{"items": [{"author": "Michael", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115724988032", "anchor": "fb-10100115724988032", "service": "fb", "text": "What annoys me about the law is that it ignores the \"unit price\", which is fairly frequently wrong.
In the case of CVS, it appears to consistently be wrong in a way that benefits CVS, when it's wrong, and to frequently be wrong.", "timestamp": "1570971166"}, {"author": "Peter", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115838006542", "anchor": "fb-10100115838006542", "service": "fb", "text": "I had this happen in a Target where they sell groceries. The cashier didn\u2019t believe me and it wasn\u2019t worth my time fighting it. But, does the law apply to every store that happens to sell groceries?", "timestamp": "1570974536"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115838006542&reply_comment_id=10100115840985572", "anchor": "fb-10100115838006542_10100115840985572", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Peter I believe it applies to (non-prepared) food even at places like Target", "timestamp": "1570976675"}, {"author": "Tony", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115838745062", "anchor": "fb-10100115838745062", "service": "fb", "text": "I love Market Basket for their low prices and their lack of loyalty cards and other gimmicks, but every time I call them on this issue, the cashier claims never to have heard of this law, even though it's posted prominently at the checkstand.", "timestamp": "1570974859"}, {"author": "Sarah", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115838745062&reply_comment_id=10100115844917692", "anchor": "fb-10100115838745062_10100115844917692", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Huh, I just posted that I've never had this happen in a Market Basket. The differences in experience is interesting, and that response by the cashier sounds really annoying.", "timestamp": "1570978107"}, {"author": "Chris", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115840895752", "anchor": "fb-10100115840895752", "service": "fb", "text": "I wouldn\u2019t take the free item. I\u2019d just make sure they charge the right price.", "timestamp": "1570976607"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115840895752&reply_comment_id=10100115841304932", "anchor": "fb-10100115840895752_10100115841304932", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Chris I think if it as a system where there are small fines for posting inaccurate prices, where the benefit goes to the person who finds the problem. This seems very reasonable to me?", "timestamp": "1570976787"}, {"author": "Chris", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115840895752&reply_comment_id=10100115844633262", "anchor": "fb-10100115840895752_10100115844633262", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Meh. I don\u2019t object to the legislation, nor to people exercising it. I\u2019m just saying I wouldn\u2019t. There\u2019s always some rate of generally unintentional errors in day to day life. I prefer to be tolerant, assume the best, and and not try to punish every minor infringement. I wouldn\u2019t advocate getting rid of the legislation though.", "timestamp": "1570977883"}, {"author": "Michael", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115840895752&reply_comment_id=10100115848385742", "anchor": "fb-10100115840895752_10100115848385742", "service": "fb", "text": "→ The original intent of the law, as I understood it, was to reassure consumers that the prices at the register would be correct in spite of the removal of the law requiring individual pricing of items.", "timestamp": "1570979981"}, {"author": "Sarah", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115844782962", "anchor": "fb-10100115844782962", "service": "fb", "text": "Happens in Whole Foods all the time. I get at least one item free every time I shop there. Currently their kale is ringing up incorrectly if anyone is interested ;)
Market Basket, on the other hand, I've been going to longer and more frequently and has *never* had any item of my $200+ order ring up wrong. I'm always amazed, and it makes shopping there so much more pleasant. It is the best grocery store around, imo.", "timestamp": "1570977993"}, {"author": "Chris", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115844782962&reply_comment_id=10100115846075372", "anchor": "fb-10100115844782962_10100115846075372", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Market basket rocks. The kinds of cheeses you can get at Formaggio for about 2/3 the price, prime beef at costco prices, super fresh produce (cause it\u2019s always flying off the shelves), the best ice cream at half the price, of course the fab prices on everything else, the deli guys who are so authentically friendly you want to buy from them, a bagger at every one of their 17 fast moving registers, AND the complete absence of any pretention (probably my favorite part), it\u2019s my true love!", "timestamp": "1570978817"}, {"author": "Don", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115844782962&reply_comment_id=10100116105136212", "anchor": "fb-10100115844782962_10100116105136212", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Agree on the MB experience. Been shopping there for a couple of decades and can't remember a single instance of mis-pricing over that period, such that I've stopped watching the screen (except for the red peppers - which often get rung as hothouse vs. field).", "timestamp": "1571030205"}, {"author": "William", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115852262972", "anchor": "fb-10100115852262972", "service": "fb", "text": "I had numerous pricing errors at the Price Chopper in Worcester in college. Usually I wouldn't notice until I got home, but once when I looked at the receipt while still at the store I caught a mistake, they went and checked, and then gave me the item for free. I didn't know about the law, but I also didn't feel like it was worth it to wait there for five minutes holding up the checkout line while a couple of their employees investigated. I also have no idea if they fixed the pricing.", "timestamp": "1570981677"}, {"author": "Richard_Kennaway", "source_link": "https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/SxYhddotZbsMkzNsb#sZ67tiM42rnypdfEt", "anchor": "lw-sZ67tiM42rnypdfEt", "service": "lw", "text": "Does mispricing happen a lot? Are there shops suspected of doing this deliberately? To have a law like this suggests so, but I've never heard of it before.", "timestamp": 1570984421}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115905291702", "anchor": "fb-10100115905291702", "service": "fb", "text": "If you feel like being firm, you can take out your phone and record some video. I always call stores on inaccurate pricing - there's a reason it's illegal. I haven't had to record video yet, but if they gave me a hard time, I would.", "timestamp": "1571001191"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115905291702&reply_comment_id=10100115908230812", "anchor": "fb-10100115905291702_10100115908230812", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Andrew I've never needed to go anywhere near that far. Every time I've pointed to the sign it's been sufficient", "timestamp": "1571001896"}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/10100115719998032?comment_id=10100115905291702&reply_comment_id=10100115909637992", "anchor": "fb-10100115905291702_10100115909637992", "service": "fb", "text": "→ Jeff commenters above were talking about cashiers who were unaware of the law. It's a law, and it's a law for a good reason. These days, pricing and checkout are computerized, with or without a human clerk. If the shopper can't trust the computer to charge the marked price, that's a hassle.
I think of the small fine as an incentive for the vendor to maintain their billing system correctly, and I'm helping them with a job they should be doing themselves. I'm not that excited about wasting 5 or 10 minutes of my time to save a buck or two. If the business is inspected and found to be in violation, the fines are higher.
Being unaware of a law is not an excuse to violate it. I'm not talking about a victimless crime like rolling through a stop sign when there's no one nearby, this is about stealing people's money.", "timestamp": "1571002760"}, {"author": "Dagon", "source_link": "https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/SxYhddotZbsMkzNsb#gmgaAnarfm757m4E8", "anchor": "lw-gmgaAnarfm757m4E8", "service": "lw", "text": "There are laws like this in most US states. Having worked (briefly) in software which handles pricing and point-of-sale systems, I can confidently say that this won't be fixed anytime soon - even big chains have ... imperfect ... IT and ops processes (and store associates) that miss plenty of edge cases.
I don't know of any recent court cases around these kinds of laws - most stores just let a manager give up to $X per day in concessions to customers (for any reasons they see fit) and it doesn't hit anyone's radar. It seems likely that if a store gets hit by it very hard, they'll ban the customers who they feel are abusive. I strongly doubt you'd get very far if you did try to enforce it on an uncooperative store.", "timestamp": 1571064295}]}