Kristin emailed in the following tip:
Check your receipts! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten home from shopping, peeked at the receipt, and saw I was overcharged. Unfortunately, at that point, I usually just forget about it since I’m already home and the cost of gas is more than the amount I was overcharged.
How can you avoid this?
- Keep a running tally on paper or in your head as you shop through the store to help you have an idea of what your total should be.
- Watch the register as things are rung up – it’s much easier to have a price changed right after something is rung versus having the cashier go back through your dozens of items to find the one that rang up incorrectly.
- Check your receipt before you leave the store! I always try to take a moment before I leave the store to quickly review my receipt.
If you catch something while you are at the store, take care of it right away! If you don’t find something until you get home, put a post-it note on the receipt noting the correct price and put this on your memo board, in your purse, etc. so that the next time you are there it’s easy to get it adjusted.
Keeping on top of receipts and the prices you are charged will help keep more money in your pocketbook and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Have you ever been overcharged? Did you take the time to get the difference?
–Tip submitted by Kristin from Just Live Once
Ever since I started paying for everything in cash, I always notice when I am overcharged! Just happened to me last week at Target… hair dye that was posted at $7.99 rang up at $8.34. Not a huge amount, but since I hadn’t left the store I went back, took a picture of the posted price, then went to the service counter to get my money back!
There’s one store in my area that seems to always get the prices wrong. I only shop there to pick up a few sale items, and I have to make sure I tally as I go so I am charged the right price. Wouldn’t shop there if I didn’t have to, but sometimes I can get some great steals!
This happened to me twice today! At the supermarket, I was overcharged on three different items that were advertised. I caught it as it was being rung, otherwise I would have paid $3 more than I should have. At Target today, the cashier forgot to scan my two coupons for the Comet Stainless steel cleanser. I checked my receipt afterwards, and she was able to fix it for me. I’m sure it happens a lot. At some supermarkets you need to correct the mistake the same day, at others (Stop & Shop), I can just bring in my receipt the next time I shop.
I read this post and I just got myself more aggrevated. Not at the content, just with a situation at Staples last week. I bought some of the 1 cent school suplies and realized that the glue was “limit 2” so I asked the cashier to take of 2 of the 4 I had purchased. He set them aside but it wasnt untilI I was in the car (still in the parking lot), that I tealized he hadnt substracted the price of the items (just didnt bag them). I was annoyed, but didnt go back in – figuring since it was only $1.50 and because I had my 5 monthold DD and it was 90 degrees out I’d just go back home. A week later it still bothers me that Staples now has $1.50 of my money. My friends tell me not to be such a miser, but hey, I work hard for that money !. Thanks for the reminder to check and recheck receipts. Always go back if you are close to the store. Something I now have got to do.
My local Walmart is terrible about ringing up clearance prices. For example, something that normally costs $1 will be on clearance for $0.50, and I will be charged $1. The first time I noticed it, I was already home and as the poster said, it wasn’t worth going back to the store to get the overage.
But I learned to check my receipt before leaving the store after that. I’m not good at checking things as they run up if my kids are with me, but I always check my receipt after I checkout but before I leave, and if the difference is substantial, I will go back to customer service to get my overage. One time I did this and got like $5.20 back. I joked with the customer service person that it was my fancy coffee money.
I had strategically planned my trip to buy things on clearance that would use some coupons and I was not going to waste my coupon on a full-price item so you better believe I was going to check my receipt.
But this is one of my big beefs with Walmart. They never, I mean never ring up clearance prices, and I feel this places unfair burden on the customer. I used to think they were the best way to save money on groceries, but now I’m saving just as much, maybe even a little more by shopping savvy at other grocery stores, outlets and warehouse stores (I shop BJ’s which has the most generous coupon policy of the warehouse stores).
We have been overcharged a few times but it depens on the amount if I make the trip back. We have also been given to much change back. When we got home for some reason I had $20 to much left over. I called the store and they thanked us for the call and said keep it but we drove the 50 miles back to the store the next day because we didn’t want the cashier to get in trouble.
I found that if you call the store right away, they will tell you to bring your receipt the next time you visit the store and they will make it right. I will only “forget” it if the amount is very minimal.
When we started on a cash budget, I had my 9yr. old daughter hold a calculator and practice adding each item on it to see how close we could get to the actual amount and be sure we didn’t go over the cash we had. She was engaged in the shopping and loved it and was within cents of the actual amount after tax. If we continue this practice, she will have a good sense of the cost of items at our Aldis and be able to see the comparison when shopping elsewhere! I also hand my coupons at Target a couple at a time, telling the cashier that it took me a lot of time to print and cut them out and I want to be sure each one rings in. They never seem annoyed.
