It seems like we have to go to the grocery store every day anymore. Mostly, we go for groceries and household needs. Our list usually includes only four or five items, but invariably we come back with more stuff amounting to 20 to 25 items. Impulse buying, or bargain buying, I guess one would call that.
Of 25 items on my receipt, at least two overcharged items appear. For instance, on a big display rack, a sign reads "Price reduced, regularly $1.68, now $1.38."
I cannot catch the mistake when the checker is ringing up the items, because I am unloading my purchases onto the ramp. So, I do not notice the sale items that were rung up as full price until I get home.
Having two grandsons who are managers of large stores, I am aware of what a job it is to keep display prices posted to the computer. I truly believe the disparity is not intentional.
It is just that the price charged is always higher. I usually keep receipts long enough to irritate the wife, and after going through a dozen of them with a couple of dozen items, I found that an average 25 item receipt has at least two price discrepancies.
As a customer, I am moved to select items on sale for a less than normal price. It is irritating to find that I was not charged the "on sale" price. I would not have purchased several items unless they were "sale-priced." On the other hand, I do not hesitate to pay higher prices for higher quality brands, such as "King Arthur" flour.
A very wealthy man that I knew when I was younger told me he started selling stuff in small stores in the Indian territories of New Mexico, and he developed certain philosophies that led to his success, such as "Always show the price of an item and be sure to charge that price, and never keep a customer waiting to pay you."
-- Louis Houston is a resident of Siloam Springs. His book "The Grape-Toned Studebaker" is available locally and from Amazon.com. Send any questions or comments to [email protected] or call 524-6926. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Community on 03/22/2017