If you are the family shopper, you know that inflation is getting worse instead of better.  Supposedly, it’s running at 9%.  But those of us who roam the aisles of the grocery stores know better.  Especially at checkout time, when you’re hit with a whopper of a bill.  I suppose the people who run big super stores  are having the same problem at the wholesale level, so they’re desperately seeking ways to make a decent profit in order to stay solvent.  Unfortunately, they’re resorting to some sneaky tactics to make that happen.  Here are five ways that supermarkets may cheat you.

1.Selling inferior or frankly inedible produce.  This is a biggie, because most of us are trying to eat healthy.  So, you buy a cantaloupe, or what some farmers call a “musk melon.”  But you’re taking a big risk, because when you get it home and cut into it, you know you’ve been ripped off.  In some cases, it tastes like squash.  Or it’s half spoiled, or hard as a rock.  So you throw it in the trash because it’s not worth spending $5 on gas to return a $3 melon.  Other examples of bad produce are avocadoes that have turned black inside; green potatoes, mushy asparagus.  The list goes on and on..

Are we supposed to believe that the head of the produce department does not realize they’re selling inedible fruits and vegetables?  That they never taste the batches of melons that come in the back door?  Sorry, I’m not buying that excuse. They know perfectly well that they’re cheating their customers, but they also know that most folks won’t go to the bother of driving back to the store to return it.

2 .Double scanning.  This happens most at crowded stores with small checkout stands.  While the  clerk is busy talking to you or the bagger  he/she  runs a box of crackers or a bag of tomatoes twice through the scanner.  You don’t’ realize it until you get home and check your receipt.  By then, it’s too late to get your money back. Who’s to say you didn’t buy two boxes of crackers?

3. Couponing  Before I retired, I never bothered with coupons.  Didn’t have the time to fool around with them.  But most retirees do try and save a few dollars by using the ones in the paper and those sent out by the major supermarkets. .  Trouble is, you must read the fine print.  At least half the time, they’re rejected because you were supposed to buy two or ten  of the item, or they’re expired.

     4. Misleading advertising. As an example, one store recently advertised a name brand  ice cream on sale for $3.00. (which usually sells for around $6.00) A large sign on the freezer door boasted of this fantastic sale.  If I hadn’t been careful enough to look at each price tag, I would have paid $6 for my vanilla ice cream.  Turns out the sale only applied to “select varieties” which include  some strange flavors like carrot/avocado.

5. Forgotten items after checkout. This happens most frequently in stores with carousel bag holders.  There a shelf in the middle where the cashier places big items, or ones that are fragile. Sometimes,  you get  home missing bags of potatoes or  oranges.  I’ve seen cashiers stash these things under the counter.  Do they return them for resale, or take them home?  Either way, you’ve lost money.  Recently, I have a friend who found a  steak left on top of the carousel.  When he tried to find the person who bought it, she had driven away.  Didn’t the checkout clerk see the steak?  Was she planning to put it back for resale?.  We’ll never know.

Many  shoppers are too tired and rushed to look out for these five ways that supermarkets cheat you.   Most of the time, there’s not much you can do about it.  But if I get a rotten melon, I take it back to the store—not for the money, but just so they know I’m onto their tricks.