Supermarkets Are Ripping You Off

Brainware3000's Flickr

About six months ago, the Department of Consumer Affairs conducted a sweep of 700 supermarkets and found that one of out of every two stores failed inspection, for a compliance rate of 48%. Because of that abysmal performance, the DCA is doubling its number of inspections this year, and the percentage of shady supermarkets has already increased—more than $310,000 in fines have been issued in the past four months.

The DCA has issued almost 750 charges so far this fiscal year, and found that the most common violation was for a lack of item pricing, which is, according to a DCA press release, "particularly troubling given that nearly one in three times supermarkets got it wrong at the cash register." In New York, all "market commodities" must have a stamp, tag or label giving the item’s cost, with some exceptions, including: tobacco (if you have to ask, you can't afford it), baby food in jars (money's no object when it comes to feeding junior), food sold for on-premise consumption (which we usually eat before getting to the register anyway), eggs (a dime a dozen), and "display items at the end of the aisle," which are apparently just too special to be degraded by such vulgarities as pricing.

Other violations include inaccurate check-out scanners, taxation of items that are not taxable, failure to mark proper quantities and provide required information on food packaged in the store, a lack of proper labeling and unavailability of scales for customers. "Compliance rates have plummeted even further and New York City’s supermarkets are clearly not getting the message that New Yorkers demand that they get it right at the check out counter,” says DCA Commissioner Jonathan Mintz. But John Rogers, president of the pro-business Food Industry Alliance, counters, "We have no reason to believe—and we believe it's an overstatement—to say one out of three customers are being overcharged. We believe that's not the case at all."

The good news, though, is that NYC's five poorest community districts, which are all located in the Bronx, the compliance rate was slightly improved.

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By John Del Signore in Food on January 6, 2011 3:25 PM

Comments [rss]

dogbertt

I don't get it. I was just in a town of 10,000 souls, in a far-off state, yet the supermarkets there had state-of-the-art product labeling and properly set barcode scanners at checkout. At my local Morton Williams, they have price tags left over from the 1970s (unfortunately, not with those prices) on every third item, and the scanned prices are so routinely higher than the prices on the corresponding labels that I have to watch the checker like a hawk and waste everyone's time by having a manager come to fix the errors. Needless to say, the errors are always not in the consumer's favor -- and it is not just an occasional event -- I once experienced such errors at Morton Williams on seven consecutive visits. Not that Gristedes, et al. are any better.

I'm reminded again and again that this is the greatest city in the world -- so why can't New Yorkers get their act together and have groceries that can rise to the standards of other places in the U.S.? This is a joke.

Gena Radcliffe

I don't think I've been to a single grocery store recently that had price tags on their products. I'm genuinely surprised that this is a requirement.

silver

Burn in hell Keyfood, Ctown, Fine Fare, Met, Pioneer, Food Dynasty, Bravo, Associated. I only shop at Stop and Shop or Waldbaums, even though I need to travel far so I dont get shot while buying rotting apples with roaches and thawed ice cream.

smorrebrod

and soon Aldi's! Trader Joe's mysterious German owners. I hope they have something to add to the abysmal Middle Queens supermarket market.

Rocknrope

Nice. And we're the ones accused of thievery in the market.

The other day security at Fairway stopped us because they thought we were stealing blueberries, when in truth the missus and I split up the list and she put them in the stroller momentarily. Do they really think parents with 2 rugrats in tow are going to steal 1.99 blueberries?

We got the last laugh though, the security guard was staring as we moved it to the cart, and they fell, busted open, and scattered all over the floor.

robingee

People from all walks of life steal, though. I was in a Pathmark all day on a commercial shoot and customers just ate grapes all day long. Ate 'em like they owned 'em. With a camera crew right next to them. Handfuls of grapes.

hashedz

At upwards of 2.99 per pound when not on sale (and I never see high quality bunches on sale), I always try at least one grape to see if they are worth the cost. This I don't consider stealing. Most of them wind up falling out of the el cheapo ziplocs they keep them in, and get crushed in the wheels of the carts.
Don't get me started on the loose candy though. I know of nobody that buys bags of that stuff, yet those wrappers are all over the floor in its general vicinity. They should have a guard standing next those containers!