Reminder! Code of Practice: Scanner Price Accuracy

Where exactly do they post the code of practice sticker at the register? I once tried to explain the gig to a Metro cashier when something scanned wrong but she had no idea what I was talking about and it was my first time trying to apply SCOP and I wasn't entirely familiar with the terms or which stores participate so I didn't insist on the policy. It would help if I knew which stores post the sticker and where.

It should be on or near the entrance, and at each cash. Some of them have removed them completely, some of them seem to deliberately place them where they aren't noticed. Here Metro had removed them from all cash lanes, and walmart had removed all traces of them (i got both to put them back). Loblaws has it placed so you rear end is pointing at the sticker while you are looking at the cashier...you'd have to somehow know to spin around 180 degrees and look down with it still hard to see while you are in the narrow lane. Futureshop has it stuck flat to the leading edge of the counter, with other items sitting on the counter. While you are paying you are already past the sticker, if someone else is in line they place their item on top of it so there is no chance to see it

Regardless, if it isn't honoured people need to complain. to either the SCOP 1-800, the store head office or both. Afterward is fine regardless if you said anything in store or not. it will be taken care of

I wonder why some stores make such an issue of this.
It's not mandatory (except for Quebec); nobody is forcing any chain to participate, so if they do participate, the policy should be honoured without any hassles.

It almost seems as if the money to pay for SCOP comes out of the cashier's pocket.

I have a similar problem with price matching.
Nobody is forcing any store to offer that (except competitive pressures), but if the store offers price matching they really should - otherwise it becomes false and misleading advertising.

zoro69 wrote: ↑It should be on or near the entrance, and at each cash. Some of them have removed them completely, some of them seem to deliberately place them where they aren't noticed. Here Metro had removed them from all cash lanes, and walmart had removed all traces of them (i got both to put them back). Loblaws has it placed so you rear end is pointing at the sticker while you are looking at the cashier...you'd have to somehow know to spin around 180 degrees and look down with it still hard to see while you are in the narrow lane. Futureshop has it stuck flat to the leading edge of the counter, with other items sitting on the counter. While you are paying you are already past the sticker, if someone else is in line they place their item on top of it so there is no chance to see it

Regardless, if it isn't honoured people need to complain. to either the SCOP 1-800, the store head office or both. Afterward is fine regardless if you said anything in store or not. it will be taken care of

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out.

catwalk wrote: ↑As stated in one of the first posts from 2005, I have this happen ALL the time (price scans higher) and when I mention it the cashier always plays dumb & has no idea what I'm talking about when mentioning SCOP.

I think the problem is that either at the store level or chain wide they arent informing their employees about this.

I worked at futureshop in the computer department for 2.5 years and not once was I informed from management during training or otherwise about the SCOP.
It wasnt until I started poking around on RFD that I learnt about it. And after trying to find the notice I finally found it on one of our tills behind a bunch of papers.

So if anyone had asked me about it I would have looked at them like they were ********. (i would have asked a manager and not put up a fuss, but I still would have thought you were crazy when it was first mentioned) So its not always the employee scamming you. The managers need to be held responsible for training their employees properly

my experience w/ scop today: (natures bounty 60% off)

busy walmart, maybe 10 people with full carts per line but anywho I still attempted to do a scop (would be my first one)

The cashier at first was confused but had the scop right infront of her, she called a "pharmacy specialist" on the stores pa system however there was no response and people behind me were whining and the cashier said I should go to pharmacy first next time so i'm like okay.

