Two stores in Wake County were fined after state inspectors found that charges that rang up at the register were higher than prices advertised to customers.
A Target in Morrisville and a Sheetz in Raleigh together paid about $4,300 in penalties for price-scanning errors , according to press releases from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ Standards Division . The fines are a result of failed inspections completed since October 2023.
“Overcharges cost consumers so we remain vigilant in inspecting stores to save people money,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in an April news release announcing quarterly price-scanning errors . “Remember it is always a good practice to check your receipt as well as the price on the shelf to make sure you are paying the correct amount and alert managers if the prices don’t match.”
How do the inspections and fines work?
Of the more than 40 inspectors at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division , about 20 of them conduct price-scanning checks at retail stores across the state, Chad Parker, the manager for NCDA&CS’ Measurement Division, told The News & Observer. Price-scanning is just part of their jobs; inspectors also ensure that weighing and measuring devices are accurate, along with other responsibilities.
The inspectors keep a database of stores — including grocery stores, auto parts stores, dollar stores, convenience stores and other retailers — to visit.
They try to inspect every grocery store location at least once each year , but many inspections are complaint-driven. Parker said the inspectors work to inspect a site within 24 hours of a customer submitting a complaint. (Complaints about scanner errors may be reported to the Standards Division at 984-236-4750.)
How inspections work: Inspectors make unannounced visits to stores to check whether the prices advertised are the prices that customers pay at the register. If the inspectors find that a store has more than a 2% error rate , they discuss the issue with the store manager and return later to do a more intensive follow up. If a store fails the follow-up inspection, the store is fined.
Stores must pay the fines and undergo an inspection every 60 days until inspectors find an error rate of 2% or less. If a store fails a reinspection, additional penalties may be issued. For example, a Family Dollar in Hertford County had to pay $45,000 in penalties for 10 failed inspections conducted between August 2022 and January 2024, with error rates ranging from 8%-33%, according to an April press release from the NCDA&CS.
Morrisville Target fined $1,350
The Target at 3001 Market Center Drive in Morrisville paid $1,350 in penalties for price-scanning errors.
Inspectors with the NCDA&CS Standards Division visited the Park West Village retailer in February and found an error rate of 9% , with nine overcharges in a 100-item lot.
The next month, inspectors conducted a follow-up inspection and found eight overcharges in a 300-item lot, an error rate of 2.67% .
Target passed an inspection in May.
The News & Observer contacted Target on Monday morning to ask for a comment on this story.
Raleigh Sheetz fined $2,955
In October 2023, inspectors found five overcharges in a 25-item lot scanned at the Sheetz at 5200 New Bern Ave. in Raleigh . That’s an error rate of 20% .
Inspectors conducted a follow-up inspection in November and found an error rate of 15% , with 15 overcharges in a 100-item lot.
Sheetz passed inspection in January.
The N&O contacted Sheetz on Monday morning to ask for a comment on this story.
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