Don’t get ripped off while holiday shopping. Here are tips to avoid being overcharged

The holiday season and the shopping that comes along with it is upon us.

San Diego County officials want you to check your receipts to make sure you weren’t overcharged by faulty equipment or incorrect pricing.

“Last year the San Diego County Department of Agriculture reported that per item the average overcharge was $1.50 so if we imagine millions of items being sold during the holiday season that’s numbers in the hundreds of millions,” University of San Diego Professor Farhana Nusrat said.

The County’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures inspects more than 1,420 local businesses and 21,400 price-scanning devices every year to make sure customers are being charged accurately, according to the department.

Between January and October 2024, 19% of every business inspected had overcharge errors, according to the AWM department.

“Some of the things like digital price tags that Walmart has been using in some of their stores like select ones in San Diego County as well and other stores like Target, Von’s, Ralph’s. You can also shop using their apps so that’s something I would recommend when you are checking your price and putting stuff in your cart,” Prof. Nusrat said.

There are some tips to avoid being ripped off. The county recommends:

• check your receipts and notify management immediately of any inconsistencies
• Watch the display screen as items are being scanned. Stores are required to display the prices of an item while you are buying it, before the transaction is complete.
• Take sales flyers with you to stores to verify advertised pricing
• Stores cannot legally charge more than their lowest advertised, posted or quoted price

If you’re unable to resolve an overcharge issue with the store, AWM says to contact them by calling 1-888-878-3722 or emailing wm.awm@sdcounty.ca.gov.