If you’re out shopping this weekend, be sure to check your receipt, preferably BEFORE you leave the cashier. County inspections show errors are more common than you might think, and they are not usually in you favor.
More than one in five stores inspected by San Diego County showed price scanning errors on their receipts. Bob Atkins, the County Sealer of Weights and Measures, says customers were more than two and a half times more likely to be overcharged than undercharged
“Not enough of us check that receipt while we’re still at the register,” Atkins said. “We’re in a hurry, we’re trying not to hold up the line, and all too often we find that there’s been an error when we get home.”
Atkins says errors tend to increase during the holidays as more items get marked down, and more cashiers are new hires.
He says it’s not legal for cashiers to ring up purchases on a display that is not visible to the customer.
He recommends customers carry a small notebook to write down what they expect to pay, and deal with any discrepancies with the cashier on the spot.
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