Always Check Your Grocery Receipts!

I know, I know - I've been gone for a while. Life has been very busy around here, as some big changes are afoot. My hubby and I have decided that I really need to go back to work, at least for a while, in order to make our financial life a little more stable (he gets paid by commission only, which means not always being sure when or how much money will be coming in). So I've been putting a lot of energy into job hunting, and the rest into spending time with the kids and getting the household in order so things will run as smoothly as possible when I do return to work.

Now, to the topic at hand: checking receipts. Today I was out doing our major weekly grocery shopping, and just as I was about to leave the store, I quickly scanned the receipt. I noticed that I had been charged twice for a large bag of chocolate chips ($4.99). I went back in the store right away, explained the error, and they credited my account without making a big deal out of it. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time I've caught items that have been accidently scanned twice - this is the second or third occurrence in the last six months or so. I try to keep an eye on the register as the items are being scanned when possible, but I usually shop alone and am busy either unloading my cart or packing my groceries. I have had to tell the checkout person that items have scanned twice a few times when I've been able to watch the scanning in progress. This makes me wonder how much extra money stores are making off of items that have been scanned more than once (I know I have in fact read some stats on this but I'm too tired to google it right now. I do remember it was a staggering amount). This is really unacceptable to me, as most people don't bother to check their receipt and won't notice the extra charge. The customer is walking away paying for something they didn't actually purchase, and the store is pocketing the money.

So, please, please, please take a minute to look over your receipts before you leave the store - otherwise it might cost you a few bucks!