The checkout lane is the final and most vulnerable moment of your shopping trip. You are often tired, distracted, and in a hurry to leave. This is the moment when a dishonest or poorly trained cashier can use a variety of simple tricks that can change your final total without you noticing. While most cashiers are honest, these common “checkout games” serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of paying close attention to the register and your receipt.
1. The Double Scan
This is the oldest and most common trick in the book. A cashier will “accidentally” scan a single item twice. It is most effective in large orders with multiple products. The extra item is easily lost in the long list on the receipt. A less obvious version of this is scanning a multi-pack item and then also scanning one of the individual items from inside the pack.
2. The Manual Miscoding of Produce
When you are buying loose produce, the cashier has to manually enter a price look-up (PLU) code. A common trick is to key in the code for a more expensive item. For example, they might enter the code for the pricey, organic Honeycrisp apples instead of the cheaper, conventional Gala apples you actually have. The small price difference is very hard to spot on the final bill.
3. “Forgetting” to Apply a Sale Price
If an item is on sale but does not automatically ring up with the discount, a cashier is supposed to manually override it. A dishonest cashier might “forget” to do this. They are counting on the fact that most shoppers are not paying close enough attention to the screen to notice that the promised discount was never applied to their total.
4. The Quick Swap
This trick involves a bit of sleight of hand. A cashier might have a barcode sticker for a cheap item, like a pack of gum, hidden in their hand. When you buy an expensive item, they will pretend to scan it. In reality, they will cover the item’s barcode and scan the cheap sticker instead. They will then pocket the difference in cash from the register drawer at the end of the transaction.
5. The “Missed” Coupon
You hand the cashier a stack of paper coupons, but in the hustle of the transaction, one or two of them “accidentally” fall to the side and are never scanned. The cashier is hoping that you will not notice that the total is a little higher than you expected. In some cases, a dishonest cashier may even keep the unscanned coupon to use for themselves later.
6. The Misleading Question
When a cashier asks, “Do you want the combo?” they are using a classic upselling technique. This can also be a trick. The “combo” price is not always a better deal than buying the items separately. The cashier is trained to ask the question in a way that makes it sound like a discount. This can lead you to spend more than you intended.
7. The Cash-Back Confusion
When you ask for cash back, a dishonest cashier can use the confusion of the moment to their advantage. They might enter a higher amount of cash back into the system than you asked for. They will then give you the amount you requested and will pocket the extra cash from the drawer. This is another reason to always check your receipt carefully.
The Final Check
The checkout lane is where a mindful shopper can save themselves from a lot of frustration and financial loss. You should always watch the screen as each item is scanned. You need to check your receipt before you leave the store. While these tricks are not the norm, they are a real risk. A little bit of vigilance is your best defense against these deceptive checkout games.
Have you ever caught a cashier using one of these tricks? What is the worst checkout error you have ever experienced? Let us know your story!
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The post Checkout Games: 8 Tricks Cashiers Use That Can Change Your Total Without You Noticing appeared first on Grocery Coupon Guide.
