Studies: Wrong Prices Charged at Wal-Mart (All Other Stores; 100% Perfect!)

Wisconsin State Journal via AP Wire ^ | November 21, 2005 | Marcus Kabel

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wal-Mart Stores charged the wrong price to shoppers in California and the Midwest at a rate that exceeds those set by federal guidelines, according to two union-commissioned university studies released Monday.

Attorneys general in Illinois and California said the reports raised serious concerns. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, on a conference call held by the studies' backers, said his office would investigate what he called a "culture" of inaccuracy.

The two studies said random purchases at 60 Wal-Mart stores in California found that the wrong price came up 8.3 percent of the time. At 78 stores in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, check-out scanners rang up the wrong price 6.4 percent of the time. In both states, some prices rang up higher and some were lower.

The National Institute for Standards and Technology says that for every 100 items scanned, no more than two should have the wrong price. The NIST's last industrywide study, in 1998, found the rate at 3.35 per 100.

The recent studies were commissioned by the United Food and Commercial Workers, which has been unsuccessful in its attempts to organize Wal- Mart workers for years, and released by a UFCW-backed campaign group, Wake Up Wal-Mart. The research was conducted by the University of Illinois-Chicago Center for Urban Economic Development and the University of California-Berkeley.

The researchers said the average cost of overcharges was more than that of undercharges.

Wal-Mart said its last internal audit found an error rate of 2.4% - less than the 1998 national study by NIST - and slammed the union studies as incomplete and outdated. The company noted that the studies' authors say their results are specific to those states and cannot be generalized for the entire country.

"This desperate attack has more holes than a pasta strainer. This is another paid attack by union critics," Wal- Mart spokeswoman Sarah Clark said. Clark had said earlier Monday that it was no surprise the study was released just ahead of the holiday shopping season - a retailers' busiest time of year.

Analysts said the findings were surprising, especially since Wal-Mart has invested heavily for years in leading- edge software and hardware to keep close track of its inventory.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Nice try, Union Thugs. *Snort*

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Good Morning! :)

[proxy_user]

You just complain if the price is too high, and say nothing if it is too low.

[xcamel]

Wisconsin State Journal via AP Wire via Communist Union liars pool.

[TommyDale]

Anyone who has carefully monitored the scanners knows that the prices are only as good as who updated the system pricing. When I lived on the West Coast, Safeway and Payless Drug Stores were notorious for overcharging at checkout. Payless was even under FTC order to clean up their misleading practices.

[Gabz]

Good morning, my FRiend!!!!!

......according to two union-commissioned university studies released Monday.

That was all I needed to read :) No bias here, nope, none whatsoever. BWAAAA HAAAAAAA HAAAAAAA

[GOPJ]

"Union honesty" is an oxymoron - unions never tell the truth.

Unions not only lost this battle, but their endless attacks on a store many of us shop at, is turning more people against them. Are they stupid or what?

[soloNYer]

If you don't check your receipt at any store or restaurant, then you could be missing something. In Michigan, if you are charged the wrong price, you get the difference back plus $5.00.

[Common Tator]

How many of the prices were too high and how many were too low? The AP only says some prices were too high and some were too low.

You can bet if the too high prices outnumbered the too low prices that would have made the story in foot high print.

Since that ratio is not given, you can bet that most of the time the California WalMarts were charging the customer too little.

[i_dont_chat]

No outlet over-charges at the cash register like Walgreens.

I see it all the time. The customers almost NEVER catch it.

I watch my purchases, and insist they ring up correctly.

Walgreens makes a fortune by taking advantage of people at the check-out line.

[Hoof Hearted]

I'm not a big fan of WalMart (their credit dept. unsuccessfully tried to screw me), but I think I'll start shopping there more often while having the deep sense of satisfaction from knowing that my actions are really pissing off the unions, libs and other haters.

[kellynla]

If you purchase your groceries at places where they employ Americans you won't have that problem. LMAO

And for Christmas, since the Waltons are not recognizing the birth of Christ.

Buy online and BUY AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTS!

And you ask "where can I purchase American made products"

right here:
http://www.usstuff.com

Semper Fi,
Kelly

Oh, and so I am not accused of being a "union thug" LOL; the only unions I belong to are the United States Marine Corps and Christianity!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[reformedliberal]

I mentally add up the costs in my basket as I shop, rounding up to the nearest dollar. I usually don't bother with the tax on taxable goods, but add a dollar or two to my tally if I have several items that are taxable.

I am usually within a dollar of the final checkout price. I watch the tally on the computer display and it is almost always exactly correct, unless Walmart is discounting something at the register to match a competitor prices, as they advertise.

Once, I came home, checked my receipt while putting things away and discovered I had not been charged at all for 4 items. Once, at a Walmart where I have shopped several times a week for a decade, and in my favor, to boot!

FWIW, in my town, the worst leftist gripes are switching from Walmart to Walgreen. Seems Walgreen is opening a large store right next to our organic food coop. The most popular items at the outrageously expensive coop are homeopathics that aren't carried anywhere else within 45 miles....except at Walgreen!!! The b!tch about Walgreen is that they are "Big Business". Yet the co-op cost over one million dollars to build, used exclusively large unionized contractor labor and is the outlet for a multimillion dollar organic dairy. The dairy has received multimillions in state ag grants over 20 years, tax incentives from every municipality in which it operates, pays 6% on class B shares over $5k and it pays employees well, but no more than any other business in the industry and area. It is not unionized.

It is always about money and competition. Leftists adore capitalism if it is skewed in their favor.

[gunnedah]

That would be a good law to have in every state.Most every store I shop at where we buy numerous items make mistakes time and time again. Even though some are only pennies when you have millions of buyers it adds up.A lot of them knowingly do it because most people will not return or call their hands on small amounts.

[Fiddlstix]

You forgot to post this J

Click the Pic

[The Great RJ]

Any good consumer has a pretty good idea of what the marked price was for an item and I have no problem with complaining if the marked price doesn't agree with the scanned price.

[Common Tator]

If you purchase your groceries at places where they employ Americans you won't have that problem. LMAO

Since the story only says WRONG PRICES and not TOO HIGH OF PRICES. I think we can safely say that stores with Mexican help will under charge its customer.

You can bet your rump that were WALL MART over charging on most of the items it would not say WRONG PRICE. It would say too HIGH PRICE.

If you want to save money look for a Walmart with lots of Mexican help.

[Hank Rearden]

I'm sure if union goons were running WalMart, they'd be working tirelessly day and night for 100% perfection in all respects.

[sasafras]

All we need to see is that it involved the unions. No more needs to be said. I am shopping Walmart this year just because of the unions hatred for them. Go Walmart -

Target is evil

[JohnnyZ]

You can bet if the too high prices outnumbered the too low prices that would have made the story in foot high print. Since that ratio is not given, you can bet that most of the time the California WalMarts were charging the customer too little.

"The researchers said the average cost of overcharges was more than that of undercharges."

Back in the day I went through an entire Wal~Mart checking prices in preparation for inventory. There weren't a WHOLE lot of wrong prices but I wouldn't be surprised by 5% in some stores. It's a matter of overworked department managers keeping up with price changes. The error was very rarely on the checkout end.