How to win a free mis-scanned item at Coles, Woolies, etc.

ANRA Code of Practice For Computerised Checkout Systems In Supermarkets 2004

Not bad enough that de facto monopoly
supermarkets press local farmers for
prices so low that the growers have to
sign Non-disclosure Agreements to get
the deals.

Let's focus on how some respond when
their scanning tills or DIY checkouts
return a WRONG (& HIGHER THAN SHELF or
DISCOUNT-LABEL) PRICE for an item:

I usually ask for the [first] over-
charged for item Cost-Free, per their
electronic pricing policy.

(They've saved heaps & plenty of youth,
et al. have lost jobs or hours, by their
NOT having individually-priced most, if
not all, items you can buy from them.

So, ther're still way ahead, even when a
wrong - usually higher - price comes back
from a price-lookup.

A small loss - for the "freebie" - helps
keep them honest.)

Usually, I receive the first mis-scanned
item cost free… but not always…

Here are 2 counter-examples, where staff
said NO FREEBIE FOR YOU… and how to
respond, if it happens to you"

• Recently, WOOLIES said NO, IT'S NOT
  OUR POLICY… claiming they'd ONLY be
  able to refund for the overcharging,
  AFTER you'd PAID too much for a wrongly
  scanned item.

I stood my ground, when a staffer said
all that, despite her repetitions (and
there were way too many repititions),
by asking to see the POLICY in WRITING.

Staffer said she didn't have the policy
in writing, so… I asked to speak with
the manager.

The manager started out speaking "the
party line" (just as the staffer had,
earlier), but I insisted on seeing the
Policy in writing, just in case… ;-)

Well, it's NOT a Woolies policy, per se,
but something they have agreed to use:

• "Code of Practice"
• "For Computerised Checkout Systems in Supermarkets 2004"

It lists the CoP's signatories:

• (Woolies)
• (Coles)
• (Bi-Lo)
• Frankins

South Australians miss out, as FOODLAND,
under all its names, eg, Drakes, Marios,
etc. HAVEN'T agreed to the CoP terms.

(I consider FOODLAND like N. KOREA, who
won't sign up to international agree-
ments on Human Rights, but I digress..)

On the back of the CoP sheet, I read
enough to win my "freebie."

It asks:

• "When is [a] scanning error deemed
  to have occurred?"

Here's an excerpt from the CoP's answer:

• "… It is NOT necessary for the cus-
  tomer to have paid for the item or to
  have left the store to be entitled to
  receive the item free of charge. …"

There is more text, so - if this kind of
thing happens to you - just ask to see
the above "Code of Practice"

ANRA published the CoP, & likely went
around getting most supermarkets to
sign-up to its terms…

So, to lodge a complaint or get a copy
of the CoP sheet (a glossy "slim-jim"
size page):

• Ring ANRA on: 02 8249 4520

To save time, keep copy to keep of the
CoP with you.

---

• Coles seems to want us to believe that
  there are two (2) kinds of Coles in AU.

The distinction, as it effects over-
charging for a wrongly scanned item
- Coles staff will insist - applies
when a scanning error occurs on an
"old" product, ie, beyond "Best By"
(but not past "Use By") date -or-
approaching its "Use By" date)…

Coles staff say:

• in a Coles "superstore" (usually
  located in upmarket locations,
  I understand), you get item Free

• in other Coles stores (usually
  located in "poorer" locations,
  I understand), item WON'T be Free

Of course, if you rant (politely,
of course, but firmly & maybe just
loud enough for other nearby cus-
tomers to hear; making -friendly-
eye-contact with a few, who seem
to be with you in your rant), eg,
about the apparent injustice in
their "Two Australia" like policy,

…or - again - either pull out a
"Code of Practice" sheet -or-

…ask staff to show you their
policy in writing

…you should have no problem win-
ning a Free wrongly-scanned item,
for your composed efforts.

Training staff to "nickel & dime"
customers to save the price of an
item their computerised tills had
over-charged you for, like these
stories suggest is unconscionable,
IMO, especially when lots of Aussies
have recently lost jobs (Toyota know
they won't sell many 100% Electric
Cars too soon, in AU, ie, until we
see other places doing so…) or
are, for other reasons, having it
tough.

(This is the only way I support the
notion of "Standing your Ground" -
ie, simply expecting & negotiating
for conformance to -their- agreed
Code of Practice. :-)

PS:

"If your boss asks for loyalty,
give integrity;
if your boss asks for integrity,
give loyalty."

By me, the same applies to "super-
markets," etc. ;-)