you have to be vigilant in checking the screen as your items are scanned. We find at least one discrepancy almost every time we go to the store. (To be fair, though... We do save a huge amount of time and money at the store thanks to the invention of price scanners.)

Just wait until stores start using RFID. Your whole cart will be scanned in one shot.

locolorenzo24 · #15 (**permalink**) 01-07-2006, 10:09 PM

Anyone remember those news stories about handheld price scanners to check out your own items? I know they're testing those in bigger cities, but it would be easy to scan our own stuff, look at the screen, look at the shelf and make sure those two prices match......

acezz4e_tish · #16 (**permalink**) 01-18-2006, 06:39 AM

im all for those new ones. i saw it where you could also do it online before going to the store. liking that idea very much. i hate how when stuff scans and it dont take or isnt the sale price like its supposed to be, and if sales on tuesday that should be closing monday responsibilities. i think its pretty bad come sunday and it still dont ring up right.