Fresh & Easy under fire for overcharging

If a grocery store is using scanners for their checkout stands, it is beyond foolish if they do not put enough resources into making sure their system is accurate. In a large store that usually requires at least one forty hour clerk doing nothing but data maintenance, checking the shelf sticker against what the computer is charging. The Department of Weights and Measures takes the role of assuring accuracy of these types of systems very seriously to protect consumers against being charged the wrong price.

Thirty years ago, everything except fresh produce was marked with a price sticker or an inked stamp on the package, and that was the price the clerk entered in the register. With scanners in place there is no “need” to mark each item because the computer has been programmed with the price; how up-to-date that information is is where stores like Fresh ‘n Easy can get into trouble. Grocery is very competitive and the industry norm is a very small margin; with fixed costs like energy and cost-of-goods, the only real variable that owners and managers can control to any degree is the cost of labor. Fresh ‘n Easy took that to a new level by having customers ring themselves up only, with just a few clerks running the whole store; but it seems like the possibly scrimped too much on the labor to maintain their scanner system.

If you ever want to check to see if a grocery store is charging you the correct prices, you should take a marker pen with you when you shop and physically write the price of each packaged item directly on the package (a grease pencil works really well). Once you have had your order scanned, you can then check the receipt against the items you marked to see if everything was charged at the price that was listed on the shelf. I encourage everyone to do this once and awhile, no matter where you shop, as long as they are using scanners. If you find mistakes, take your receipt and the items you marked with you to the store and speak to a manager; they want to fix the problem before Weights and Measures catches them, and sometimes you could get an item or two free as a payment for your troubles. Be aware.