I went into our local WalMart a few days after making them mark down an item I purchased at the checkout to match their lower shelf price. They still had the same item on the shelf, with the same incorrect lower price (assuming the scanner price was more current). It really feels like a deliberate bait and switch on the price.
There was a young woman employee stocking the shelves in that aisle. She had a price scanner. So, I called her over and asked her to tell me the price of that item. The shelf price was, for this example, $1.00. She scanned it and it reported $1.50. She happily told me that the price was $1.50. I told her I was confused because the shelf price was $1.00 for that item, and I showed her the display price.

I asked her what price I was going to get charged at the checkout. Well, she said, it would obviously be $1.50. Hmm, I said, and you don't see a problem with displaying the price at $1.00 and hiding the checkout price at $1.50? She looked confused. She had no ability to make the connection that we shoppers expect the display price of a product to match the price we get charged at the checkout. Even though she personally scanned the price of the item and read the display price on the shelf did not match, it had absolutely no effect on her.
I was expecting her to at least remove the "incorrect" lower price on the shelf display, but she did not. She just asked me if I needed any help with anything else, which I did not, so she just went back to stocking the shelves down the aisle.

I guess it's not worth your time to talk to someone who fundamentally does not care.

So I grabbed one of the items, took it to the checkout, scanned it in at the higher price, and called the store attendant over to complain about the price scanning in higher than the shelf display. I played the old man card and told them that I was shocked that the scanner and display prices did not match and insisted that a manager send someone there to verify the shelf price was lower. I was willing to wait (and hold up the line) until they verified the price. Which they did, and then they did the local markdown at the register, and sent me on my way.



Two weeks later, I was back in WalMart, and the display price was still showing $1.00 for the item. How many people got charged $1.50 for that item and never knew they paid extra? This was a high turnover item and they sell the product by the pallet load daily. It's a complete rip-off and even if you personally get a markdown, they are overcharging everyone else who do not check their receipts.

I refuse to be scolded for their deceptive practices. And, I don't mind holding up their checkout lines for as long as needed for them to markdown the item for my purchase. Problem is, of course, they have no intention of correcting the situation because they make more money by displaying a lower price on the shelf and scanning the item in at a higher price.

I know the stores don't have it easy with us shoppers, either. I was having a flat tire replaced at WalMart automotive this week. I wanted to look at a new OBDII auto scanner for my car. The shelf was empty. So, I asked the automotive manager if he had any scanners somewhere in the back in stock, because it appears that they are all sold out on the shelf. He told me, not sold out, every scanner was stolen from the store. He said the scanners walk out of the store faster then they can put them on the shelf.
I hate to hear things like that, because, in the end, we all end up paying in small part for someone else's theft from the store.

I guess everyone is stealing from everybody these days. If you want to live a frugal lifestyle, be sure you verify the scanning price at the checkout because you cannot have any trust that the store will charge you the display price.