Let everyone who’s never checked their grocery bill go first. Mistakes are common, however, and it’s possible to pay less for our groceries by taking a closer look.
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“Be careful not to leave any money behind when you leave the grocery store,” suggests Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie University’s Laboratory for Agricultural and Food Analysis.
His lab is now releasing a poll on the subject because “checkout errors don’t get a lot of attention” even though “grocery prices are very high and everyone is trying to find ways to save money.”
Last year, 69% of Quebecers said they noticed errors on their grocery receipts. The number drops to 67% for all 5,525 Canadians surveyed.
“We were surprised at the number of errors,” says the food specialist.
The most common error observed by consumers is a difference between the price at checkout and the price displayed on the shelf (75%). Two other common shortcomings: a daily deal that isn’t honored at checkout (35%) and a cashier who scans the same product more than once (31%).
Automatic discount of $10
Whether these errors are random or not, Quebec grocers have an obligation to compensate those who notice them.
If an item exceeds the displayed price on the shelf, it can be claimed for free if it is less than $10. If it’s worth more, you’ll get a $10 discount.
In Quebec, this is required by law, while elsewhere in Canada, only retailers who comply with a voluntary national code will give a discount.
Overall, 20.6% of Canadians believe they’ve saved at least $50 a year by reporting errors to their grocer, according to the survey released today.
When a customer complains about an error, the situation is generally resolved to their advantage: 87% of consumers say they are happy with the way grocers have handled their complaint.
In Quebec, 40% say they are very satisfied with the grocer’s response, compared to 26% in Nova Scotia.
exceptions
As a general rule, a Quebec retailer must label every product in the store. However, there is one exception that all grocers claim.
You must then meet certain conditions, including applying the Price Accuracy Policy and displaying prices on the shelves.
All prizes must be connected to the same computer, which in turn must be connected to all optical readers. Customers should also have scanners available in the aisles to check a product’s price.
In the event of an optical drive failure, the $10 policy applies.
“It rules out code errors, for example if the cashier doesn’t enter the correct tomato code,” says Charles Tanguay of the Consumer Protection Agency (OPC).
Sometimes the retailer refuses to acknowledge their mistake. The customer can then ask to speak to the manager.
“There’s often adamant talk that it really is, that it doesn’t apply because there are certain exceptions, such as milk and alcohol products,” Mr. Tanguay continues.
If the situation is not resolved, the customer can file a complaint with the OPC, which sometimes condemns traders who have not applied the Price Accuracy Policy.
►From March 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023, the OPC registered 323 complaints related to the Price Accuracy Policy, i.e. less than 1% of the total number of complaints.
THE MOST COMMON ERRORS OBSERVED ON THE GROCERY BILL
- The price at checkout was not the same as on the shelves
75.8% - A sale “of the day” was not requested
35.3% - The cashier picked up a product too many times
31.4% - The product code was wrong
16.1% - A non-taxable product was taxed
9.2% - The product weight conversion was not performed correctly
7.0%
What are your remedies?
- If the price shown on the invoice doesn’t match what’s on the shelf, the customer gets the product for free if it’s worth less than $10, or a $10 discount if it’s worth more.
- In case of refusal you must ask to speak to the manager.
- If the manager refuses, this can only apply to products that are exempt from the Price Accuracy Policy, such as: B. milk or alcoholic beverages.
- The last option is to complain to the consumer protection agency, which has the power to convict the retailer.
Source: Dalhousie University Agri-Food Analytical Sciences Laboratory survey
conducted in partnership with Caddle in early March 2023 with 5525 CanadiansS
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