Kristin, I check my receipts and find errors often. In using time wisely, I step to the side after the transaction to verify the coupons doubled, buy one, get one free items rang up half price, and that all my coupons were scanned. I’m amazed at how often I am overcharged due to a “computer” or cashier error.
In finding errors, I wrote a short series on my website indicating how I address pricing discrepancies at the store and after I leave – because I can’t always check my receipt or get a resolution at the store. Happy savings!
Totally agree. Just yesterday I was watching the clerk ring up my produce and she entered my plums as peaches which were quite a bit more expensive per lb. So I caught it right after it came up and she adjusted it. Otherwise it can be a hassle to go back to the store once you notice something like that (if you even notice it).
I am frequently overcharged at Walmart, especially on some produce items and rollback prices that haven’t rolled back on the registers. I always check my receipt before leaving Walmart. I’ve also had the most trouble at Walmart with coupons not going through even though I have the correct items. I hand my coupons over one at a time to make sure they each get taken off my total.
I do a few things to make sure I am not over (or under) charged:
1. Written list with price and whether there’s a coupon attached
2. Use the calculator on my phone and ring everything up as I go along (I weigh my produce to ballpark that price as well)
3. Subtract the coupons from my total before I get to checkout, so I have a ballpark of how much I should be paying
Even after “planning” there is inevitably a few times when human error seeps in. I will go and stand in customer service for 50cents – and I have. I realized early on that if every week I was overcharged 50c, by the end of the year I’d have $26. That made it worthwhile to stop and point out an error. It’s a lot of money! I’ve also gone to customer service to pay out when I have been undercharged. It’s always the right thing to do.
I can’t believe how often I am overcharged – it’s practically a weekly occurence. I know my grocery store is over me but I go in there OFTEN with a receipt explaining why I was overcharged! It drives me nuts though b/c most of the time I don’t notice until I am home and it’s not worth it to go back. Most of the time it’s a missed coupon and I’ve found that even if I go back, they always say it’s impossible to know what coupons were mine, etc. so I am out of luck (even though I used to work at a grocery store and KNOW they know when a cashier is over in coupons!). My husband is in awe of the # of times I have caught overcharges – it happens A LOT!
When I am doing a deal shopping trip I always know what my total should be before I leave my house. Usually I have all of my kids so I just dont buy anything extra unless I can add it in my head. I can not watch the screen as closely with them. I will check everything before I leave the store if there is an issue.
1. I count my coupons before I get in the checkout line. 2. I try to get behind someone thus allowing me time to unload my cart- if this does not happen then I ask the clerk to allow me to unload the cart before ringing up my purchases ( I rarely have a problem when asking this). 3. I usually know what the cost of the items are and watch as they are rung up and can catch if wrong. 4. I count my coupons as they are taken off by the cashier so I know that they are all rung up. By doing these 4, I rarely have a problem.
Great post. I do what many other commenters have mentioned:
Make a list with an expectation of final cost
Watch on the screen as items are rung up (easier said than done at regular checkouts; easier at self-checkouts)
Hand over coupons a few at a time instead of a whole bundle at once and keep on eye on them as they are scanned.
Check your receipt before leaving the store and go straight to customer service if you find an error that you want fixed. Some errors are not worth the trouble.
Additional advice I would also add:
Ask for refunds in cash. Sometimes stores want to put it back on whatever debit/credit card you used for the purchase, but those credits can often take a long time to show up in your account.
Check your bank account! Just recently I spent $32 in a store using my debit card, but the amount charged to my bank account was $167! Long story, but in the end it turned out that a computer glitch caused the transaction of the person behind me to attach to my card. The store was awesome in figuring out what happened and refunding my money. The LP (loss prevention) person I worked with told me that these kinds of things happen more often than people realize. Had the error been for a lesser amount (say, $38 instead of $167 for a $32 purchase), I probably would not have noticed. Now I check my receipts against my bank transactions, which is quick and easy nowadays with online banking.
Also, I highly recommend establishing a personal relationship with your stores. This is probably easier with local stores (in my case my neighhood Albertsons or Fred Meyer (supervalue and kroger affiliates) than Walmart or Target. But if you get to know the staff and they you, and they come to regard you as kind, honest, and not a shelf-clearer or coupon freak, then they will take care of you when an error arises. At least that’s been my experience.
This definitely gave me something to think about. I hate to admit it, but I rarely check my accounts with my receipts to ensure I was charged what I should have been charged. I just assumed if it was on the receipt it would be correct – but now I will definitely be more vigilant about checking.