I didnt purchase it at the front cashier but instead took it to the back to attempt this again, the pharmacy attendant went to confirm the price on the shelf, but insisted I stay at her cash register but I followed her anyway while my friend remained in line. She grabbed the price sticker and checked it and it was $10.xx for it while it rung up at $4.xx at the cash, there was no copy of the SCOP at the register however I tried to explain it to her, she claimed she had already talked to her supervisor but I knew this was b.s since I had been watching her since I walked up to the register, I asked for a manager and then she futher tried to deter this and again, 2-3 people behind me were whining and it hadn't even been 2 minutes in line and it became quite embarrassing so I relented and took her suggestion of dealing with this through calling walmart/scop council. Another point she had was that it was a "limited 3 day sale" which at first I asked where does it say it on the policy and she looked at me blank

This was about an hour ago, in retrospect I should have told her call a manager and then continue assisting other customers and I shouldn't have gave up so easily, it was actually two $4 dollar items but I was feeling pretty bad making others wait, even though there was this white middle aged man who started cussing which should have gave me more incentive to see it through

If anyone can confirm if the scop policy excludes limited time sales and only applies to regular price before I pursue this further it would be appreciated

EDIT: I just called 1800 walmart and the associate was able to explain things properly to me, I realize now that in my scenario it was lower and that the SCOP did not apply in this scenario despite some posters (like the thread OP) were able to get away with it being lower. Perhaps next time, but until then I'll be watching

figment wrote: ↑ EDIT: I just called 1800 walmart and the associate was able to explain things properly to me, I realize now that in my scenario it was lower and that the SCOP did not apply in this scenario despite some posters (like the thread OP) were able to get away with it being lower. Perhaps next time, but until then I'll be watching

Glad you added this at the end.

Just remember what SCOP is intended to do - make sure that you are not being overcharged at the register for items with shelf pricing where you are unable to easily verify the price that rings up vs the price you thought you would be charged when you placed the item in your basket since there is no price sticker on the item.

Got a question for the experts here. I was at TRU the other day, I used one of those 'price check' stations to check the price of an item. It showed a price of $59.99. I went to the cash and it scanned in at $79.99. Told the cash about the 'price check' price and she call the manager and said that its actually $79.99 and $59.99 was last week price. However, they were willing to honor the sale price still. So I then proceeded to ask her about their SCOP policy, and she said it doesn't apply cause it was the price check that was showing the wrong price and not the shelve sticker and so I am was not entitled to an additional $10 off.

I am wondering if what she said is correct. That the SCOP only works for items with the wrong shelve price and not items that shows the wrong price at those 'price check' stations.

Thanks for the help.

dr.slump wrote: ↑Got a question for the experts here. I was at TRU the other day, I used one of those 'price check' stations to check the price of an item. It showed a price of $59.99. I went to the cash and it scanned in at $79.99. Told the cash about the 'price check' price and she call the manager and said that its actually $79.99 and $59.99 was last week price. However, they were willing to honor the sale price still. So I then proceeded to ask her about their SCOP policy, and she said it doesn't apply cause it was the price check that was showing the wrong price and not the shelve sticker and so I am was not entitled to an additional $10 off.

I am wondering if what she said is correct. That the SCOP only works for items with the wrong shelve price and not items that shows the wrong price at those 'price check' stations.

Thanks for the help.

I dont understand how an item would scan differently at a price check station than at the cash register. They use more than one system?

No Frills wrote: ↑I dont understand how an item would scan differently at a price check station than at the cash register.

That's the first thing that went through my mind as well.
It's possible that the data is retrieved from two different databases but I think it's more likely that the price check was done before the data was updated and the register price was retrieved after the data was updated.

It's not a situation covered in the SCOP information on the Retail Council website, but I think SCOP still applies.
Customer selects an item based on the price seen (either on the shelf, poster, flyer) and at the cash it shows a higher price.
That's what SCOP is all about and I would equate the wrong scanned price to the wrong shelf price - no different in principle.

dr.slump wrote: ↑Got a question for the experts here. I was at TRU the other day, I used one of those 'price check' stations to check the price of an item. It showed a price of $59.99. I went to the cash and it scanned in at $79.99. Told the cash about the 'price check' price and she call the manager and said that its actually $79.99 and $59.99 was last week price. However, they were willing to honor the sale price still. So I then proceeded to ask her about their SCOP policy, and she said it doesn't apply cause it was the price check that was showing the wrong price and not the shelve sticker and so I am was not entitled to an additional $10 off.

