Large Numbers of Grocery Store Scales Found to be Inaccurate.

[CanadianLove]

CTV British Columbia- Grocery stores to fix scales after CTV investigation - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television


The government records show that in the past even the single errors have been enormous. In 2005, the Sabzi Mandi store was found shortchanging customers by 22 per cent.


At Richmond BBQ, if a customer bought four pounds of meat the scale would read that they would purchase 15.


And it's not just the little stores. The Oakridge Safeway didn't fix its scales three times after failing inspections -- and in 2006 one scale was found to be off by 22 per cent.

 

[Johnnny]

where i live the Mack's stores charge taxes on 100% juice and canned peaches, while on the other hand all the other corner stores ive been too dont charge taxes on these goods... I live in sudbury ontario, i find this unfair not only to me but to all the other residents in the area who dont have much income who want to buy juice but get taxed on it

Is this wrong on macks part?

 

[JLM]

where i live the Mack's stores charge taxes on 100% juice and canned peaches, while on the other hand all the other corner stores ive been too dont charge taxes on these goods... I live in sudbury ontario, i find this unfair not only to me but to all the other residents in the area who dont have much income who want to buy juice but get taxed on it

Is this wrong on macks part?

It's actually a moot point how accurate the scales are, they can still screw you at the cash register.

 

[Twila]

That's worrisome. Pennies add up. They could be stealing a couple thousand dollars a month per store from us. Theft is theft. White collar theft shouldn't be dismissed.

 

[VanIsle]

where i live the Mack's stores charge taxes on 100% juice and canned peaches, while on the other hand all the other corner stores ive been too dont charge taxes on these goods... I live in sudbury ontario, i find this unfair not only to me but to all the other residents in the area who dont have much income who want to buy juice but get taxed on it

Is this wrong on macks part?

Yes - it is wrong. They can probably charge a deposit on the container for the juice if it's in a tetra pakc but they cannot charge taxes (I'm assuming you are referring to the GST). GST is charged only on foods that are prepared for you such as a tray of cut up fruit and veggies, potato salad, or on things like muffins/donuts etc. if you buy less than a half dozen. I don't understand that law but it is the law.
I admit that I never pay a lot of attention to the scales but how could anyone miss the one that goes from something like 4 pounds to 8 pounds? The scale I use shows the customer the weight my scale is weighing and it should always start at zero. Sometimes the scale will not even weigh things like a bay leaf for example. I know I have one paranoid customer who will not have her stuff weighed with the plastic bag or twist tie on the scale. If it won't weigh a bay leaf - it won't weigh a plastic bag either (at least not the ones we have). Maybe those stores do not keep their scales clean. All kinds of stuff drops down inside those scales and we are constantly cleaning them. We also keep a conversion chart at our tills in case customers question what they are being charged. Most of our products are listed both by the pound and by kilograms and people always remember what the cost is in pounds but not by kgs. It takes only a brief moment to show them proof of what they are being charged. Sometimes they think they remember and they do not so we have to go further for proof but in the 1.5 years I've been there, I've never seen the price wrong on a scale item. I wonder how many people complain when half their rhubarb hangs off the scale giving them the advantage. I've never had anyone complain about that or things like lemon grass either. I have had items roll a tad off and I have re-weighed them and sometimes the change in cost can be a matter of 15 - 20 cents that would have been in the customers favour.

 

[Twila]

You can set your scale to zero with weight on it. So, even though it says zero, it's not at zero weight.

 

[Cannuck]

It's actually a moot point how accurate the scales are, they can still screw you at the cash register.

Yup. There is a gas station along the transcanada as you enter Alberta where the owner would just add $5 at the till. If somebody noticed he would just apologize and say he made a mistake. If they didn't notice....

He got caught ten years or so ago. I wonder how many others do that.

 

[Twila]

He got caught ten years or so ago. I wonder how many others do that.

Lady that sells corn on the way to/from Cultus lake will 'forget" to give you back your change if you don't ask for it.

 

[hermanntrude]

I wonder if the scales are ever out by 22% in the NICE direction?

 

[karrie]

If you're worried about it, weigh your bags of produce in the produce dept., and write the weights on the twist tie, or in a ledger, and compare at the till. a 22% disparity will be readily obvious.

 

[Cannuck]

Making the solution simple takes all the fun out of it.

 

[karrie]

Making the solution simple takes all the fun out of it.

Oh. Sorry?

 

[darkbeaver]

That's been a problem with scales since 3569BC.