Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

431–440 of 754 posts

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#431

Post by rtp4me »

faidit wrote: post #424
rtp4me wrote: post #409

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have been to the Dollar Store (and similar) many times and have never witnessed anyone getting yelled at for saying, "Hey, I think this was a mistake. Can you correct it, please?" (or any other place I shop - especially the grocery stores). We tend to have very positive experiences when pointing out pricing errors. My mother-in-law made it a point to review the receipts ever time we went to the grocery store. No bi…

I mean, that person actually got yelled at and had to leave the store. Some are more sensitive than others and just the fear of an unpleasant interaction is enough for some people. I've let small discrepancies slide just because the staff looked overworked and I didn't want to make them stop what they're doing, run down to the aisle and check prices and get their supervisor. For most I think it's just a time thing. I…

Thanks, I appreciate your perspective.

One note about asking for a refund/price adjustment. Occasionally the store workers forget to pull the sale prices off the shelf when the sale is over. In these situations, the manager/workers are appreciative since they can pull the sticker that was left on by accident. Just my experience...

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#432

Post by DangitBobby »

qeternity wrote: post #414
DangitBobby wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then feel free to explain the studies and articles online describing how dollar stores are fucking rural grocery stores.

How about you cite something.

https://substack.perfectunion.us/p/dollar-stores-are-killing...

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#433

Post by shepherdjerred »

ssl-3 wrote: post #410
shepherdjerred wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a company seeking to maximize profit, why would you fix this problem? It seems optimal to say "it's out of our control" -- you get to overcharge customers, and you have a reasonable explanation if a lawsuit comes. I would be curious to see how often it's the other way around, e.g. they undercharge a customer.

I prefer to think that people (including those who run corporations at the level of -- you know -- price tags) are broadly more incompetent than they are malicious, dishonest, replete scumbags who would sooner stab a person in the back and take their wallet than give them the time of day. It is possible that I am wrong about this.

I agree that people are usually good, but systems will be abused.

The first think I thought of was https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Pinto#Fuel_system_fires,_...

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#434

Post by DangitBobby »

phil21 wrote: post #423
DangitBobby wrote: post #388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then feel free to explain the studies and articles online describing how dollar stores are fucking rural grocery stores.

Explain why rural customers prefer the dollar store to the grocery store? Are they just stupid and don't know what's best for themselves? Perhaps the rural grocers are not carrying the appropriate product mix for their current (new?) customer base, and are overvaluing customer service? I don't like it - but I also spend time in rural communities and see why these places beat the local grocers. They offer better value…

They do not offer better "value on the dollar" they offer units that individually cost less but over a year of buying what you need to survive you pay more. That's how items are generally priced; smaller packages, higher unit price (as in, price per ounce).

You shouldn't say "screeching" if you want to be taken seriously, it makes you sound shallow and dismissive, incapable of understanding how your narrow outlook is not applicable in some situations.

Please, take even the most basic efforts to understand what people are talking about here instead of forcing me to shove information down your throat like you haven't learned how to use an internet search yet. You don't need my help, and nothing I can say will be more convincing than your own personal research.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#435

Post by mindslight »

rtp4me wrote: post #387
mindslight wrote: post #379

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no "just". It takes resources to be scanning your receipt for discrepancies and/or running your own tally. And there are a few examples in the article referencing stores refusing to adjust prices, or of people noticing on their receipt that they were defrauded and the store refusing to reimburse them.

Resources to read the receipt? Are you saying poor people can't do math? Honestly, how much effort does it take to look at your receipt and look for errors? If you are really on a tight budget, I guarantee you will be looking over your receipt. I have watched countless people shop with a calculator or pen/pad to make sure they stay on budget. It is not hard.

> how much effort does it take to look at your receipt and look for errors [compared to your memory of the exact prices of everything you just bought]

> I have watched countless people shop with a calculator or pen/pad to make sure they stay on budget. It is not hard.

