The Price Game

[DrFaroohk]

So I can understand if someone sees an item marked for 2.99, think they're gettign a great deal, then i scan it in and it says 3.99, and they're all disappointed...and yeah, we have to override the price to match what it was advertised for. Fair enough.

Problem is, prices are constantly changing on things, and we can't always keep up with going around the store every damn day to search through merchandise for mismarked items. We simply don't have time for it every single day.

Some people take advantage of this and will deliberately sift through a row of something just to find the one that is mismarked - or sometimes they may even switch the price tag with something cheaper, and if I don't see it, how can I tell whether they did that or it just came in that way?

So my question is: Is there any "defense" against that? i.e. some legal loophole where I can say it doesn't apply? Such as if the price tag has a different Item # on it, can I argue that and say I don't have to honor it since the item number doesn't match up? Or maybe the price is posted in two areas...on the item itself and on the shelf tag...how does it work there? Maybe the lowest of the two always applies, or its whichever one is more prominent, or just whichever one I want?

Or should I just let it go and let the people scam us?

[Rapscallion]

In the US, most states as far as I am aware have laws to state that the customer gets the lowest price.

The UK, however, has it that a price is an invitation to treat, and not necessarily the price that someone will pay. Jester's haggling technique would come in useful here, but henerally if a shop tried to put the price up as a customer gets to the desk will have no customers left.

Rapscallion

[DrFaroohk]

Hmmm...what about a _more specific_ price tag? I.e. one price tag says "Milk - 2.99" and another one says "Joe's 2% Milk, 3.99" even if both are intended to apply to the same milk...?

I know I'm being just as petty as they are by wanting to find some way around it, but I feel like if I keep letting people come in and walk all over us and possibly scamming us like that, it just invites even more and more of it.

[Rapscallion]

It would lose you custom in the long run - or at least that's the logic the corporate bosses use. You can afford to lose the scammers, but those decent customers who come in halfway through the conversation and are chased away are ones you want to keep.

Just a thought.

Rapscallion

[DrFaroohk]

p.s. What is "Jester's Haggling Technique"? That just sounds cool!

[Rapscallion]

http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...4&postcount=45

He's had good results from it.

Rapscallion

[BookstoreEscapee]

Well, in the case of one price on the item itself and a different price on the shelf tag, I would say the customer should get the lower price (this is assuming the same item identified on both tags). That is likely a store mistake and they should honor the lowest advertised price.

In the case of a tag being switched with a different one and the item identified on the tag is clearly a different item, I think the correct item number should be located and the customer charged the correct price. Whether it was that customer trying to scam the store, or a previous customer who switched it and then changed their mind, or an accident on the part of a store employee, you have no way of truly knowing, but if it can be proved that it is the wrong SKU number I don't see why the store should have to honor it. Besides, ringing it up with the wrong SKU number will screw up the inventory numbers as well..

[mafiagodfather]

Some people take advantage of this and will deliberately sift through a row of something just to find the one that is mismarked - or sometimes they may even switch the price tag with something cheaper, and if I don't see it, how can I tell whether they did that or it just came in that way?


Or should I just let it go and let the people scam us?

We have problems with customers changing prices in hopes of getting something cheaper. Sometimes they even get their children to change the prices. When they get caught they pretend they don't know anything about it. These children are they ask to change prices are like 9-10 years old or so. They always pretend they had no idea their child changed the price and that that is how they found the item. They know that what they are doing is illegal and they hope they can get off by saying that their child was playing and that the child did not know what they were doing.

Others who have been caught have said that it was probably someone else.

[Shabo]

It depends on what state you are in as to what the laws are for prices. I would do a search for it or contact your state's better business bureau chapter.