BURLINGTON — A local store was fined nearly $3,000 because its price scanners failed inspection three times over the course of five months in 2023, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division said.
The division conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of price-scanner systems in businesses to check for accuracy between the prices advertised and the prices that ring up at the register. If a store has more than a 2% error rate on overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with the store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection later. Penalties are assessed if a store fails a follow-up inspection. Undercharges are also reported but do not count against a store.
An initial inspection at Michaels in the University Commons shopping center at 1455 University Drive in March 2023 found an error rate of 12% based on six overcharges in a 50-item lot. Follow-up inspections in April and July found error rates of 7% and 5.33% based on overcharges in 300-item lots. The store passed inspection in September 2023.
Michaels paid $2,900 in penalties.
It was among 14 stores that recently paid fines for failing more than one inspection, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said. The others were in Forsyth, Hertford, Mecklenburg, Stanly, Wake, Wilkes and Union counties.
“Many of the stores facing fines in the first quarter of 2024 had multiple failed inspections and a high rate of overcharging errors,” Troxler said. “Overcharges cost consumers, so we remain vigilant in inspecting stores to save people money. Remember it is always a good practice to check your receipt as well as the price on the shelf to make sure you are paying the correct amount and alert managers if the prices don’t match.”
Of the 14, 10 were Family Dollar stores. A Family Dollar in Norwood in Stanly County paid $43,530 in penalties for 11 failed inspections from January 2022 to October 2023.
Consumers who would like to file a complaint about scanner errors they encounter can call the Standards Division at 984-236-4750.
