Are you being overcharged at the checkout? Here's how to tell

Groceries are already expensive — here's how to tell if you're being overcharged at the register.

(NEXSTAR) — With the prices of so many goods already painfully high, you’re likely not enticed by the idea of paying even more (especially unexpectedly). And on the heels of Walmart agreeing to a $45 million settlement after being accused of overcharging on groceries, it can be hard not to wonder if you, too, may have fallen victim at the checkout.

In October 2022, a lawsuit was filed against Walmart, accusing the retailer of “falsely inflating” the weights of certain sold-by-weight groceries at the register, negating any sale pricing customers may have believed they were getting. Walmart has denied any wrongdoing but agreed to the multi-million dollar settlement.

Unfortunately, that is just one case of alleged mischarging. 

Also in 2022, Ohio sued Dollar General for listing items as one price on shelves but charging a higher price at the register. Auditing conducted in one Ohio county found error rates of overcharging between 16.7% and 88.2% at 20 Dollar General stores — well over the permitted 2% the Ohio Department of Agriculture allows, Nexstar’s WTRF reported at the time. 

Late last year, Dollar General agreed to a settlement with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection after inspections found that some of its stores in the state were overcharging customers an average of 17% more than the shelf price on 9% of the surveyed items. 

And just last week, officials in North Carolina announced that more than a dozen stores there (11 of which were Family Dollar locations) had been fined for scanning errors. At one location, an inspection found an error rate of 33%. 

So what can you do to protect yourself and your wallet?

One of the simplest ways is to double-check that the price on an item’s shelf label or sign is the same price you pay at the register. If the prices don’t match, you should alert a manager, Steve Troxler, North Carolina’s commissioner of agriculture, said in a press release earlier this month. 

In most cases, stores that sell an item by weight will have a scale or two in the produce department. Experts recommend using that before heading to the checkout. 

Once at the checkout, you should ensure the register’s scale is set to zero before your item is rung up, authorities in Marin County, California, explain. The weight detected by the scale will likely appear at the bottom of the screen if you’re at a self-checkout and must be visible to you if you’re going through a line with a cashier.

If you are at a self-checkout, Marin County officials also recommend checking the edges of the scale. It may give you an inaccurate reading if its edges are rubbing against the machine. Even if a sale has expired, if a sale sign or tag is still up for a product, the retailer has to honor that price, the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs says.

Should you be overcharged for an item, officials recommend addressing it immediately with store management. In Wisconsin, the state requires that overcharged customers be refunded the difference between the posted price for an item and what they were charged. Retailers can opt to give you the overcharged item for free instead.

“Most businesses are honest, but even honest people make mistakes,” Marin County officials said. “Alert consumers are the best defense against inaccurate transactions.”

Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.