recreatingreality.com

Last year I recovered $132.16 from errors on receipts.  Maybe you will not save so much.  Maybe you will save more.

I keep a jar in the pantry that is like a tip jar.  It is for errors on shopping receipts.  Most of us are in such a hurry that we speed through the check-out lines at the market or the department or discount stores and accept whatever total we are told to pay.  Buyer beware!

One of the worst culprits at the check-out is the scanner.  There are two ways the scanner can work against you.  First, occasionally the scanner registers the price twice.  It is not an intentional error.  But, how often have you been chatting with the check-out person and not paying attention to the tally.  We have grown accustomed to hearing the little ding that sounds when a product is scanned.  However, if we are talking or fiddling in our purses we aren’t paying attention as the tally increases.

Another way scanners get us is my charging one price when the product is advertised as another.  Know your prices.  Some stores are more prone to not recalculate their scanners with sale prices than others.  There is one particular store (perhaps one where most of America shops but I won’t name it here) that is notorious, at least in my neighborhood for advertising one price and then charging another. 

One example that I will mention is the price of one of my favorite breads.  The regular price is $2.97 per loaf.  Occasionally, the bread is on sale for $1.15 per loaf.  I usually buy a couple or three loafs when it is on sale.  As I proceeded through the check-out I noticed that the register was showing the price as $2.97.  I immediately called the clerk’s attention to the error.  The difference was $5.46 for the three loaves I was purchasing.  And… the store advertises that if there is a price error at the register there is a $30.00 refund for the error. 

I don’t run through stores looking for errors hoping to trick the stores into paying me for locating their mistakes.  That is not my purpose in life.  However, if I go to buy an item that is advertised as being “on sale” I certainly expect to be charged the sale price, not the full price.

As a consumer it is your responsibility to check your receipts for errors.  It is best to do it as you check-out.  I have found that most cashiers have the monitor facing them as they scan the products.  They get to see the price being charged.  The consumer does not.  Well, those little monitors turn and I always request that it be turned towards me as the clerk scans.  I know how much the product costs, so I keep a careful eye on the tally as the products are scanned.

Also, when the clerk begins to scan the products, many will begin a conversation with the customer.  It is nice to be polite, but remember you are in the middle of a business transaction.  Watch the scanner and the monitor.  The conversation can wait.  This does not mean that you should be rude.  Just be careful and attentive when you are conducting business.

If you are aware that one store in particular in your area has a tendency to “over-scan the prices” be prepared to dispute the price.  Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed to do so.  After all, they advertised the sale price.

The “tip jar” in my pantry is where I put all the overcharge differences.  It is my little savings jar.  For example, I put the $5.46 I was originally overcharged for three loaves of bread into the jar.  It isn’t a lot, but it is something more than you would have had.

Between the overcharges and the bonus card shopping, including the “hot prices” on perishables such as meats and vegetables, this year to date I have saved $1,234.82.  Keep your receipts, all of them for a year.  Shop wisely.  See how much you save by shopping wisely and attentively in 2009.  Personally, I believe that $1,234.82 is as good as getting a pay raise… and far more likely in today’s economy.