Consumer Reports just released an important report for King Soopers customers — “Kroger Stores Overcharging Shoppers on Sale Items, CR Price Check Finds“. The investigation found that consumers were often being overcharged due to expired shelf tags. That means shoppers are buying a product they believe is on sale, but, at checkout, they’re being charged a higher price.
If you’re a longtime King Soopers shopper, you remember the days when, if you found an incorrect tag, you’d get the item for FREE. Unfortunately, King Soopers ended that consumer-friendly policy years ago. Nowadays, the grocery store will simply honor the shelf tag and refund the price difference.
And bargain hunters know that every penny counts! If you’re being overcharged a few times every time you shop, it adds up over time. However, even if it’s just a few dollars, it’s still your money and you should advocate for yourself.
In today’s world, you have to be an active and aware consumer. That means the responsibility falls on you to ensure you’re not being overcharged and not just at King Soopers. Overcharging customers is not exclusive to King Soopers. Many grocery and retail stores often charge consumers more than what the price or shelf tag states. While it may not be intentional, the error means you’re probably losing money more often than you think.
The problem lies in that sale prices change every week. And employees must change all of those shelf tags to reflect that week’s new prices. With potentially hundreds (or thousands) of tags needing to be switched out, it’s not uncommon for expired tags to be left on the shelf. As a result, as a consumer, you’re potentially buying a product you believe is on sale, but, in reality, you’re being charged the full price at checkout. And, if you don’t check your receipt (which most people do not do), you’re losing money.
Photo: Mile High On The Cheap
Here are some tips to ensure you’re not being overcharged at grocery and retail stores:
Always Use Self-Checkout
While some don’t like using self-checkout, it’s the preferred method for smart shoppers. Why? Because it means you can directly verify each price as you ring it up. And, if you find an error, you can address it with an employee right on the spot.
Self-check out means you can monitor the price much more closely because you have screen right in front of you. It’s always much better to address a pricing issue immediately rather than after you’ve paid. Getting a price adjustment after you’ve checked out is more time-consuming and can be more of a challenge.
Self-checkout may not be possible for large orders. In those cases, just be on high alert as each item is being scanned. In the end, you can always review your receipt.
Take Snapshots of the Price Tags
This trick can be bothersome, but it’s effective. Nowadays, you need “evidence”, if you’re claiming a pricing error. Simply pull out your smartphone and take a quick snapshot of the price tag. That way you can show the clerk the sale price at checkout, if you spot an error.
This is easier, if you’re only buying a few items. If you’re buying a large haul (especially at the grocery store), taking pictures of every tag can be a challenge, but it still works.
If you don’t have a smartphone, consider taking a notepad and pen with you and making a quick note of the sale price. This gives you the opportunity to compare your notes to what you’re being charged at checkout.
Be Sure To Enter Your Loyalty Account
This is a common mistake.
Make sure you enter your loyalty number (or scan your barcode) before scanning items, so you’re getting the sale prices associated with your account.
However, oftentimes, the discounts won’t be applied to your account until after you’ve reached the final screen and you’re ready to pay. As a result, don’t panic until you’re completely done checking out, but before you pay. If you don’t see the discount then, you know you’ve been overcharged.
Don’t pay until you’ve had the chance to review that all of discounts have been properly applied to your order. However, in the case of large orders or busy self-checkouts, this can be cumbersome. In that case, it’s best to just print the receipt and, then, take a few minutes to review it before you leave the store.
Always Check Your Receipt
Unfortunately, most consumers do not review their receipt. They often just pay and walk away with no receipt or throw it away before leaving the store. Always get and keep your receipt!
Having a physical receipt gives you the power to review what you were charged. Never assume you’ve been charged correctly. That way you’re always on the lookout for errors.
Plus, having a paper receipt gives you the “evidence” you’ll need to get a price adjustment.
Digital receipts are also available, especially for loyalty members. If you forget to get a paper receipt at checkout, consider looking at your shopper’s loyalty account. Many stores have a digital receipt available under your shopping or purchasing history.
Address Pricing Issues Before You Leave The Store
As with any problem, it’s best to address the issue sooner rather than later. And this is especially true with pricing errors. As a consumer, you’re better off to get a price adjustment before you leave the store.
The longer you wait, the more challenging it may be to get a proper resolution — especially if you wait for a week or so. By the time you return, the tags may have been switched again and finding “evidence” of the pricing may not be possible.
In the end, it’s all about being an active and aware consumer. It’s your money and your responsibility to ensure you’re being charged correctly. Yes, it means taking the additional time and energy to do more as a consumer, but a little effort can pay off in the end. Now, go take a look at your receipts!
I think the best tips are ones you don’t have here: check the expiration date on the sale tags (they all have them) and verify prices in the app if any doubt.
Also, the self checkout tip is a bit tricky, because many discounts don’t apply at all until you hit the Total button. The receipt nicely maps each discount to each product, but on the screen, you might just have 20 discounts all at the end.
Good article!
The last 4 times in a row at King Soopers, I have been significantly overcharged, sometimes as much as $15!
ANOTHER issue at Kings can occur when coupons are scanned on the mobile app, from “in store” shelf tags, but are not being accounted for at the register.
I was told by a manager that when a shopper already has a loyalty card, and then also installs the mobile app, the app can assign a NEW loyalty card #. At checkout only the original loyalty # entered activates those coupons, but the in-store coupons scanned on the mobile app are never activated. She fixed mine by joining the 2 accounts.
I urge shoppers to triple check receipts and even if they find no mistakes, ask customer service to check if they have 2 accounts, and that they are joined together.
In Michigan, there is a law against this. You got 5x back up to 5 bucks, plus the item at the cost advertised. CO needs this