Isn’t that sad though? That we have to take the extra time after shopping trips to 1) Make sure we weren’t overcharged 2) Make sure the store didn’t charge our credit cards more than the receipt
Another thing that we do is not get in the grocery checkout line if the store manager is checking. The manager often makes mistakes because of not working the checkstand frequently.
I do try to pay attention as things are scanned but it’s hard to catch them in the store. I usually find things after I’ve gotten home. One time I found that Food Lion over charged for some Lysol spray. I went back with my receipt and they gave me back the difference plus the item was free. 🙂
Yes! I have this happen all the time, but one of the funniest and most recent was when I left Walmart thinking, “I can’t believe I spent that much on so little,” only to look at the receipt and see that the checker had accidentally charged me for 11 heads of iceberg lettuce instead of 1– went back and collected my $14!
I always go over the receipt a second time when I get home because I don’t always catch a mistake at the store while keeping kids entertained. If I see a problem I write it on the receipt and put it in my purse so I haves it available on my next trip there. If I see they missed a coupon I will call that day so they can check the register if necessary, and they usually tell me to just tell customer service next time I am in the store. I do make sure to write down the name of the person I talked to. No one has ever given me a hard time about bringing the receipt back at a later date.
I always initial my coupons on the back, so they can be identified if they get mixed up in the drawer when they have to recheck my receipt. Saves a lot of time / questioning about what I actually gave the cashier that she didn’t take off my receipt.
That’s a really good idea!
Oh ABSOLUTELY!! There have been SO many times when I’ve diligently watched the items being rung up, they’re priced incorrectly (should be lower), and I call it out. You have to pay attention to how much things are as you shop, otherwise this will slip right by you. Also, check the reciept afterward — I’ve been charged twice for one item so many times!
This is a great simply money saving tip, Ladies!! 🙂
Responding to Jessica’s comment about about “true” customer service — customer service means anyone in line for anything (money orders, lottery tickets, etc.). My little refund for an inadvertent overcharge isn’t more or less important than what someone else is needing.
Maybe I’m just lucky, but I rarely wait in line very long (at the checkout or at customer service) anywhere. If there more than a few people in line, the store will call for extra help. I’m a single working mom and don’t have any more spare time than anyone else, but I don’t think waiting in line for a few minutes is a big deal.
Don’t forget to check receipts at stores besides grocery stores.
I have had the yardage of fabric I was purchasing entered incorrectly more than once. Instead of a fraction of a yard, I was going to be charged for over 7,000 yards of flannel. Luckily I noticed before getting in line at the checkout.
Safeway is another store! Every time I go there they overcharge me! I think they want the customer confused about the receipt so you can’t tell that they are being overcharged. They are making so much money on consumers who aren’t aware!
Yes, that happened at Winn Dixie two days ago. The oven liners were marked BOGO at shelf but didn’t ring up that way and I questioned it and they rang it up BOGO though they wondered if it was a sticker from sale before, since this was Wednesday. I got home and realized the same thing happened with my 4 loaves of bread! So called in and asked, and went back in yesterday about it and here they had put BOGO stickers on my loaves as well as the shelf, but had marked the wrong bread, so they refunded my 2 loaves. YAY for good PR, even if she wasn’t smiling when she rang it up. =/
I also want to say that the other week I was given TOO MUCH change at Chick Fil A and gave her back what I thought was the right amount, and got back to my table and realized I was still a cent off, so went back up and gave back the penny. The man who took it thought it was not necessary, esp. a second time, but I told him it’s the Principle of the matter!, and he said AMEN!
It’s ALWAYS worth the honest testimony to give back! Especially when your children are watching!
many, many times most often,I’ve been charged twice for a product or the wrong product is keyed in wrong. BJ’s once charged me for 20 bunches of bananas instead of 2 and Stop and Shop charged me for something I had no idea what it was and he said, I didn’t know what it was so I put what I thought. UNBELIEVABLE! Luckily customer service is wonderful in these situations.
That happened to me this week. I went into Victoria’s secret to get a free underwear with coupon. I got sucked into their sale and put another pair of underwear for $2.99. It was a pink brand and came with a free pink dog stuffed toy. The toy was charged to my bill, after viewing the receipt I mentioned that the free toy wasn’t free and they fixed it and said that the deal must not have worked on clearanced items, but they will give me the free dog anyway. It was nice of them to fix it, but if I hadn’t looked, I would have paid $10.50 for a stuffed dog I didn’t need. I have 3 kids in tow that continually distract me, so I’m glad I caught that! 🙂
I agree with checking your receipt for both overcharges and undercharges. Recently we were at Lowes home improvement store buying some items for my husbands work. He was using a purchase order and company credit card so it wasn’t even our money. He bought several different lengths of wooden boards including 12 pieces that were 10 ft long. Each one was over $5 a piece while other board were $9 plus. He handed me the receipt as we were leaving. I noticed the store had charged us for 2, not 12. We went back in to pay for the other boards…a $50 mistake. Even though it was company money, we knew the honest thing to do is pay.
