August 5, 2010
Notebooks, pencils, backpacks, clothes, shoes -- you know the drill. The back-to-school shopping season is in getting underway and consumers are looking for the best bargains.
Newspaper advertisements and in-store promotions promise big discounts at the check-out counter. However, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) knows there can be a difference between the price you think you are paying and the price you actually pay.
Wisconsin law requires stores to charge the lowest advertised price and refund any overcharge, said Janet Jenkins, Administrator of the Trade and Consumer Protection Division. Most other states have similar laws.
Last year, DATCP weights and measures inspectors tested more than 25,000 items for price accuracy in stores all around the state. The total price scanner accuracy rate for 2009 was 96.5%. That percentage includes both overcharges and undercharges.
Seven companies paid civil forfeiture settlements totaling more than $250,000 as a result of weights and measures price scanner inspections. None of the companies involved admitted to having committed violations.
Our inspectors are helping ... consumers get what they pay for, added Jenkins. Weights and measures inspectors save the average family approximately $600 each year, according to the National Conference on Weights and Measures.
The Wisconsin officials encourage consumers everywhere to take an active role in preventing price scanner errors, by following these tips:
• Write down prices or special sales as you shop.
• Bring store ads with you.
• Watch display screens as items are being scanned.
• Speak up if you think you are overcharged.
• Demand any refund due you while still in the store.
• Ask about a stores pricing error policy.
• Report pricing errors to state or local inspectors.
