Archived Scanning Laws

[lifewithtarget]

So I had a guest today who was very rude about an item that did not ring up properly. The items were baby items (Johnson) products that were buy one, get the other 40% off.

One of the items did not qualify, however, I obliged and gave her the difference since it was only a $1.25.

Then she went off on this rant that there are scanning laws in every state that say if it doesn’t scan the price correctly that the guest gets the item for free, essentially paying for the item ourselves since it was not made right in the system.

Is this an actual thing? I been here for five years and have never heard of it nor had a guest tell that to me. I understand fixing price changes and coupons, but to just hand an item to someone for free because it wasn’t scanned for the price correctly just does not make any sense

 

[Planosss]

There are laws, and the store will get fined, not sure about the free part. Usually laws are there to protect rights. Not for individuals to gain from.

 

[Guessed Service]

If there were laws like that, Spot would have been singing about them from the heavens before any of us even started working here.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Free part is not correct. Ask for GSA or gstl for help, next time. There are laws on pricing in some states, because spot paid fines there.
Target fined $4 million for inaccurate pricings - http://abc7news.com/business/target-fined-$4-million-for-inaccurate-pricings/512243/

 

[sprinklesontop]

I agree w/ other posts. There's no "free" stuff, but there's definitely laws. Stores are randomly audited by State Divisions ( Weights and Measures) to maintain fair/accurate pricing. If there's issues, stores can be fined; and audited continually until they "pass".

 

[Yetive]

You can basically get free stuff in my state

 

[On6]

Pricing laws do exist. Most states have divisions (Weights and Measures) that ensure businesses aren’t misleading or false advertising. They check many different things like price labels, produce scales at the registers, and even gas pumps. Violations in some states could lead to the business getting a warning, while others heavy fines and/or even the store being shut down.

I can only speak for my state. But we don’t have laws saying the product is free if the price rings up incorrect. I will say that growing up I remember some grocery stores having “price is right” policies that would basically make the first item free if the price rang up wrong. But that was a store policy, not law.

 

[Dog]

My state has a law regarding non-grocery items where an item under $10 must be given for free if the price rings up wrong on the scanner. Only one guest has ever mentioned it at my store

 

[Formina Sage]

Isn't there a state or states that require price labels on every item? Maybe it's just all grocery items, I don't remember.

 

[buliSBI]

I remember something about Michigan being real strict.

 

[Panda13]

Yet not one guest will say a word when something rings up less than the shelf price.

 

[Leo47]

People tell this to me all the time, but the only place I’ve ever heard of doing this in my state is Safeway. That is not a thing we’ll do here so idk why so many angry old ladies like to yell it at me

 

[Planosss]

Just fing google it, rather than guessing %^#}£%

 

[Fluttervale]

Miichigan used to require that all individual items be tagged. The law changed maybe 6 or 8 years ago.

If a shelf tag is wrong, and the customer actually purchases the item for the wrong price, the store must correct the price AND pay a bounty of the difference times ten, to be no less than $1 and no more than $5.

Naturally, we have a class of scammers called bounty hunters who search for things priced incorrectly, gain the bounty,
fhen return the products. They make their livings this way, and can earn thousands of dollars a week.

 

[GoodyNN]

So I had a guest today who was very rude about an item that did not ring up properly. The items were baby items (Johnson) products that were buy one, get the other 40% off.

One of the items did not qualify, however, I obliged and gave her the difference since it was only a $1.25.

Then she went off on this rant that there are scanning laws in every state that say if it doesn’t scan the price correctly that the guest gets the item for free, essentially paying for the item ourselves since it was not made right in the system.

Is this an actual thing? I been here for five years and have never heard of it nor had a guest tell that to me. I understand fixing price changes and coupons, but to just hand an item to someone for free because it wasn’t scanned for the price correctly just does not make any sense

This *used* to be a thing in Illinois. I don't know if it was an actual law that was repealed or not, and Google wasn't very helpful when I researched this before. When it was being enforced, though, (last I remember doing this was around 2001??) you had to first pay for it at the register price, then go to the service desk to have the item couponed out. You could only get ONE item of what you had already purchased, so if you bought 4 12-packs of Coke, thinking they were 4/12 and they actually rang at 3.99, you only got one free and paid the 3.99 on the rest. And no going back into the store to get more before signs/computers were fixed. It didn't seem to matter what store it happened in, every store had the same process.

 

[GSA2ExpressPls]

Just fing google it, rather than guessing %^#}£%

Because the internet has never been wrong before.

 

[Frontlanegirl]

So I had a guest today who was very rude about an item that did not ring up properly. The items were baby items (Johnson) products that were buy one, get the other 40% off.

One of the items did not qualify, however, I obliged and gave her the difference since it was only a $1.25.

Then she went off on this rant that there are scanning laws in every state that say if it doesn’t scan the price correctly that the guest gets the item for free, essentially paying for the item ourselves since it was not made right in the system.

Is this an actual thing? I been here for five years and have never heard of it nor had a guest tell that to me. I understand fixing price changes and coupons, but to just hand an item to someone for free because it wasn’t scanned for the price correctly just does not make any sense

There are laws, but nothing regarding free stuff. Seems the guest remembers what they want to hear just like she got the wrong product for the deal

 

[Frontlanegirl]

We have signs at the registers and at GS that states if the items ring up at the wrong price to notify the cashier immediately.

 

[Yetive]

Miichigan used to require that all individual items be tagged. The law changed maybe 6 or 8 years ago.

If a shelf tag is wrong, and the customer actually purchases the item for the wrong price, the store must correct the price AND pay a bounty of the difference times ten, to be no less than $1 and no more than $5.

Naturally, we have a class of scammers called bounty hunters who search for things priced incorrectly, gain the bounty,
fhen return the products. They make their livings this way, and can earn thousands of dollars a week.

Also, if there is a sale sign.

And, you don't have to return the mdse if you give the bounty.

 

[Kartman]

Wow, just read through this thread... can't believe it was even asked.

I've only been 4 years @ Spot, so I've only heard that "joke" maybe 300 times.

 

[Electronics2280]

I can assure you with almost absolute certainty that the guest is wrong and the item was in the wrong spot or they made an assumption with the other BOGO 40% off stickers around it.

 

[FlowTeamChick]

Isn't there a state or states that require price labels on every item? Maybe it's just all grocery items, I don't remember.

Used to be just Michigan and Nebraska still required this. As of just a few years back, Michigan no longer does. Some stores still do, but it's not a state law anymore.
Item pricing was a pet peeve of the attorney general; when he finally retired, the law went away.

 

[Yetive]

Yup. Every time cat food changed by 2 cents, mark every stinking can. Those were not the good old days.