Every little bit helps
Caleb posted today about getting charged $171 on a return instead of being credited with $171. He could have easily lost $342, had he not been paying attention. His story reminded me of Bethany's post recently about being charged $245.52 for a .36 cent bag of alphabet noodles! Good thing she was observant and caught the mistake! I couldn't help but wonder if there was anyone else who bought that bag of alphabet noodles and paid a whopping $245 for it and didn't get a refund like Bethany because they were too busy to notice.An easy way to practice frugality is by knowing prices ahead of time and watching the screen as items are rung up. In doing this, I've encountered literally dozens of times when I was overcharged for something. Just last week, I was buying spaghetti noodles which were on an unadvertised manager's special for $0.25/package. I had purchased two and instead of ringing up for $0.25, they rang up for $0.50/each. It really was no big deal and I thought about not saying anything, but then I remembered that the only reason I had bought them in the first place was because they were on sale. And so I said something and they fixed the incorrect price. It took a total of about 30 seconds. That's more than a penny a second in savings. :)
If I save $0.50 by pointing out an incorrect price every week when I go to the store - which is very often the case - I am saving around $25/year. That's not much, I know, but every little bit of savings helps. And often it's more than a $0.50 overcharge. Sometimes, like Caleb, it might be to the tune of $342! It really does pay to know your prices ahead of time and watch your monetary transactions like a hawk!
I mentioned last week that we always grocery shop with a calculator in hand. This not only helps us to stay within our budget, but it also helps us to spot errors and overcharges when we check out. If you use a calculator when shopping and you add things up as you go, you'll have a very good idea of what your total should be when checking out. If it's off by more than a few dollars, you will know right away that something probably rung up incorrectly and you can stop and take care of the problem right then and there.
Caleb's story also reminded of another great benefit that comes along with paying in cash versus with a card - your card can't be inadvertently overcharged when you don't use one in the first place! I know some people find cash cumbersome, but if you want to save money, I highly encourage you to consider switching over to a cash-only system. There's something about paying in cash as opposed to swiping a card which really makes you think about your purchase. We have saved hundreds of dollars by switching to cash only almost all the time. Try it yourself for awhile and see if it makes a difference for you, too!
Graphic from AllPosters.com
posted by Crystal Paine at 4:19 PM
11 Comments:
That is such a great tool to take with you. We used it most of the time if not calculating and making estimates on paper so that we weren't going over our food budget while shopping. This was especially helpful since we bought our food in the states from organic and health food stores. Still with that, we were able to buy enough from there and the farmer's market and bulk and save.
Shopping overseas is a lot different but we try to stay within our food allowance and have some things shipped from far away.
I have had that happen in being way overcharged for an item.Not that long ago I paid real while at Target.When I got home I thought one item must have been more expensive then I thought-NOPE!!Was charged for buying 25 packs of gum instaed of 2.It was easy to get the problem fixed.
You brought up a good point about cash-another time I was using our debit card and it wouldn't work.I told the guy to use it as a charge because they always work.It did allright but so did the first time the card went threw-just slow.Needless to say the store gave me back my money but they had to check the secuity tape to make sure that I was not trying to steal from them.
I went grocery shopping with a calculator today, for the first time, and it REALLY helps. I spotted two 'great deals' that weren't so great after all, and bought a similar, but much cheaper product! Also, I pay only in cash. I don't even have a credit card, and I plan to stay credit card free for as long as I can. This practice got me through college without debt!
I used to work in a supermarket once, and since then, I always check the screen. Often, there is an inconsistency between written and actually charged price, because of someone's lazy work. In that case, attentive customers get a refund, and others pay more than they ought to!
I agree. I have had this happen at the store a lot. Just a few weeks ago, in fact. The potatoes rang up for $1 more than the advertised price. I am embarrassed to say something but then I think, that's why I'm buying that size bag is for the price. Now I watch a lot closer.
Last week our Pavilions was having a sale on cereal 4 for $6, but I had coupons so it would be 4 for $2 minus another 10%.
I of course scooped up 4 boxes that met the requirements.
At check out I was rushing, and thought that the total sounded high to me.
Sure enough, I got home and realized that I was overcharged $9.
Needless to say, I ran back to get my $9!
My mom would always check her receipt on the way out of the store, she caught alot of things. I too usually feel embarrassed, but you know, when it is your job to try to save money, I guess we should not feel bad. You just feel like you are pointing out a persons error. I actually like using those self-check out machines because then you don't have to blame a person!
I used to do cash only, but I can't so much because when I have cash in my purse even assigned cash, I spend money easier. If I have to use my debit card, I have to write it down and it is more work and I tend not to spend little piddly things. I save money this way!
Dear Cystal, Great post and one on my mind lately. I am not always able to closely watch the screen because of managing the little ones at check out time but I usually check my receipt when it is handed to me and within the last two weeks I caught two mistakes. I was charged for 5 gallons of milk instead of the 4 I bought at one store and 2 bags of snack-sized raisens instead of 1 at another store. I got refunds both times totalling almost $7.00. Imagine what we all miss if that happened twice so close together! For those of us trying to manage a grocery budget this can add up! So watch that screen OR check those receipts girls!
Mommy of 5 in Ca.
I absolutely check my receipt after I check out before I leave. There were too many times in the past that I didn't and would have to come back to the store. I often find it hard to keep up with how quick they scan the items so this works for me.
It is so much easier to check it before you leave - saves you time, gas & possibly money too. I refuse to give any more money over to a business than I have to! I need it way more than they do.
I pay close attention as my items are rung up, because at the store I shop at, if the register or checker make a mistake, the item is FREE! I've received several items for free, the latest being 2 dozen eggs just yesterday. It is much easier to correct the error right away than going back later.
I've become a receipt checker out of the same sort of errors others have already mentioned. I used to shop with a calculator years ago and should start doing it again. We went to get groceries for the two-week menu plan I wrote up yesterday and the Costco bill ended up being more than I expected, though I am now stocked up on canned goods for some time, rather than just having one can to use once for ONE recipe.
If you have online banking access, use it to keep a close eye on your account(s). The other day I popped into our checking account as I do every few days and guess what I found! A $600 fraudulent charge!!!! Somehow someone in Great Britain used my husband's card number to purchase plane tickets, plus a smaller $31 purchase elsewhere. (We learned this because I immediately squawked HONNNEEEEY! Did you spend $600????? and since he hadn't, he called the bank right away!) The bank investigated and removed the larger charge Sunday; the smaller has not been removed yet. YIKES! That was half a paycheck, GONE!!! So glad we caught it, and right away.
Once at our health food store I looked up at the register screen and the subtotal was over $10,000! It turns out that if a produce item is not in the system correctly, the default price is $9,999/lb. That one was hard to miss. When we pointed it out, they mentioned that the default used to be $0.00, but people were getting free food that way because no one noticed (or they didn't want to mention it). They decided to change it to something that no one could ignore! I do always check my receipt, and I make sure to go back to correct mistakes whether the error is in my favor or not.
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