My husband and I went crazy at the DIY Handyman shop over the weekend to buy stuff for the house, so we had quite a stack of things to pay for at the cashier. I knew we probably overspent, but the bill still surprised me when it reached P9,000 plus.
I paid for the bill and then asked for the tape receipt. Rugs, check. Two different sizes of hooks, check. Car cleaning stuff, check.
“What’s this item that costs P4,200?” I thought my voice sounded really calm.
The cashier and her bagger checked each item and found that it really cost P99 but the scanner somehow made P4,200 appear on-screen. Great.
They voided the charge to my credit card and counted everything all over again, while my son complained of a missed meal and general tiredness at the things that adults worry about. I paid P5,121.23 instead of P9,291.48.
I was lucky it was a big item, that I spotted it and double-checked the tape receipt before I left the store. But what if these automatic scanners have been taking money from us without us knowing it? What if these are in increments of P50, or P100? Would we notice? What if they are already taking over the world?!! (kidding)
I once scoffed at my brother-in-law who checked each item in the tape receipt every time they went to the grocery. He may have a point after all. I just hate having to feel like I can’t trust something as simple as a scanner or barcode.
29 Responses to “Do you trust the bar code?”
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Pages: « 6 5 4 3 [2] 1 » Show All
November 12th, 2008 at 9:35 am
at least when i shop, we already know how much since we’re using the calculator of our cellphones. SM used to have calculators in their large pushcarts.
some stores like watson also have a policy that in case of discrepancy between the tag and the scanner, the lower price is used.
note also that in using bar codes, the first three digits indicate the country who issued the code and not necessarily where the product was made. there’s an email circulating in the Internet about this but the information is partly true for products made from the giant of asia
November 12th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Just like your brod-in-law, I scan the receipt for any errors, usually for items that cost P100 and above. Latest experience is at Walter Mart, when a diaper I regularly buy has higher price in the receipt than in the tag price. Price difference is only P10 or P12, but its still a saving.
Bar code prices are encoded by supermarket staff, and with a lot of stuff they encode every now and then, these encoders could also commit human errors.
Check padding in restaurants/bars are more prevalent than errors in bar code pricing.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:39 am
that is a good catch…
i somehow would like to think that sometimes the stores make adjustment on online POS pricing but not the barcode tag or price that reflects on the shelf.
it is very likely that a human error also can make things worse by encoding the wrong price info on the system.
i normally check the items and price as it beeps on the monitor of the cashier. even the counting. especially those who has a speed in hands movement.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:17 am
P4,200 for P99! shucks! better check my receipts na din!
November 12th, 2008 at 7:13 am
How about the little things? Like what happened to us one time we were at Shopwise. There was huge sign saying that a dozen eggs was only 35 pesos, so we bought several dozens because my wife bakes a lot and we plan to give some to my in-laws. When we got home, my wife scanned the receipt and found that the eggs really cost 55 pesos.