Did anyone else notice that the receipt shows a “credit” transaction?
It also appears that way too much of the customer’s transaction has been shown. It is possible this is a stock image (which would be odd given the Walmart trademark appearing at the top), but if not, I would not want any of those transaction details showing. Having been a victim of identity theft I know it takes very little for someone to steal your info.
You make a good point, B.
[WilliamB marches off to research]
The store area code is 727, a Florida area code which is not where Crystal lives The date is in 1999. Taking these two factors together, I think that customer data are not at risk.
It’s a stock image off of Flickr.
Please don’t think of Flickr as a place for “stock” images. People put images on Flickr and often allow others to use them for free. In the case of stock images, you typically have to pay for them.
Oops, I realized I used the wrong word. Thanks so much for correcting me so it wasn’t confusing to others.
I should have said that it’s a Creative Commons photo on Flickr, meaning it’s a photo that can be freely used on other sites/blogs per the copyright given by the owner. My apologies for the confusion there! 🙂
I’m not sure if this is in every state, but I know Wal-Mart’s here in California will give you an extra $3 discount off the price of an item if it scans incorrectly. I didn’t think they did this anymore ( I remember them doing it when I was little), but they have it printed on a disclaimer at every register..and it seems to come in handy quite often as their clearance always seems to ring up wrong!
I have been overchaged AND undercharged. I really, really try to check the receipt before leaving the store parking lot. With 4 children “in tow” I know I won’t run back across town to get just a few cents. But, often the overcharges have been well worth the effort to trudge back into the store to straighten it all out. No matter how much the undercharge, our policy is to go back into the store and pay what we owe. If we cannot do it immediately, we call the store as soon as we arrive home and offer to pay the difference the next time we are near their store. Employees are often quite surprised is we show up and say, “Hi, the last time we were in here you underchaged us. We would like to now pay you the difference.” Either way, we make very, very sure that our children are all aware that we noticed the “over” or “under” charges. One is a lesson in frugality. The other a lesson in character.
Excellent role modeling!
I always try to check my receipt or watch while things are ringing up. This is a reason I like the ring your own lines. I can ring slowly and double check things. If I do catch a mistake, I usually go to customer service after the fact. I don’t like to hold up other people in line and sometimes cashiers can get snippy about things. Coupons not ringing correctly can be a serious pain, so those I watch like a hawk!
I totally agree! I love the self-checkout because I can take my time and not feel stressed about trying to load the checkout, watch the cashier, organize my coupons, and bag my stuff all at the same time!
I went through self-check out at Walmart a few weeks ago and for some reason the cashier was manually scanning everything at one of the self-check out registers. When my coupon wouldn’t scan, she told me she didn’t have time to help me and suspended my order and sent me to her register. When she was finished checking out 3 more customers, she came over and finished my order. My young children were miserable at this point. I asked her to make sure she had all the coupons accounted for and she said she did. As I walked away, I looked and noticed she missed a coupon. I sighed and headed to customer service. I had to wait in line and then waited again as they had to pull coupons from her drawer and self-check out to verify that they actually owed me money. I felt so bad making my kids wait so long, but I just refuse to throw my money away. I do try to watch everything ring up and I always check my reciepts.
I’ve been overcharged at several stores. Recently, at Target, the girl at the register did not ring up my two $1 off coupons for a 30 cent & a 67 cent clearance item. When I asked her about it, she said she didn’t know how to do it. I asked if she could override it & if she didn’t know how to do that to ask. She did ask, but still entered it incorrectly, even though the total came out correctly for both me & the store. Her attitude & tone of voice really did not care. There was no one in line behind me & the store was not busy at the time I went. Last week, a different girl gave me 10% off when I had given her a 15% off coupon. Unfortunately I was already home when I discovered I was overcharged, had no proof (I didn’t have another coupon to show them & it expired that day), & it would have cost more for gas to go back that day. I’m trying to get better at checking receipts.
I am often overcharged at my local Kroger in Mississippi. They have a sign at customer service that says if an item rings up wrong, they will refund the difference and give you another of that same item for free. However, you have to ask for the free item- they don’t jump to give it to you. Publix in the Atlanta area has a similar policy. I always check my receipt before I leave the store!
