In the current environment of massive fraud and monetary mayhem, the financial error I recently encountered was small. But I refused to accept a 25-percent loss at the checkout counter, where I was charged an extra $1 for a pint of organic grape tomatoes. As a weekly special, the advertised price was $3.99 per container. But when I studied my receipt in the checkout lane, I saw that I had been charged $4.99.
Here's what that episode taught me:
• Always check receipts. Checkout errors are common, according to one industry survey. In 2003, A.T. Kearney found ''data errors'' on 30 percent of retail items. My own shopping experiences mirror those findings, and after a spate of checkout errors at several stores, I've learned to quickly review receipts before leaving a store's parking lot.
Many errors are computer-driven. Occasionally, sale prices and special markdowns are advertised but not updated in the store's computer system. For example, the scanning code on my tomatoes did not reflect the hand-written sale price tacked to the produce display.
• Check the error policy. Some stores will compensate shoppers for mispriced items. In my neighborhood, Publix will give you an item for free if "the scanned price of an item . . . exceeds the shelf price or advertised price.''
• Examine large purchases. ''You have to really scrutinize receipts, especially for big-ticket items,'' said Jane Bennett Clark, senior associate editor at Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
During a recent interview, Clark identified three types of pricing errors.
During a recent interview, Clark identified three types of pricing errors.
1. Customer errors occur when shoppers select an item that is not covered by a sales promotion.
2. Due to employee error or computer glitches, merchandise is mislabeled.
3. Shoppers are lured into a store with the promise of low-priced specials, but are directed toward comparable merchandise at higher prices.
The third scenario is against the law, and shoppers should contact local regulators if they suspect a bait-and-switch scheme, Clark said.
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