Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

Post by venturecruelty » Sun, Dec 07, 2025, 10:00 PM UTC

mschuster91 wrote: post #124

hippo22 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, this type of conflict can only be adjudicated by courts, which low-income people don't have the time and money for. You couldn't just walk out of the store with the items. You'd need to either: 1. Buy the items and sue. 2. Take the items without paying, likely get the police called on you, and defend yourself in criminal and civil court.

> Unfortunately, this type of conflict can only be adjudicated by courts, which low-income people don't have the time and money for. Here in Europe, we have consumer protection agencies. Get wronged? Shoot them off an email and they'll take care of it. And overcharging at the cash register? That gets handled by the responsible authorities. Again, call them, tell them what happened and it can get real messy real fast.

Post by xingped » Sun, Dec 07, 2025, 10:02 PM UTC

gruez wrote: post #149

thanhhaimai wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And this is exactly why I only shop at Costco. While other retailers try to get me to buy more stuffs, Costco try to make sure I'm satisfied enough that I'll renew my yearly membership (their main profit source). The incentive structure aligns very well.

>While other retailers try to get me to buy more stuffs, Costco try to make sure I'm satisfied enough that I'll renew my yearly membership (their main profit source). The incentive structure aligns very well. This doesn't make any sense. Costco makes a profit on the goods sold as well. They have every incentive to sell you as much stuff as possible. That's why they also engage in the usual retail tactics to increase…

Post by dotancohen » Sun, Dec 07, 2025, 10:02 PM UTC

joshuaissac wrote: post #125

burnt-resistor wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know NC law. Does it have an "invitation to treat" practice there where prices marked are a customer relations issue rather than a legally-binding offer? To attain change, enough people have to: 1. Correctly identify the source of their misery, because it ain't [insert scapegoats]. 2. Find others who agree with them. 3. Make a plan for effective countering of 1. 4. Use intestinal fortitude and endure temporar…

> NC law. Does it have an "invitation to treat" practice [...] rather than a legally-binding offer? Are there any common-law jurisdictions in the world where having products on sale in a supermarket is not generally considered invitation to treat but as an offer to sell?

Post by venturecruelty » Sun, Dec 07, 2025, 10:03 PM UTC

potato3732842 wrote: post #73

Listen, I know we all love to circle jerk about how dollar stores are evil, but you can walk into just about any regional chain supermarket and replicate the same exercise and get about the same results.

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Dec 07, 2025, 10:03 PM UTC

JSR_FDED wrote: post #2

23% of items are rung up at a higher amount at the register than what it says on the shelf, yet North Carolina law caps penalties at $5,000 per inspection, offering retailers little incentive to fix the problem. In other words, regulatory capture at its finest, over the backs of the poorest in the country.