This article appeared in

Money Matters

a magazine produced by Crown Financial Ministries Newsletter in November 2006

CHECK YOUR RECEIPT– GET THE REAL DEAL

By Steve and Annette Economides

Shopping sales, using coupons and stumbling across super-discounted bargains are all great ways to save loads of cash — that is, unless you don’t really get the savings you anticipated. How is that possible? Simple — at the checkout counter you are charged retail price, or more, on your discounted items and never even know it. This happens regularly in many retail establishments despite constant scrutiny by state departments of weights and measures and numerous investigative reports about “scanner accuracy.” We are told that most errors benefit the consumer. Unfortunately, that’s not been our experience.

This is no trifling matter, especially during the holidays when our spending ratchets up with party planning and gifts purchases for people we love. Here are a few things that everyone can do to protect their purchasing power.

Calculate in Your Head   If you aren’t buying too many items, round prices up to the nearest dollar and have a total in your head when you reach the checkout (or use a calculator). If the total that the cashier gives you isn’t close, then scrutinize the receipt and ask questions.

Keep your eyes peeled   After you’ve completed your shopping, the checkout line is no place to “check out” mentally. Carefully watching the checker and the computer screen to see if items are coming up at the right price requires complete concentration. A simple oversight such as one flavor of soup not being on sale as you had expected, can result in a higher price. If that’s the case, ask the cashier about the price and either leave the item or make the proper substitution.

Sometimes the scanner comes up with the wrong price due to an error in inputting prices into the computer. In this case, we usually get the item for free because most stores have a “Scanner Accuracy” policy. Other times it’s human error in marking the price on the aisle; the cashier putting in the wrong quantity of multiple items purchased; a double scan or skipping a coupon or two. No matter what, we take the time to point out the discrepancy and usually get the price adjusted.

We realize that some of you will feel uncomfortable raising a question about an overcharge — you don’t want to inconvenience the people in line behind you or you’re in a hurry — we understand. But would you allow a stranger to reach into your wallet and take out $5 without your permission? Neither would we. It’s okay to be concerned about small amounts of the Lord’s money.

Check, check and double check   After you’ve paid and before you leave the store, review your receipt. It’s so much easier to check it in the store than to get all the way home and find that you’ve been overcharged. If you do find an error, simply walk over to the customer service counter and explain the situation. You’ll usually be treated with respect, and because you have all your items with you, you'll be more believable.

Also, as you walk away from the checkout counter, turn and scan the area to make sure you haven’t left any items you’ve paid for on the counter or floor. And when you load your car, make sure that there is nothing left on the bottom of the cart or in the seat area.

Don’t Forget . . .

1) If you've taken time to use coupons, make sure you pull them out and put them on the counter — we put the coupons we’re using in a separate envelope as we put items in the cart. We’ve made the mistake of forgetting to turn in the coupons . . . ARRRRRRGH! Now that’s frustrating. In one case, the error wasn’t discovered until we arrived home. However, since we shop at the same stores month after month and have gotten to know the staff, we made a phone call to the manager and were allowed to bring in the coupons with the receipt and received reimbursement.

2) The grocery store isn't the only place to be on your guard. Any place you shop, can and will make mistakes so be aware.

3) Don't neglect fixing undercharges too. There have been many times when items have been missed at the checkout. We go to customer service to pay for them. It’s a sad commentary on our society today to see the surprised look on the faces of the customer service people — they just can’t believe that we’d want to pay for items that we weren’t charged for.

4) Your chances of inaccuracies diminish if you shop at a time when the store isn’t quite so busy. Many times cashiers are concerned with moving lots of people through the lines quickly, so more mistakes might be made.

With careful shopping and watchful checking out, you’ll be sure to get the real deal!