I take issue with the commenter that said there should be a special line for items that are “true” customer service. I’m sorry, but to the people in line that need help with Western Union or whatever else that is TRUE customer service to them. It is a service that the store offers just like price matching or rewards cards, ect…. Just because YOU don’t take advantage of that doesn’t make it any less of a service. We shouldn’t feel so entitled to be first in line to be serviced. We teach our kids that they need to wait their turn. This isn’t any different. Some might find that if you have dozens of coupons that you need to go stand in a special line because they are trying to get in and out of the grocery store faster. It’s all relative to who you are and what your needs and wants are. I have been MORE than annoyed standing in line to get one item while someone argues over a 42 cent can of cat food that they want price matched. Sure it’s annoying, but it’s just part of shopping.
How about a line for correcting mess-ups that the store created, then? When customers have already waited their turn in line, and lost money due to store/clerk error, asking them to wait in line again seems pretty absurd, and I have wondered if there’s any intent to dissuade customers from seeking correction.
I suppose that would be fine, but patience is still a virtue that most of us are lacking in too many situations. I don’t think it’s some conspiracy of the grocery stores to deprive you of your .50 coupon/discount. I don’t think the make errors on purpose and just hope you won’t notice or say anything. It is very possible that the erros don’t get corrected, but that is probably because they are harder to correct than we realize and they figure it’s easier to just give refunds when customers complain. I choose to think that the errors that happen when things are being rang up are probably just human error. Someone forgot to code something wrong. The error would probably have to be fixed at a corporate level or somewhere and the cashier can’t fix it. Also, people shouldn’t take it out on the cashier or the customer service rep. They have jobs that are difficult. If I had to check out people at Wal-Mart all day long, I am sure I would make my fair share of mistakes.
How about a specially quick CUSTOMER SERVICE ICE CREAM LINE? for those who bought ice cream and then discover there will be a 15-minute line to correct a Store Error?
I love it Carly!
Working as a cashier and at the customer service counter is tough work. There’s more to it then meets the eye. Besides fielding phone calls that range from compliments, complaints, to just simple questions, theres a lot that goes on behind there. We don’t mean to charge you the extra .50 cents. It is a code within the system. It’s the pricing team that is in charge of that. When sales change everything is supposed to go into the system for that sale. Sometimes there are glitches in the system, sometimes there are signs that were supposed to be taken down from the previous sale but were not. The errors do get corrected when they get pointed out. If it’s on a weekend it most likely cannot be fixed until monday or until someone in pricing can fix it. Bringing it to the attention of the cashier and customer service person IS very helpful, so they know to watch for that particular item when people are checking out.
I always check the receipt before I leave the store. I’m sure I look like a crazy lady, but I have definitely found some errors and received money back from customer service. Kroger has a policy if the price rings up the wrong price from what is displayed in the aisle, they will give you that item for free. Kroger is always very easy to work with on receipt and coupon issues. Meijer on the other hand has been very difficult to work with at customer service, they are not very accomodating.
I’ve been overcharged on many occasions. If I notice before I leave the store I usually point it out, or if I know I’ll be back to that store in the not-so-distant future, I’ll leave the receipt in my purse and take care of it later. However, I’ve been undercharged almost as many times, so much of the time I just let it go, figuring that at some point it evens out and it’s all good. A lot of the time, it’s just not worth my extra time to go back.
At my local grocery store (Wegmans) I rarely have trouble with things ringing up incorrectly… but I HAVE had many times where the coupons did not all get scanned (especially the IP’s). So now, I always hand the coupons over only 4 at a time, and listen for each beep, so that I know they are all getting scanned. It takes a bit longer but its better than having to go wait in the customer service line!
I had a problem at a different store once where it didn’t take off a coupon or two, when it was the 2nd coupon on an item. I called & asked if they had some new policy, and they said they’d been having problems with the machine – it beeped like it took the coupons off but it didn’t always register them. So…be careful to watch instead of just listening too!
I never bother while it’s being rung up. I always take 30 seconds before I leave the store to look over my receipt. In my opinion, it’s quicker and easier to spot things on the receipt after everything is said and done and make a quick trip over to customer service to get it all done at once. Otherwise, you’re holding up the line while the cashier calls over a manager, etc. And I’m always shopping with my child, and they usually start ringing me up before I’ve even unloaded everything, so it’s more feasible to wait.
Also, at my supermarket, if something rings up at the wrong price, you get the item for free. So waiting until after I’ve paid sort of works in my favor at that point!
