Letter from a Reader: Beware of the Price Tags

Sale Price (Yellow Tag): 169.75 PhP

Regular Price (White Tag): 89.75 Php

Sale Price (Yellow Tag): 170 PhP

Before Price (According to Yellow Tag): 339.75 PhP

Regular Price (White Tag): 249.75 PhP

Dear Fashion PULIS: 

Since I sent out an email to my friends regarding the various ways of cheating by this chain of stores, I have received several feedbacks from various people, all narrating their experiences of being short-changed at by this chain. The anomalous method remains unchanged, the prices posted on the shelves for some grocery items are different from the ones in the bar codes. Buyers are often unaware that such is the case and that they are charged more for their purchases without knowing it.

When my son and I purchased ice cream from the store's supermarket, the price posted above the freezer was 185 PhP per 1/2 gallon of Nestle ice cream. At the cashier while paying for the bill, we were charged 205 PhP for the half gallon. My son complained about this, so a supervisor came and checked the posted price on top of the freezer. She went to the freezer to remove the price and directed the cashier to invalidate the first receipt and issue us a new one.

Here are the other feedbacks that I received from different people after sending the email

Feedback 1:
This was about a big amount of  more than 3,000 PhP for a single item in the receipt which said lobster. When you do your groceries, you do not bother with the long receipt and trust that the scanned items are correct. As a habit, I leave the receipt in the car and which fortunately my husband browsed through while I was driving. He asked if I really bought lobster for more than 3,000 PhP. I was so shocked and true enough it was registered in the receipt. We both went to the supermarket and complained.

To make matters worse, the supermarket did not even carry that item! Of course there was no lobster in that supermarket! It took about 3 managers to check. Thank goodness this time I kept the receipt. They could not explain how it happened especially since they don't sell the specific item.

The second incident was when I had to get a few items and there was a vegetable pack I bought registered a different amount. The cashier was not aware and so I called her attention. When she had it checked, the item came back with a lower amount.

It is really just impossible to check each item when they scan it especially if you are buying a cartload or more of groceries!

Feedback 2:
If I were not alert and conscious of the tag prices on the shelves, I would have been victimized. I refused to buy these grocery items with discrepant prices, so I shoved them away. The cash register definitely records higher prices compared to those on the tags. You really pay more to the cashier.

So the lesson is to keep an eye on the cash register for each and every item you put in your cart. Do not be complacent to think that the prices you see on the shelves will be the same when they are scanned by the cash register.

Feedback 3:
My friend narrated that she bought a mono block chair at the department store. But when the cash register punched the price at 50 PhP more than the posted price, she complained and had the item returned and then invalidated from her receipt.

Feedback 4:
My friend purchased a piece of vegetable at the supermarket, but when this item was punched by the cash register, it was 10 PhP more. She complained and then decided to return the item instead.

Feedback 5:
When my friends visited the newly opened supermarket, along with other grocery items, they got a pack of Hall's candy worth 20 PhP. When they got home, they were shocked to see on their receipt that they had been charged 200 PhP for the candy. So they returned to supermarket, demanding to have the over-charged amount refunded to them. The customer service staff refused to return the money, saying that since they used a credit card, they would have to return after so many days so that the purchase could first be cleared. After 3 hours of wrangling with customer service, yes, 3 hours, and still not being able to get their money back, my friend created a scene by shouting angrily and loudly at the staff. In order to pacify him, a staff took out 180 Php from his own pocket and gave this amount to him
.

I hope you post this on Fashion PULIS so that your many readers can be more vigilant when they do their shopping in these stores. More power to the best blog ever!

Yours truly,

Mara

I am challenging the readers of Fashion PULIS to be as creative as possible in naming this chain of stores. Comments with letters or initials of the store, taglines or slogans will not be posted. I will be waiting for your comments. =)