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check your grocery bills!

buildup

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I'm a regular shopper at a high end grocer (4-5 times per week) and more than 50% of the time there is a significant mistake, invariably an over-charge, never an undercharge. I have been trying to figure our why the errors are systemically higher instead of cancelling out over time. Part of the reason appears to be that special sale items advertised inside the store are often not updated into their cash registers. Intentional - who knows?

But the errors are frequent and go well beyond that. For example items are often mistakenly entered under the wrong code - but always as a more expensive item.

Is there any other way to explain this, aside from concluding cashier compensation is somehow linked to total sales? Obviously you want employees to be incented but they may have figured out that inflating people's grocery bills benefits their take-home pay?

Is anyone aware if grocery store cashiers' pay is linked to store sales?
 
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I've never noticed a sale price not being shown correctly. But then I only shop at no frills.

As for the grocery store cashiers' pay...I don't know. But when I did work at no frills many years ago my pay was minimum wage at the time $6.85/h
 
Is there any other way to explain this, aside from concluding cashier compensation is somehow linked to total sales? Obviously you want employees to be incented but they may have figured out that inflating people's grocery bills benefits their take-home pay?

Is anyone aware if grocery store cashiers' pay is linked to store sales?

Grocery store cashiers at big chains (No Frills, Loblaws) are paid an hourly wage. A low one. It would range from minimum wage at crappy stores to mid-teens at bigger unionized stores (I think A&P and Sobeys are unionized).

It does not really make sense for a cashier to work on commission. Makes for sense for a salesperson selling cars or suits.

If you're having problems at a smaller/indie high-end grocer (Pusateri's?), I can't say how the cashiers are compensated, but it seems more likely that their MIS system is making mistakes, vs. something nefarious going on.
 
I stand & watch as the cashier scans & weighs items at grocery stores and have caught a few mistakes here & there but it doesn't happen that often. I've probably missed some when they get going really quick or when I'm tired and not as focused. Pricing errors seem to happen either way, overcharge & undercharge.
 
Its Wholefoods, I've also noticed at the fish counter they often try to steer you towards the pricier types of fish. I cant help but think there's some sort of annual bonus linked to revenues. Who knows.
I love the place but the errors are chronic - an always on the high side.
 
I've been involved with the grocery industry for about 30 years. I've never heard of a cashier's wages being linked to sales. Pricing is generally done via central data entry. Human error is the most likely cause for incorrect price changes -- if I recall, it runs at around 15-20%. Then, once people start noticing, corrections are done. (The chains all have data/pricing integrity staff). Owner/operated stores may be able to override some central price changes, but corporate stores generally cannot. Price changes enter the stores system via regular downloads; errors can happen at store level that prevent those downloads from happening.

Since it's Whole Foods, I wonder if pricing is done in the US and Canadian price changes/sales are different than US ones -- pricing would definitely be different. If pricing is entered in the US, I'd guess there's a higher likelihood for error because the bulk of their stores would be one entry while Canada would be another.

Are you noticing the pricing at just one store or across the chain? If it's just happening at one store, maybe they are overriding price changes or they aren't updating their software properly to reflect new pricing.
 
Just a word of advice about overcharges on grocery bills.

The higher end stores, like Loblaws, have a policy whereby if you are overcharged for an item they will give it to you for free! A lot of people are not aware of this but I have been able to get items for free at Loblaws and Sobey's when I have been overcharged. I am not sure about Whole Foods policy but I would be surprised if they did not have a policy similar to Loblaws and Sobey's.

Check-out errors are common on items that have been recently on sale. Store staff will forget to take down the sales price after the sale has ended. Keep an eye out for these items! You could get them for free!
 
Everyone: Interesting thoughts on food store check-out scanners...

I have learned to check prices on scanners placed in stores before going to check-out so you know
what you will be charged beforehand...Some stores I shop in do NOT have any public scanner so you
have to ask for a price and it can make you feel like a "pest" at times...I check prices when the item's
price is questionable...


I like many have gotten over charged in the past at times...LI MIKE
 
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I'm a regular shopper at a high end grocer (4-5 times per week) and more than 50% of the time there is a significant mistake, invariably an over-charge, never an undercharge. I have been trying to figure our why the errors are systemically higher instead of cancelling out over time. Part of the reason appears to be that special sale items advertised inside the store are often not updated into their cash registers. Intentional - who knows?

But the errors are frequent and go well beyond that. For example items are often mistakenly entered under the wrong code - but always as a more expensive item.

Is there any other way to explain this, aside from concluding cashier compensation is somehow linked to total sales? Obviously you want employees to be incented but they may have figured out that inflating people's grocery bills benefits their take-home pay?

Is anyone aware if grocery store cashiers' pay is linked to store sales?

I always be a pain in ass when I ask the cashier to double-check the sale prices cuz believe me , sometimes there are many mistakes.
 
Know your prices.

I just got some halogen light bulbs free at Home Depot because they scanned at $7.44 while the shelf read $6.98.
(anything under $10 becomes free, while anything over $10 gets a $10 discount.)

In this case, I was at the self-scanner, paid and went to customer service with a phone pic of the shelf price (that what the clerk at the self scanner said to do).

Most stores have the Scanning Code of Practice posted right at the cashier - so if they protest, just point to the sign on their till.
They may have to call a manager over.
 
I also got free food yesterday from Sobey's because they charged me the regular price of Cool Whip, instead of the sale price. It's surprising how often I find mistakes, so I pay close attention to the bill.
 
Know your prices.

I just got some halogen light bulbs free at Home Depot because they scanned at $7.44 while the shelf read $6.98.
(anything under $10 becomes free, while anything over $10 gets a $10 discount.)

In this case, I was at the self-scanner, paid and went to customer service with a phone pic of the shelf price (that what the clerk at the self scanner said to do).

Most stores have the Scanning Code of Practice posted right at the cashier - so if they protest, just point to the sign on their till.
They may have to call a manager over.

The $10 off the price of anything over $10 rule isn't part of the scanning code of practice. The retailer can make up its own rules for items over $10. I know at Canadian Tire, we used to just give the customer the price on the tag. Best Buy has also done that for me in the past. Usually works out better than $10 off the price :)
 
The $10 off the price of anything over $10 rule isn't part of the scanning code of practice. The retailer can make up its own rules for items over $10. I know at Canadian Tire, we used to just give the customer the price on the tag. Best Buy has also done that for me in the past. Usually works out better than $10 off the price :)

According to Canada's Competition Bureau scanner price accuracy voluntary code, it does indicate that items under $10 are free and anything above $10 is subject to a $10 discount.

Source: http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/03252.html

Excerpt:
1. The Item Free Scanner Policy
Retailers will implement an Item Free Scanner Policy as follows:

1.1 On a claim being presented by the customer, where the scanned price of a product at checkout is higher than the price displayed in the store or than advertised by the store, the lower price will be honoured; and

(a) if the correct price of the product is $10 or less, the retailer will give the product to the customer free of charge; or

(b) if the correct price of the product is higher than $10, the retailer will give the customer a discount of $10 off the corrected price.

That said, I bought something a couple of weeks ago from Home Depot and the scanned price was higher than the price indicated on the shelf label. The checkout attendant came with me to investigate and it was confirmed that the label was correct and that the incorrect price was scanned in. Not having looked into this policy before, I asked about it and was also informed that they only had a policy if the item was under $10. The item I purchased was about $30 so all they did was correct the price, no discount or other price reduction.

At this point, I don't really care about what I paid but, rather, what should be the course of action in the future should something like this occur again?
 

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