I suppose it depends on what store you are at. In my experience, Target cashiers always have the power to change the price of an item – or make a coupon work. So it’s easier for me to catch something there (if possible) than to make an extra trip to customer service.
That’s awesome though about their policy about getting the item free! I wish my stores did that – if that was the case I probably would just go to customer service as well 🙂
This has happened to me several time and I shop at Wal-Mart. One time was really bad. I had an idea of what my total should have been and it rang up for way more than that…and I had a line behind me and the checkout girl looked like a total ditz. So I stepped over to a bench and scanned my receipt quickly and found where the girl had punched in some kind of code that should have been for apples and only about 1.27/lb because that was the only produce I bought that day…whatever she punched in… charged me $54.00!!!!!!!! Customer Service refunded me the $54.00 thank goodness!!
One time at Target I had a very carefully planned trip so knew what to expect at the register. The total ended up being more than I had planned, but I let it slide. However, once I got to the parking lot, the sinking feeling in my stomach led me to check my receipt and, sure enough, half of my coupons had not rung up at all. I decided since I was still there it was worth it to go back in, and thankfully a very sweet and helpful customer service employee pulled the “spent” receipts out of the drawer, cross-checked with my receipt and refunded me the money.
However, I often don’t have my trips so carefully planned and I unfortunately sometimes don’t notice if things aren’t quite right! It’s so frustrating to get home and realize something was amiss, even if it’s only a dollar or two. I usually don’t follow up but just vow to pay closer attention next time.
I generally do take the time to get my money back. It helps that my store is very customer-friendly so I can do it on my next shopping trip as long as I bring the receipt. To make sure I bring the receipt I put it with my shopping list & coupons.
Here’s a tip that may help bring mistakes to the fore, if you use a lot of coupons.
– Before you go into line, count (and maybe total) your coupons.
– Write down these numbers.
– Tell the checker not to put your coupons in the drawer till *after* you check your receipt.
– When you get your receipt, check that the number and/or amount of coupons is correct. My store provides a total at the bottom of the receipt, making this a piece of cake.
– If it’s not, retrieve your coupons from the checker and go to the customer service desk.
In addition to this, I also like to hand my coupons over one at a time to the cashier and watch to make sure they are coming off my total. Most do not have a problem with it when I tell them that I’d just like to make sure they all go through.
I get over charged every week at the grocery store. I usually catch it while I’m in line. But sometimes I get distracted and can’t watch them ring up each item.
It’s really frustrating actually, but at the same time understandable that with so many products a few can easily get mis-priced.
Actually I just got back from the grocery store and I got over charged 1.50 for blackberries, so I’m going to take them back later when I’m out again.
I know exactly how much my total should be when I get to the register, including when I grocery shop. I either mentally add it up or I use a calculator. I pay everything cash so I often have the cash out when they tell me the total. This is how I catch mistakes. And yes I do go back if I’ve been overcharged as well as tell them when they have not charged me enough.
This happens to me a LOT at my Wal-Mart! I try to remember to watch as the items are scanned. If I get home before I notice an over charge it’s not usually worth going back for!
I hate to put down a store, but this happens more often than it should at Wal-mart. If you shop there, be sure to check your receipt! I’ve had to go back on more than one occasion to get a refund.
That’s interesting, because I usually find that Walmart is the best about ringing up correctly. It’s Safeway that I have to watch out for!
I have the same trouble with Safeway. I almost always have to go to customer service to get my money back. I’ve found with the new Just4u program that the items sometimes don’t ring up at the sales price, so I always print out my list from the website so I can prove it to the CSR.
Yes. I agree with you. WalMart where I live is bad also. Just today I bought bread that showed to be $1.97 (price tag on the shelving) and it rang up $2.38. Unfortunate for me, I didn’t notice until too late.
This so such a great post!! I think about 90% of the time I go to Target this happens. Target doesn’t update their computers with sale prices a lot of the time. Either I am noticing these when things are rung up or when I am heading out the door. I never leave a Target parking lot without checking my receipt!
I agree!!!!! One week it was over 20 dollars overcharged in 2 separate trips but that is a lot over charging when I only spent about $30 total!!!!! That was after I caught a few of the mistakes at the register and had to take the manager back to the shelf to show him I was right. Target is by far the worst. My husband makes fun of me all the time because as we are walking out of stores I will be checking my receipt and I always have to say- I’ll meet you in the car. He just rolls his eyes and laughs.
I agree that Target is bad. They don’t ring coupons correctly ALL the time!
I can never figure out Target receipt. I took the total minus the 5% redcard, and then my local tax and it never tally. Worst if I got coupons….the discrepancies seems to be how my local tax of 7% never match up with theirs.
