I've mentioned in the past on here that I've had problems with McDonald's in the past over-charging me several times - ringing up all the items in a combo meal separately, pretending to issue me refunds to my credit card when actually they just charged me even more after I called them out on it, etc... But lately something like this has happened to me three times at grocery stores too, and I'm starting to wonder if there are some other scams going on as well with cashiers. With the most recent incidents, I bought a few items, say like $8.75 total. I hand the cashier a $20 bill. Instead of giving me back $11.75 back that I'm due, she hurries up and goes "...and $8.75 is your change", and shoves it and the receipt back in my hand. Since the line was long and everybody was in a hurry, I didn't catch that she gave me my *total* back instead of the *difference* back which was more. By the time I was driving away and realized what she did, I figured it was too late since I could not go back into the store and prove that I was short changed. It would have been my word against hers, and at best they would have had to pull the register out to show if it was over or not - which may not even be the case at all, if she just pocketed the difference. The more I thought about it, this had happened to me a few weeks prior at that same location - where I bought some items there, and immediately went to another nearby store to get a couple more items that should have cost just enough of what I should have got back in change - only to find out I was short changed. Most recently, I got overcharged at the same store by that same cashier - and the correct price tag was right on the item. This time I caught her and pointed it out, but where the heck she came up with the higher price she tried to ring in is beyond me - she didn't scan a barcode, she just looked at the item and manually punched in the price, the incorrect price. From now on, I am going to manually total up all the items as I add them to my cart and calculate the anticipated tax and if it's noticeably off from what the cashier tells me when I am checking out - I am not leaving until I find out where they overcharged me. I've had it with this crap, and I feel it's deliberate since they never seem to accidentally undercharge me or hand me too much money back.
I always have a rough idea of how much everything will be, something I learned from my dad. I always check when they are putting things through and check the receipt at the end in sight of the cashier.I've been overcharged a few times and it's a computer error usually, but I rarely use cash and if I do, I work out how much change I should get. It is harder in the US as some items are taxed and others aren't so you can't work out the total price, but at least in the UK you pay the price you see.
This seems to be a widespread problem across the globe because I keep hearing people say this! I always seem to forget to check my receipt and change, though. One thing that happens a lot in Botswana that I absolutely hate is when they have no small change and they seem to think it's ok. Sometimes they don't even bother telling you. It's very unfair because you don't want to quibble over small silver and copper. Meantime the store is making a lot of money from all these coins.
There are more reports of cashiers scamming customers, but that's why you should try to pay the exact money or know how much change to get. Many do have a policy of keeping your note out and only putting it in when the change has been taken out. There are security cameras in most places , but you have to be aware you are responsible when you accept the change and leave the store.
I always make sure that I take a look at the receipt when I leave and check my change. I make sure the name of the item matches up with the price. It's not foolproof but at least it's me making an effort. I refuse to allow people to take advantage of me in those situations so I have to make sure that the numbers make sense.
I always check the prices so if they say something that doesn't quite add up I'll know what it is! I've been lucky not to have this happen to me so far and I hope it doesn't. Saying that I never used to add everything up so it probably have happened to me :\
I find this sort of thing happens if i go to Europe, not in large stores but in independently run outlets. Unscrupulous shopkeepers target holidaymakers who think they don't understand the currency and exchange rates. They under estimate me as i know exactly how much i am spending. When someone has tried this on with me i feel extremely annoyed, they are insulting my intelligence in assuming they can trick me like that as well as the fact that they are committing a crime. As customers we are supporting these people by buying from them but they choose to repay us by stealing from us, totally disgraceful. Luckily this is just a minority of people, most cashiers appear to be honest.
The worst that has happened to me was that some items were left because they weren't included in my bag, though I'm fairly sure that those were honest mistakes on either theirs or my side. I don't recall ever being overcharged but if they did they probably wouldn't have gotten too much off of me since I always calculate my purchases as best I can before checkout.