I am wondering if what she said is correct. That the SCOP only works for items with the wrong shelve price and not items that shows the wrong price at those 'price check' stations.

Thanks for the help.

It applies to a wrong price anywhere (AFAIK), including flyer, self-price scanner, shelf, etc.

I would escalate to the toys-r-us call centre (or email them), etc. Just copy/paste what you wrote above and add the store location, etc.

b0ne wrote: ↑It applies to a wrong price anywhere (AFAIK), including flyer, self-price scanner, shelf, etc.

I would escalate to the toys-r-us call centre (or email them), etc. Just copy/paste what you wrote above and add the store location, etc.

Thanks for the recommendation. Just an update to the situation. I emailed TRU headquarters yesterday and they got back to me today by phone. The CSR said the store should have honored the SCOP and should have give me the additional $10 off. They have now resolved the situation and I feel that I should share with everyone that TRU headquarters have done an admirable job and will be back shopping there soon enough.

Thanks for the help RFD!~

I find consistently on my grocery and other bills that a charge is incorrect - usually at a higher checkout price to me. Consider the hidden corporate profit each time a watermelon or a bag of chips or a box of batteries goes through at a higher price than advertised. We know that for the most part people do not look at the checkout screen as their items are scanned and do not check their bill. And they will not take the time to challenge an error. I consider this theft. This is my five cents or dollar or fifeteen dollars. I have not chosen to give it away unbenownst to me. It is my policy to challenge and correct every single error. This can involve staring down the withering looks of a cashier or the condescending admonsihment of a customer service clerk as I insist on having the store management attend to correcting the situation if necessary. I think it imperative that we take on this problem every time we shop.

gunnsalute wrote: ↑I find consistently on my grocery and other bills that a charge is incorrect - usually at a higher checkout price to me. Consider the hidden corporate profit each time a watermelon or a bag of chips or a box of batteries goes through at a higher price than advertised. We know that for the most part people do not look at the checkout screen as their items are scanned and do not check their bill. And they will not take the time to challenge an error. I consider this theft. This is my five cents or dollar or fifeteen dollars. I have not chosen to give it away unbenownst to me. It is my policy to challenge and correct every single error. This can involve staring down the withering looks of a cashier or the condescending admonsihment of a customer service clerk as I insist on having the store management attend to correcting the situation if necessary. I think it imperative that we take on this problem every time we shop.

I have said something similar before. Especially when you do it multiple times for the same item. Once is a mistake, after that I agree, its pretty much stealing from customers.

gunnsalute wrote: ↑I find consistently on my grocery and other bills that a charge is incorrect - usually at a higher checkout price to me. Consider the hidden corporate profit each time a watermelon or a bag of chips or a box of batteries goes through at a higher price than advertised. We know that for the most part people do not look at the checkout screen as their items are scanned and do not check their bill. And they will not take the time to challenge an error. I consider this theft. This is my five cents or dollar or fifeteen dollars. I have not chosen to give it away unbenownst to me. It is my policy to challenge and correct every single error. This can involve staring down the withering looks of a cashier or the condescending admonsihment of a customer service clerk as I insist on having the store management attend to correcting the situation if necessary. I think it imperative that we take on this problem every time we shop.

I dont know where you get the idea 'they will not take the time to challenge an error' or consider it 'theft'. This practice is implemented so they do correct errors and (hopefully) take extra precautions that these errors don't occur in the first place. People do take on this problem, and these problems always happen.

For example, even the retailers themselves have to watch the product they receive from a direct source and make sure their invoices are right. There are errors all the time on those invoices too as well as looking at their piece counts. You can't really say those mistakes are theft, although sometimes it does come down to it. It happens in all levels of purchasing.