I have also had this issue with Target, but they always give me the coupon even if it doesn’t ring up when they scan it.
Watch out not onlythe price but what the item rings up as. Meijer had a deal where you buy 10 organic items and get $5 off. I bought all kinds of different kinds of organics, but some rang up as regular. Also check for the catalina’s.
Ugh, yeah, I’ve gone to Customer Service twice at Target because the item rang up at a higher price than the store shelf said. Both times I ended up having to pay the higher amount. The first time it was a sale sign that was up, but it had expired a week or so ago.
The second time the lady went to the shelf to check and I asked to come and she told me to stay at the front of the store – and then she told me that the product was just in the wrong spot on the shelf – but I went back to check again and I don’t think she was right. Very annoying!
I don’t think you’re supposed to have to pay a higher rate if the sale sign was left over. I would have argued that one. With the sign, they are advertising the product at that sale price, and you should have been entitled to buy it for that sale price! I’ve had that happen before and the store always honors the sale price, as it was totally their fault the sign was left over. But then again I don’t shop at Target, so I can’t speak for them.
I don’t typically bother to watch as items are rung up. Rather, I just check my receipt carefully and go to the customer service desk for a refund if something rang up incorrectly. Many stores offer a full refund for items that ring up incorrectly, so be sure to remind the CSR if the store has that policy. Thanks for the reminder!
I ALWAYS do all three of these! Especially with price matching at Walmart, things get rang in incorrectly all the time. I once had a cashier accidentally charge me 24.49 for bacon instead of 2.49. Another time, I was buying ribs on clearance, and both the regular and the clearance sticker scanned so I was charged 17$ instead of 7$.
Thankfully, I almost always catch errors at the register. If not, I’ll stop by the service desk. I didn’t spend an hour figuring out the deals to not spend 5 minutes getting mistakes corrected.
Also–I will often go back and fix mistakes in the store’s favor too, like when I bought four gallons of milk and only three were rung up. I figure it’s the right thing to do, and it really doesn’t take that much time to stop by the U-scans as I’m passing them while checking my receipt anyway.
I just had a friend show me her receipt from Walmart. Her total ended up being $600 b/c something she bought rang up as $499.00 instead of $4.99. She said neither she nor the cashier caught it until the end! BTW, her cashier laughed and said it happens ALL THE TIME – obviously you would notice a mistake that big but imagine how many smaller ones slip by?!?!
There is a free smart phone app called Evernote that can help with managing receipts (along with many many other things). I have started using it to take pictures of receipts. A few weeks ago, we were out in and spent $12 at one location. But $22 was taken from our account. I was frustrated, but hadn’t kept the receipt so had no proof of the error. Since then, I just snap a picture of my receipt and stick it in Evernote, where it is much easier to find than in my purse (because unlike my purse, Evernote is organized and (again) searchable).
That’s crazy! I can’t believe they took that much from your account. Didn’t they keep their own records? I was have been very frustrated with that.
I’m familiar with Evernote. I haven’t used it in that fashion (thought it’s a great idea!) – I use it to keep track of songs I like, articles that are helpful, etc.
I think it’s equally important to set things right if you are undercharged, too. For example, last night at Walgreens, I used 2 -$1.50/2 coupons and 1 -$1.00/1 coupon. The cashier keyed them all in at -$1.50 each. After checking my receipt, I told her what had happened and handed her 50 cents. I’m sure she was a bit surprised, but I told her that since I would go back in to let them know if I had been overcharged, I had better do it when the shoe’s on the other foot, too.
Great point! I always make an effort to do this, too. We can’t expect to have things corrected in our favor, but not in the store’s favor.
I completely agree! I was at Target one evening and bought 2 pairs of jeans that were on clearance, but the cashier only rang up one pair. I would much rather go to customer service and pay the $7+tax that I had planned on paying anyway instead of stealing (because that is what it would be since I knew I had not paid!). Honesty is always the best policy.
Oh, definitely.
Someone gave me this tip once: if you’re tempted to be dishonest for money, ask yourself is it worth selling your soul or your honor for [insert amount]?
That’s exactly what I was about to say. I always remember that I need to be faithful in all things. It’s not right for me to take what doesn’t belong to me. People are usually surprised when I point out that I was undercharged. Most every time they give it to me at the lower price, but I feel that since I would tell them if I were overcharged, I must also tell them when I am undercharged.
Tonja, I am so glad you pointed out that we should correct when we are also undercharged. It teaches our kids to be honest.
I completely agree!!
