Wrong price at checkout: What is the amount in the supermarket? Consumer center clarifies

More expensive prices at checkout
Consumer center warns against wrong prices in the supermarket

Something can suddenly be expensive at the supermarket checkout when it was labeled on the shelf

© Jens Kalaene / dpa central image

According to the Berlin consumer advice center, there are increasing complaints about different prices on supermarket shelves and at the checkout. Basically, the legal situation is on the side of the supermarkets. Consumers still have options to react.

Aristotle Zervos

This article first appeared on RTL.de

According to the Berlin consumer advice center, the legal situation is clear: “The price displayed at the checkout applies.” Because the purchase takes place at the checkout – and with it the agreement on the price.

“Price tags are like offers on the Internet: They only invite customers to buy. Even if there is a different price on the shelf, the supermarket can ask for more or less at the checkout,” explains the Berlin consumer center the legal situation.

But consumers who notice a difference do not simply have to accept it.

The consumer advice center recommends this for different prices in the supermarket

But what rights do customers have if they notice the price difference when paying at the checkout?

“The supermarket is not obliged to give you the item at a low price, but you have the right to cancel the purchase,” says Sabrina Schulz from the Berlin consumer advice center.

“In the best case, check the price directly when scanning the items. If this is not possible because you are busy packing, the receipt should be checked directly in the store and the problem drawn attention to,” recommends the consumer advocate.

However, it becomes difficult if the differences only become apparent during the check at home. “Then you have to rely on the goodwill of the dealer,” according to the consumer advice center.

Rewe converts all stores to electronic price labels

But how can the different prices in the supermarket come about? “Putting new paper labels behind the rails of the shelves when prices or other product information changes is manual work and error-prone in the event of stress and disruptions as a result of work interruptions,” explains the supermarket chain Rewe when asked by RTL.

Complaints can be made at Rewe at any time: “In principle, customers have the option of returning products immediately or later if they notice the difference. And not only if the actual price is different from what is displayed on the shelf, but also in the case of quality complaints,” explains a Rewe spokesman. “Customers can often expect goodwill from the market manager if they notice a price deviation on the receipt.”

A solution that has already found its way into many Rewe stores: electronic price labels. According to Rewe, 2,400 of the 3,700 Rewe stores have already switched to Electronic Self Labeling (ESL). With the system, errors can be avoided in the future. “The greatest added value of electronic price labeling lies in the simplification of market processes and in ensuring correct price communication on the shelf,” explains Rewe.

Deliberate misrepresentation is against the law

An incorrect price tag on the shelf in the supermarket – this can happen by mistake, for example if the offer price from the previous week is not exchanged or is exchanged too late. However, this should not be done on a regular basis.

“Intentionally false pricing violates legal requirements and is treated as a misdemeanor,” explains de Verbraucherzentrale. In most federal states, the respective regulatory office is responsible for the control.

But the consumer advice center can also take action. The Hamburg consumer advice center sued Aldi Nord last year for “sloppy” price information. The reason given by consumer advocates is “lack of basic prices”. “What sounds like a trifle apparently has a system at the discounter,” said the Hamburg consumer advice center.

“In general, retailers are obliged to label and display prices correctly and must also comply with this obligation,” says Sabrina Schulz from the Berlin consumer advice center.

RTL.de, ckön

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