One Snarky Chica with Issues

How many times have you gone grocery shopping and gotten home to discover that you were charged wrong for something? Or maybe you think you might have been charged wrong but you were not sure? Well, in my experience, I would say it has probably happened more times that you realize.

When I first started budgeting I had no idea how much money I needed to allot each month for various things, including food. After tracking my spending I had a good idea of what my household had been spending and how we could trim that a bit. So, armed with a monthly budget of $250 in the grocery spending category I began to really pour over my shopping lists, sales papers and so on.

I was so determined to fall in that budget that I took to taking a calculator with me to the store to make sure I was averaging an amount each week that I was comfortable with. I also took a list with me each week. That is when I began to notice that I was getting charged the wrong price for things every single time I went to the grocery store. Sometimes I noticed it immediately and sometimes it was not until I got home.

The day that it amounted to over three dollars in erroneous overpricing I decided it was time to get serious about it. I kept bringing my calculator and my list to the store but I fine tuned this process a bit. You see, I made my list so that there was enough room to jot down the price of the item as I put it in the cart. I also began weighing all produce that was priced by the pound. Then I used the calculator to get an estimate of the price. And a key thing that I began doing was checking the UPC code on the sale sign in the aisle to the UPC code on the item I was buying. More than once the sign was placed in front of a more expensive item that was not on sale at all. Usually it was just a larger size of the smaller on-sale item. Double-checking like this also gave me a solid foundation in the event that the cashier wanted to challenge me, which also happens from time to time.

I also leave enough room on the list to add items in the event that I come across a deal in the store that was not advertised. But do not leave too much room as it just encourages impulse spending!

Once I am done shopping I find a place out of the way so that I can stop and add up everything on my list. This way I can get a ballpark figure of what my end total will be. I do this because sometimes it is difficult to see each item being rung up. So, if that end amount is off I know to check my receipt before leaving the store so that I can get an immediate refund.

Once I get out to the parking lot and put my groceries in the car I like to match up my receipt with my shopping list prices to make sure that everything matches. If not, I go back in for the refund.

If you get charged too much, do not feel ashamed about going back inside to get $0.75 back. You work hard for that money! And even though you might be thinking it’s just $.20 or it’s just $0.60 think about this - $0.20 each week is over ten bucks a year!

If you get home and discover that you have been charged wrong for stuff you have a few options. First, I would never make a special trip back to the store for the refund unless the amount is more that the gas it would cost you to get there and back. Most times that is not the case. What you can do is call the customer service desk at the grocery store and let them know what happened and ask if you can bring in your receipt for an adjustment the next time you are in. More than likely they will tell you that you can – just be sure to write down the name of the person you spoke with just in case. Typically I like to try to get that taken care of before the current sale period ends at the store. Otherwise you will have no shelf price sticker to reference, unless of course the item was not on sale and the regular price rang up incorrectly. Another thing you can do, instead of calling, is just bring the receipt to the customer service desk on your next visit. I tend to only do this if I can stop by during the sale period. And only do this if I am already going back to the store or if I know I will be driving by it anyways and can stop.

I have never had a problem getting a refund when charged too much for something. I have had young cashiers scoff and say things like “It’s only $1.25” and I just smile and wait for my money back. Some grocery stores will even give you the item for free if it rings up incorrectly, so you should definitely see if your grocery store has that policy.

So, to recap, here are the steps you can take to make sure you are not paying too much at the grocery store:

• Use a list and a calculator
• Always weigh produce that is charged by the pound
• Write prices of items on your list as you put them in your cart
• Leave room on the list to add items/prices
• When done, add up all prices on your list for a ballpark figure
• Check your receipt against the prices you wrote on your list before leaving
• Don’t be afraid to ask for a refund on items you were overcharged for