At my local supermarket the egg price at the register much higher than price on the shelf
By Lena Kovadlo
@lovebuglena (52227)
Staten Island, New York
July 1, 2018 3:48pm CST
I went to my local supermarket the other day to buy some things. One of them was a carton of large brown eggs.
The price tag on the shelf where the eggs were said $2.49. When I looked at the receipt, after my husband checked everything out, I saw that the eggs were rung up as $2.99. That's a fifty cents difference. No way was I going home without getting our money back.
I went to the egg shelf to double check that the price was indeed $2.49, which it was, so I took a picture of it and went to customer service to get our money back.
I told the guy about the price difference, showed the picture I took, so he wouldn't have to go to the egg department himself to check, and we were refunded fifty cents.
Now, the purchase was made via debit card. Instead of putting that money back on the card he gave us two quarters. From what I know they are not supposed to do that and am wondering why he did. Perhaps he didn't bother checking the receipt or asking us how we paid. Or maybe he didn't know that's not allowed. However, it doesn't make much difference to me as long we got what we were owed.
I don't understand though why the shelf has one price but it rings up as a difference price. It's happened to us more than once with other items. Maybe the price went up but, if it did, they were supposed to replace the price tag on the shelf to reflect the new price.
They finally did that with the two-pack toothpaste, which would ring up at a price over eight bucks when on the shelf it said $6.39. We always had to go to customer service to get our money back for being overcharged. Or maybe we weren't overcharged and they just never replaced the price tag because now the price tag reflects that eight dollar and change price.
When I go shopping I should never have to worry about being overcharged or items being rung up at the wrong price. I shouldn't have to look over the receipt carefully every time to make sure nothing is wrong. I should just shop and go. But that is never the case. I always have to look over the receipt because enough times something is incorrect.
4 people like this
8 responses
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
Thank you for catching that. I fixed it.
If a person is rich and doesn't care about what he is being charged, it won't matter to him. But I am not rich, so it matters to me. Fifty cents is still money. Why give that up?
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
@NJChicaa I get you. I was still in the store. If I had already left and was far from the store I wouldn't go back either, especially if I was alone. I don't drive and for me to spend money to get to the store just to get fifty cents back would not be worth it. I'd actually end up spending more money getting there than I'd get back.
1 person likes this
@NJChicaa (127195)
• United States
1 Jul 18
@lovebuglena I'm not rich but I still wouldn't have bothered to go back for 50 cents if I was already on my way home. Not worth the hassle to me. If I was in the store still, then yes I would have gone to customer service.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
1 Jul 18
I used to work for a grocery store. Sometiems the "tag lady" just didn't get to changing the tags. They are supposed to come in the night before and hang the entire store (minus the vendor items) and that can take quite a bit of time. They might go home, sleep and come back in later if they hadn't finished in time.
Maybe the tag didn't come in on time and so they couldn't replace it.
Maybe it was overlooked.
Lots of maybes but I'm glad you got it sorted.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
The $2.49 price was there for a very long time. So, if the price did change change to $2.99, and now that's what it costs, they had enough days to change it I'd think. It's rather unprofessional of them for this to happen - the price tag saying one thing, the register another.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
1 Jul 18
@lovebuglena I can't speak for that location nor any other. However, I will say that being a grocery store employee is often a lot harder than the average customer thinks. As a customer I agree with you but as a former employee of a grocery store? I can imagine several different scenarios (both the fault of the store and not the fault of the store) that could explain the tag being wrong.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
@ScribbledAdNauseum How is it not the fault of the store? If it's an employee's fault, the employee is part of the store so it becomes the store's fault...
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
2 Jul 18
like you said, they might have upped the price, but forgot to change the tag. that has happened at our stores, both with higher and lower prices. usually though, our prices are right, but the sales don't go through, so we have to stop by the service desk about that more so than a price ringing up higher than the tag said.
also, our store gives money back in cash, not by card if card is used to pay, unless we say we want it back on there. but all stores are different.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
3 Jul 18
If I charge it on my card I want it back on my card so the amount I have to pay on my credit card bill at the end of the month is lower. If I get the money back in cash I still have to pay that higher amount when it's time to pay my bill. And I prefer not to.
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
3 Jul 18
@lovebuglena gotcha, that makes sense, I guess. I was thinking of like a bank card credit card. lol
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
1 Jul 18
I think it was probably less expensive for the store to just give you the 50 cents than to do another transaction on the debit card. I think that's standard practice for when it's under $1.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
That makes sense. But maybe he just didn't wanna deal with that. Though I don't even think he checked to see how we paid.
@porwest (112928)
• United States
1 Jul 18
First of all, $2.49 for eggs is outrageous. The last price I paid was 95 cents for 18. The toothpaste is outrageous as well. I have never paid more than $1 for a 6 ounce tube. When Colgate was on sale for $1 per 6 ounce tube last I bought enough to last a long time. After 5 years, I finally went through my last tube and I still only pay $1. Ugh. Either way, when things do not ring right at the register it irks me.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
I use Colgage toothpaste. But it's Advanced Whitening. It used to be $3.69 at my local supermarket, which was cheaper than at my local pharmacy. Now it's $4.49.
As for the eggs, these are brown eggs, which are higher in price than regular white eggs. I have no idea why the color of eggs should have a price difference. I think eggs should cost the same, especially if they are the same size, regardless of their color. But paying $2.49 for them, which I think is not cheap, is reasonable compared to what other places sell them for.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
I have never seen eggs here in NYC sold for such a low price (white or brown). And same for toothpaste I use. But maybe other Colgate are sold for much less than what I pay for mine. But it's great if you can buy them all for $1.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
If it is an accident that is one thing. But if they don't do it because they are lazy or don't want to do it that is wrong. And customers who don't bother to check their receipts end up overpaying for things and wasting a lot of money.
@thislittlepennyearns (68246)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
1 Jul 18
I wouldn't of turned around for fifty cents. And $2.49 is way too expensive for eggs.
@lovebuglena (52227)
• Staten Island, New York
1 Jul 18
In NYC that's not that bad for brown eggs. And going back to get the fifty cents is not just about the fifty cents. It's the whole principle of it. I shouldn't be overcharged. And if the price did go up they should make sure that the price tag reflects that.
