Be Smart About Shopping
January's Weights & Measures Tip

Question:  I recently did some Christmas shopping over the weekend and after going over the receipt, I feel as if I have been overcharged on a couple of the items I purchased.  What can I do about this?

Answer:  The holidays are an especially busy time of the year at stores, with all of the constantly changing prices and sales.  Unfortunately mistakes are made when it comes to posting and removing sales signs.  The best thing to do is to watch when your purchases are scanned to ensure that they are rung up correctly. If something is not the price you believe it should be, immediately bring it up to the attention of the clerk.  The quicker the mistake is caught, the quicker it can be properly handled. 

If you notice a mistake on your receipt at a later time, I recommend calling the store as soon as possible to let them know of the situation.  The store may ask for you to return with your receipt to refund any money owed.  It is important to hold onto receipts this time of year. Should you lose your receipt and need to return an item, you may find difficulty in getting your full amount of money back.  Some stores may give you a cash refund without a receipt, but will refund your money at the lowest price that item was priced at, for the last 90 days.  If you paid $30.00 for an item and returned it without a receipt, you may only get back $19.99, if it was on sale. 

If you are looking for cash back and do not have the receipt, you may be completely out of luck.  It is many stores' policy to give store credit on items returned without a receipt.  On some occasions, you may come across an item you purchased and were charged less than the price that was on the shelf.  This happens when an employee forgets to post a sale sign to let customers know of the lower price.

Remember that the holiday season is a busy time of the year for scam artists and fraud!  Keep all of your receipts and keep an eye on your credit/debit card statements.  Make sure that all of your transactions are correctly and accurately accounted for.  Should you find any discrepancies, please contact the local police department and the institution involved. 

Do not leave any large purchases in your vehicle, in plain sight.  Many vehicles are broken into because peering eyes can see expensive gifts through car windows.  Keep your receipts with you as well. If you leave it in the bag and the bag is stolen, you will not have any proof of your purchase and the thief can return your items for cash.


By Shaun Bland, a Medina County Auditor's Office Weights and Measures Inspector