I would contact the store manager, to discuss the situation. Having a cashier scamming customers could lose the store business, and the manager should be familiar with most common scams, and should be able to start paying attention to that cashier. Many stores have cameras nowadays, and s/he should be able to review the behavior of the cashier and maybe even set her up to see if she rings items up correctly, or not. If you don't receive satisfaction from the store manager, I would move up the chain. No doubt, you are not the only one being scammed, and the cashier needs to be caught and terminated. I am on a really tight budget, so I tend to add things up as I go through the store, and if there's something unexpected, I will review the prices. Sometimes I catch errors, sometimes I don't, but I haven't encountered a situation like what you described. I know many these days can't calculate change in their heads, and they usually don't count it back, but you're talking about outright theft, and it shouldn't be tolerated.
I usually know how much my total should, or very close to it. If it sounds wrong to me, I double check everything. I do so politely, but they still sometimes get uptight. I don't care if they don't like it though, because I can't afford to throw away money. I admit, I have been wrong, or misunderstood a discount, or otherwise made a mistake. Those times are fewer than the times I have been right. I've chalked them up to honest mistakes, but if I thought someone was intentionally doing it, I'd definitely be asking for a manager.
I haven't had this happen to me (yet). I always add up my items and usually I'm pretty close to the total and I check my change if paying with cash. There was some confusion once with a cashier when I used my debit card and asked for cash back. The cashier reached in her cash drawer and counted out the amount of my purchased and was handing it to me and I told her that I wanted $20 back. She was puzzled and then realized what she had done. Sometimes cashiers are distracted and can make mistakes but if the same cashier makes the same mistake more than once it's best to alert management even if the line behind you is long.
This is why I prefer to use self-scanners wherever possible. It means you can keep an exact running total of everything you are spending and make sure you are being charged the correct price for it. I think a lot of errors are just mistakes or simply not knowing the correct procedures though. If short changed, I wouldn't immediately think I was being scammed but I would request the correct amount, no matter how long it took to do the till check.
I watch the cashier ringing the items up and when I notice that something scans wrong, I point it out immediately. I don't walk away from money or let mistakes slip by because my family is more important to me than some big box store's profits.
There's a chance that specific cashier is doing something nefarious like pocketing the extra from what she doesn't give back to you. However, it's not something that stores or cashiers do on a regular basis because the potential fines they face for such practices are high.
What a convenience it would be to pay the price you see! How I think I would love that. On the other hand I wish more that they'd abolish the IRS in the US and just tax us on what we buy.
In the UK a problem can arise when you pay for a number of food items by debit card and you just get a summary receipt that doesn't list the items and what you have paid for them. I used to just accept what was on the receipt without paying to much attention to the prices going through the till. Until one day I had a few items on special offer and I knew roughly the price I should have been paying. When the final cost was more than I knew it should have been, I asked for an itemised receipt. This showed that the special offer hadn't been credited and I was paying full price. I got a refund when I queried it. Since then I look at each item going through the till to see it is the correct price and ask for an itemised till receipt. I have found that it is common practice for stores to advertise special offers where you think you are getting a good deal and then for it not to register at the checkout.
I have never had a cashier from an actual supermarket over-charge me, or anybody that I've been shopping with, at the time. But I have had shopkeepers try to pull stunts, and a few times at that. There is a shop owned by an Indian family close to where I used to live, and they were more or less a convenience store. They sold everything. Depending on which family member you had working the tills, they used to play a lot of games, and try to get more money out of you than they were entitled to, and when confronted, they'd play innocent or dumb, which just made their cunning attempts even more insulting.
I had this incident happen to me once when the cashier gave me some change and no receipt, but after I asked for my receipt she gave me a few coins more. It was in a convenience store, so it pays to ask for the receipt, since the employees there don't seem to give it when the customer doesn't ask for it.
In Kentucky there is no tax on food. Unless its hot food the advertised price is IT. There's a store up the road, about like 15 miles. It's close to the state line, but it is still in Kentucky. They are really nice people, fun to talk to, but they are coming up with any excuse they can to take your money. They charge tax on food. They put a few 2 ltrs in the cooler and charge you $.20 because they're cold. I don't suggest going in there for an2 liter when its Chilli in the store. Guess what happens then... Those kinds of scams have become so common, I don't expect honesty from people anymore. But when I get it I drown them in Thank you'dyou'd