Hi -

I went to Walmart yesterday because I remember that they had reduced the price of the ipod touch 8GB.

It sells everywhere for the pretty much standard price of $249, but I remembered a new Walmart price of $230 something in one of their flyers.

Anyway, in the store, the ipod touch is locked up in a glass cage witha price tag next to it at $249.-
I asked the sales lady about the lower price, she's dumbfounded, but she takes the unit out of the glass cage and scans it. It comes up at $249.-
I then ask her about the lower price in the flyer, she digs out the current flyer and hands it to me, I go through it - no ipod touch anywhere.
OK, I figure, maybe I made a mistake.

So back at home, I look through the flyers and sure enough, there is the Walmart flyer effective Dec 10 - 16th showing the ipod touch 8GB at $237.- and below it "was $249.-".
Now it also states "Rollback" just above the $237.- price.
To me that means that $237.- is the new Walmart price, it is not a sale price that was only effective from the 10th to the 16th and not only should I get it for $237.- but they should also take off another $10.- since they are part of SCOP.

Agree? Disagree? Sort of begs the question - how long is a Walmart price rollback good for?
I suppose they could always argue that the price has gone up again.
I'm sort of hesitant to take another trip to Walmart again unless I'm relatively sure I can get the unit at $227.-

They use rollback the way other stores use sale

zoro69 wrote: ↑They use rollback the way other stores use sale

What makes you say that?

Price "rollback" and a sale are totally different things.
The way Walmart ads on TV come across is that a "rollback" is a new lower regular price, not a sale which is of limited duration.

On that same page where it shows a "rollback" price for the ipod touch, it also shows five other items from an Wii to a 24-inch LED TV and on all five it says "Limited time offer". That to me is the same as a sale.

In a sense it doesn't really matter in this particular case because I found out I can buy the ipod touch cheaper directly from Apple on line, even at the lower price plus the $10 SCOP (if it applied), but I would still want to understand Walmarts "rollback" definition.

Anyone else comment on it - or do I need to send a query to Walmart?

krs wrote: ↑What makes you say that?

Price "rollback" and a sale are totally different things.
The way Walmart ads on TV come across is that a "rollback" is a new lower regular price, not a sale which is of limited duration.

On that same page where it shows a "rollback" price for the ipod touch, it also shows five other items from an Wii to a 24-inch LED TV and on all five it says "Limited time offer". That to me is the same as a sale.

In a sense it doesn't really matter in this particular case because I found out I can buy the ipod touch cheaper directly from Apple on line, even at the lower price plus the $10 SCOP (if it applied), but I would still want to understand Walmarts "rollback" definition.

Anyone else comment on it - or do I need to send a query to Walmart?

You'd have to ask walmart. My understanding was that WAlmart doesn't do 'SALES', that way you always know (or think) you are getting the best lowest price they can give you. But since the flyer states the prices are only effective for certain dates then yes, it acts just like a sale, and SCOP would not have applied unless you were there for the active dates of that flyer. Prices fluctuate all the time, so who knows why they 'rolled back' prices. Only walmart would know or be able to tell you what their definition of a roll back is.

So I decided to send Walmart an email with the question, but they had a 1-800 customer service number on their .ca website and I decided to call that instead.
Turns out that they don't know if you can believe that.
My question was simple - on their flyers they show some items as "Limited time offer" and some items as "Rollback" - I wanted to know specifically what "rollback" means.
First answer after checking with the supervisor was a lower price for a limited time when they get a lower price from the manufacturer.
So then my question was how does it differ from "limited time offer" - sounds like two different terminologies for exactly the same thing.
Back to the supervisor. After a while the agent comes back and asks me to send an email to Walmart "so they can forward it to the appropriate department for a reply"

WOW - I thought that was a simple question for the retailer - after all, they invented the terminology and now I find out their customer support department doesn't even know what it means.