3 Brunswick stores fined for price-scanning errors

The Walmart Supercenter in Leland was one of three Brunswick stores fined by the state after price-scanning errors were discovered.
The Walmart Supercenter in Leland was one of three Brunswick stores fined by the state after price-scanning errors were discovered.

Three Brunswick County stores were among 52 in North Carolina fined due to excessive price-scanning errors.

According to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division, it has collected fines from 52 stores in 33 counties.

The department conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of price-scanner systems in businesses to check for accuracy between the prices advertised and the prices that ring up at the register.

The following civil penalties were recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022 from three Brunswick County stores.

Dollar General, 89 Hickman Road, Calabash paid $2,565 in penalties for a failed inspection. An initial inspection in Sept. 2022 found an error rate of 16 percent based on eight overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in October found an error rate of 9.67 percent based on 29 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in December with a 1.33 percent error rate.

Family Dollar, 1411 Lanvale Road, Northeast paid $1,785 in fines. An initial inspection in October 2022 found an error rate of 10 percent based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in November found an error rate of 5.67 percent based on 17 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store will be reinspected.

Walmart Supercenter, 1114 New Pointe Blvd., Leland paid $1,425 in fines. An initial inspection in August 2022 found an error rate of 5 percent based on five overcharges in a 100-item lot. A follow-up inspection in September found an error rate of 2.67 percent based on eight overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store also failed inspection in November with an error rate of 3.33 percent based on 10 overcharges in a 300-item lot and will be reinspected.

More:Meet the North Brunswick basketball player quietly dominating the Mideastern Conference

More:Quiet, for now: These 4 Brunswick County roads are about to boom with development

More:Wilmington woman ‘adamant’ she would win top lottery prize

"Our Standards Division continues to see about a quarter of all price scanner inspections fail and many stores are failing multiple inspections," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, according to the release. "Overcharges cost consumers so we remain vigilant in inspecting stores in order to protect consumers. Remember it is always a good practice to check your receipt as well as the price on the shelf to make sure you are paying the correct amount and alert managers if the prices don’t match."

Anyone who would like to file a complaint about scanner errors they encounter can call the Standards Division at 984-236-4750.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: 3 Brunswick County stores pay fines for price-scanning errors