The Scanner Price Accuracy Code is a Canadian retail voluntary practice managed by the Retail Council of Canada and endorsed by the Competition Bureau. It was introduced in June 2002 as Canadian retailers were in the midst of updating their point-of-sale systems with barcode readers to “foster consumer confidence” with the new systems.
Full disclosure: I didn’t just learn about this today. I did just learn that it didn’t exist until 2002 which seems pretty late to start using barcodes.
Anyway, I have noticed a lot of stores have dropped out of the program or are bending the rules about what a posted price actually means (like if the price tag is on the shelf under the thing instead of actually on the thing). Sure, none of this is legally required — but still — don’t let them take this from you.
A lot of people do not know that the reason this voluntary code came into place was because the retailers were fighting hard against legislation that would compel them to follow this.
They argued that it was onerous, difficult to implement.
Retailers assured the government that they would voluntarily apply this code so the results would be the same
It was not long before many retailers dropped out of the program and stopped complying
And now they are all trying to weasel out of it
Fuck all of these companies
A true TIL for me! Thanks, OP!
If the price of an item scans incorrectly during checkout at the point of sale, the customer is entitled to request a price adjustment; if the item’s price is less than $10, they receive it for free, and if the item’s price is at least $10, the customer receives a $10 discount.
There’s another nuance to this, and I thought it best to make another comment.
The original policy was that under $10 they must give you the first item for free, and all subsequent same items at the lowest posted price.
If the item was over $10, you would get a $10 off the lowest posted price for the first item, and every subsequent same item at the lowest posted price. This generally came into play when an item rang up $200 but maybe the sign said $170.
Which meant that you could find something that was incorrectly priced, and grab 50 of them. One time I bought 20 power toothbrushes that were incorrectly posted at $9 but were $79 a piece. You better believe I had a picture of the advertisement when I walked up to the till. The manager was hotter than the hinges of hell I can tell you that!!! They even paused for 10 minutes to go check security footage to make sure I did not post a fake price!
The other subtlety was that retailers who adhered to the policy did in fact have to have signage posted at the till. But it was on the customer to ask. If the customer making the purchase did not specifically ask to invoke the policy, nothing would be done.
I would compel people in line to specifically ask for the discount as the clerk stood there, following their training, that they are not to talk about it unless specifically asked! I made it my mission for like 2 years to let every human I know how to use the policy to their favor.
I’m kind of using advertised and posted interchangeably here, but generally I mean the posted price, either way it still applies.
I have never had that kind of job, but it is remarkable some people gatekeep these discounts. Like, I must protect the gynormous company that barely and begrudgingly pays me minimum wage!
I feel like I would have all the discounts hotkeyed and ready to go. I probably wouldn’t have had that job very long. Maybe that’s the thing.
I feel you but cashiers don’t gatekeep because they’re personally invested in the outcome, they are trained and ordered how to conduct themselves, and they are monitored and will be punished accordingly otherwise.
You caught me; I was being a tad bit dramatic with my Karen-y comment. No shade against cashiers, IRL. But I — personally — probably would not have a job like that for very long because I am privileged enough to be openly contemptuous.