Tonja, I do that too. I found kids tshirts on clearance at Target for $1.29; I got 3. They only charged me for one, so I went back and gave them the right amount. The girl at customer service was flabbergasted that I would do such a thing.
This is a great reminder for everyone. The one thing I’m most often overcharged for is produce, usually because the cashier has entered the wrong produce code into the register. Once, I was charged over $6 for a $1 head of lettuce because that. I always take time to check my receipt before I leave the store and I definitely report it; especially since one store I shop at refunds the incorrect amount then gives you the item at no charge.
I’ve definitely had that happen, where it’s rung up as a certain variety of something that is more expensive!
Another tip about watching the prices ring up: hand the grocer your savings card first (if using one) for them to swipe. If you wait until the end, the price ringing up at the register is the full price, not the “savings” price. If you have in your head what the savings price should be, you’re not going to see it until they hand you the receipt. If all you’re seeing is the full price before the discount, you’re going to go be able to see if that discount is applied correctly.
Yes! Yesterday, I almost was overcharged on 2 different items to a total of $3! it may not seem like a lot, but if that happens every week I shop thats $150 a year!
You are in my head! Ha!
I had to write Walmart corporate for all the overages we were seeing. At $4 a week that is $200+ and I am just one shopper. No telling how much businesses make over the years due to price points
Yes, and it is SO VERY FRUSTRATING! There is nothing worse than standing in a long line at the grocery (or anywhere else) with two crazy kids and then finding an overcharge which requires going to stand in the customer service line.
At the stores where I shop, the customer service center takes care of too many different issues. They do lottery, western union, make keys, and do this that and the other thing. I always get stuck behind someone buying 37 different lottery tickets or doing some complex money transfer while I’m waiting to get my overcharge corrected. They need to separate those other services from true customer service.
Jessica, I can relate! I often have to head to customer service to get something corrected after standing in line with my 2 crazy kids, and I wish they would separate that from all the other services they do at that counter.
Also, often, even if I do catch it as they’re scanning it up, they send me to customer service anyway to fix it, or if my catalinas don’t print out I have to go to customer service to get them. Seems about 10% of my shopping trips end up at the customer service counter :/ But it’s worth it to me, so I do it.
At Walmart last week I went in to get ice cream and the sign said 2.49 which was one penny less than a local supermarket otherwise I was planning on price matching. At the register it rang up as 2.97. The cashier said to me that this happens all the time that it didn’t get in the computer. She adjusted without any problem but I wonder how many people don’t even notice. This was years ago but I was purchasing bread at Walmart and it rang up wrong and I told the cashier what the on shelf tag stated and she informed me I was wrong. I asked her did she know every price on the shelf. She reluctantly walked over to check and I was right . She corrected with much attitude. I rarely shop at Walmart now since I shop the sale cycles. I have had the errors at my Kroger and Martin’s (Giant brand) and they give you your money back for the item.
I recently got home from the grocery store and looked at my receipt and realized I had given coupons that hadn’t been rung up that could have saved me another $5! $5 might not be very much to some, but that could have bought me another gallon of milk and a loaf of bread! I’ll definitely be more careful to check my receipts in the store before I leave. I should have been watching more carefully while the coupons were being scanned {or not!}.
Thanks for the reminder!
I couldn’t agree more with this post! This is why I usually try to avoid bringing my kids or even my husband with me while I shop. They almost always forget that I’m trying to pay attention at the register and start talking to me or asking questions. Some stores will actually not just adjust the receipt to fix the error, but actually refund the entire product amount making it free! My Krogers does this. Having that mental idea of what the total should be before checkout is also helpful in catching the error if a coupon is missed. When my total the other day was a couple of bucks higher than what I expected, I asked the cashier to check the coupons and two of my Kroger $2 Nascar printouts had stuck together. It may seem like small amounts each time, but if I added up all of those little errors over the years, I’ll bet it would be a shockingly large number!
I try to always watch when the items are being rung up. Just yesterday I had 6 items not ring up the right price and could tell the cashier right away. Sometimes if the cashier starts ringing while I’m still loading I will try to look at my reciept before leaving.
I also control my coupons. I don’t just hand over a huge stack. If I have 4 the same i will hand those and then 2 of another etc. This way I ensure that each coupon is counted and I can watch the coupon price as well as sometimes the amount rings different.
yes, Ive been overcharged and im good about catching it. my older kids seem to get aggravated because I will take additional time to get money back, even just a few cents. I try to explain that if they do it to hundreds of customers a day(say like at a mass retailer) and no one says anything, how much money are they bringing in because of it . those small pennies add up!