Staff report
Office Depot in Salisbury recently paid $3,870 in civil penalties after two state inspections found price-scanning errors.
During the first inspection in April, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division recorded an error rate of 6 percent.The 6 percent finding was based on three overcharges from an inspection lot of 50 randomly selected items.
A second inspection in May found an error rate of 7.67 percent, based on 23 overcharges out of 300 items.
Office Depot, located at 715 E. Innes St., could have been assessed a civil penalty up to $5,000 for each violation under the Weights and Measures Act of 1975. Money collected from the civil penalties are distributed to school systems statewide.”We constantly have inspectors monitoring the accuracy of price-scanning systems in retail stores throughout the state,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a press release. “These inspections ensure fairness in business transactions for consumers and retailers.
“In addition to routine inspections, our Standards Division responds to price-scanner errors reported by consumers.”
Consumers with price-scanning suspicions or complaints can contact the division at 919-733-3313.
Inspectors also collected fines from a K mart store on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.
The Agriculture Department’s Standards Division conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of a business’ price-scanner system to check for accuracy between the prices advertised and the prices ringing up at the cash register.
If a store has more than 2 percent overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with a store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection at a later date.
Penalties come in if a store fails the follow-up inspection.
Besides the penalties paid, Office Depot in Salisbury will be subject to reinspection every 60 days until it meets the 2 percent-or-less overcharge rate.