The Polkton Dollar General (Store #10464) was fined $1,305 in civil penalties for excessive price scanner errors, according to a press release from the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS).
The Polkton Dollar General was one of 11 stores fined for price-scanning errors in the state. The NCDA&CS Standards Division conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of a business’s price-scanner system 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-percent error rate on overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with the store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection at a later date. Undercharges are also reported but do not count against a store.
Penalties are assessed if a store fails the follow-up inspection. In addition to the penalties paid, a store will be subject to re-inspection every 60 days from the last inspection until it meets the 2-percent or less rate. Additional penalties may be assessed if the store fails a re-inspection.
The first inspection of the Polkton Dollar General in January found an error rate of 4 percent. A follow-up inspection found an error rate of 3.33 percent, based on 10 overcharges from a 300-item lot. The store was assessed and paid the $1,305 penalty and faces another follow-up inspection.
“Consumers are watching their purchases closely and looking for sales in today’s economy,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “By checking the accuracy of price-scanning systems in retail stores, we are helping to ensure that when shoppers get to the checkout counter, they get the advertised price. Consumers can contact our Standards Division at 919-733-3313 to register a complaint.”
Of the 11 other stores in the state that were fined, six were Dollar General stores. Others fined included a K-Mart in Raleigh, Pep Boys in Raleigh, Advance Auto in Wilson and a Walgreens in Wilmington.
Money collected from civil penalties is distributed to school systems statewide.
Post a Comment