Yes, this is exactly what I am talking about. Both of those things are straightforwardly doing extra work using your own time and resources. I generally spot check my receipts and do a rough mental tally, but if I had to turn that paranoia to max because some store was continually trying to defraud me, then I would likely stop going there.

If a store refused to adjust a fraudulent charge or honor an offered price, then I would keep escalating the issue and not back down. This too requires resources of having the time to argue, reading as someone who will not simply be browbeaten, plus deescalation and being able to communicate clearly if they call the police, etc.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#436

Post by BenjiWiebe »

pwg wrote: post #383
WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being in a shopping rich area, I have some luxury of choosing what I get where. DG is a good option for a small list of items, about ½% of my shopping. But it'd be awful if my best shopping option was 15mi away.

> But it'd be awful if my best shopping option was 15mi away. In much of the rural US, 15mi away is having your good shopping close by. A lot of areas make due with their "best shopping option" being well more than 15mi away.

Yes 15 miles for good shopping sounds pretty nice. I'd say I've got it fairly good for being rural - only 23 miles to the nearest Walmart. That town isn't really great shopping though.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#437

Post by rtp4me »

jeltz wrote: post #272
cs702 wrote: post #258

> Red Baron frozen pizzas, listed on the shelf at $5, rang up at $7.65. Bounty paper towels, shelf price $10.99, rang up at $15.50. Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Stouffer’s frozen meatloaf, Sprite and Pepsi, ibuprofen, Klondike Minis – shoppers were overpaying for all of them. Pedigree puppy food, listed at $12.25, rang up at $14.75. Surely, now that this made the news, there will be an investigation into the fraudulent…

It was investigated, the issue is that the fines are smaller than the profit. I would personally want to see things like this considered fraud and that it can result in prison sentences for executives and other people invovled in the decision making.

You want prison sentences for execs if you were charged $1.50 for a can of corn instead of $1.45? Surely you can't be serious.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#438

Post by Cyclone_ »

technothrasher wrote: post #429
jefftk wrote: post #372

> Red Baron frozen pizzas, listed on the shelf at $5, rang up at $7.65. Bounty paper towels, shelf price $10.99, rang up at $15.50. This very rarely happens in MA, because when it does the store has to give you the item for $10 off, including if that makes it free. And they have to post a sign at the register explaining the law, which means when you're invoking it all you need to do is point at the sign. https://www.…

Note that this law is only for certain products. We would have people at the liquor store I used to own point out mislabeling occasionally and claim we owed them the $10 difference from this law. While we tried to work with customers when we made a pricing error, not only does the accuracy law not apply to alcoholic beverages, but it would often be illegal for us to offer the customer the mistaken price. Alcohol reta…

That's probably aimed at reducing consumption.

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#439

Post by tdeck »

If you live in Seattle and you find items are rung up for the wrong price, I highly recommend reporting it to the city. I did this once and was shocked that they promptly sent someone out to check the store and issue a citation. The inspector who emailed me was very polite and professional as well. It's rare to have something like this taken seriously and to have the enforcement properly funded.

Unfortunately I don't remember which form I filled out but I believe it was this one

https://www.seattle.gov/your-rights-as-a-customer/file-a-com...

Re: Dollar-stores overcharge customers while promising low prices

#440

Post by jimmydddd »

coin wrote: post #399
jefftk wrote: post #372

> Red Baron frozen pizzas, listed on the shelf at $5, rang up at $7.65. Bounty paper towels, shelf price $10.99, rang up at $15.50. This very rarely happens in MA, because when it does the store has to give you the item for $10 off, including if that makes it free. And they have to post a sign at the register explaining the law, which means when you're invoking it all you need to do is point at the sign. https://www.…

Michigan in the 90s had a similar rule. Customer gets 10x the overcharge (up to $5 max). I can guarantee you they fixed the price immediately. Where I live there’s no such rule I can tell you no one is correcting the price when I point out that I got overcharged (they usually shrug with “it does that sometimes”).

"It does that sometimes." I guess for some reason the minimum wage cashier was not fully invested in maximizing the customer experience.
Post reply on HN