Target, Family Dollar among stores in Charlotte area fined for overcharging customers

Over three dozen stores in North Carolina were fined a combined $304,635 for overcharging customers this year, including in Mecklenburg County and around the Charlotte region.

In total, 37 stores were fined in 22 counties for scanning errors, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division said Tuesday.

Seven stores in Mecklenburg were fined a total of $58,185. The local stores that were fined include Dollar General, Family Dollar, Circle K and Target.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler advises customers to regularly check receipts and notify store managers of any discrepancy with the price on shelves.

Charlotte stores have been fined for overcharging. What to do if it happens to you

Overcharging in Charlotte-area retail stores

Periodic, unannounced inspections in retail stores check if shelf and register prices match. Here’s what they found in the Charlotte region in the latest round of checks:

▪ Circle K, 3424 Matthews Mint Hill Road, Matthews, paid $5,340 in penalties. An initial inspection in August 2022 found an error rate of 20% based on 10 overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in September found an error rate of 4% on six overcharges in a 150-item lot. Additional errors were found in November and January. The store passed inspection in March with a 1% error rate.

▪ Dollar General, 2804 West Sugar Creek Road, Charlotte, paid $7,675 in penalties. An initial inspection in December 2022 found an error rate of 34% based on 17 overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in January found an error rate of 17% on 50 overcharges in a 300-item lot. A follow-up inspection in March found an error rate of 8% based on 23 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store will be reinspected.

▪ Family Dollar, 7921 Old Statesville Road, Charlotte, paid $20,000 in penalties. An initial inspection in May 2 022 found an error rate of 40% based on 20 overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in June found an error rate of 24% based on 71 overcharges in a 300-item lot. Additional errors were found in August, October and December. The store passed inspection in February with a 1% percent error rate.

▪ Family Dollar, 8500-C Pineville Mathew Road, Pineville, paid $10,000 in penalties. An initial inspection in December 2022 found an error rate of 14% based on seven overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in January found an error rate of 18% on 55 overcharges in a 300-item lot. A follow-up inspection in March found an error rate of 17% based on 52 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store will be reinspected.

▪ Target, 8120 University City Blvd., Charlotte, paid $8,370 in penalties. An initial inspection in September 2022 found an error rate of 10% based on five overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in October found an error rate of 4% on 13 overcharges in a 300-item lot. Additional errors were found in December and February. The store will be reinspected.

▪ Dollar General, 11801 Statesville Blvd., Cleveland, in Rowan County, paid $4,880 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found an error rate of 28% based on 14 overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in December found an error rate of 11% on 33 overcharges in a 300-item lot. A follow-up inspection in February found an error rate of 3% based on nine overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store will be reinspected.

▪ Dollar General, 120 Grace Church Road, Salisbury, paid $1,920 in penalties. An initial inspection in November found an error rate of 12% based on six overcharges in a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in December found an error rate of 7% on 20 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in February with a 1% error rate.

Past store inspection failures

Over the past year, several local stores were fined totaling nearly $185,000, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

▪ In February, eight stores in the Charlotte region including Dollar General, Family Dollar, Circle K, Target, Walmart and 7-Eleven were fined nearly $39,000.

▪ In December, 17 stores in the Charlotte region including Walmart, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Circle K and Sam’s Mart were fined over $40,000.

▪ In August, eight stores — four Walmarts, three Dollar Generals and one Target — were fined a total of $63,505 in the region.

▪ In April, several area Walmart and Dollar General stores were fined a combined $42,165 for overcharges.

How store inspections work in NC

Stores are fined for failing to meet the 2% or less price scanning error rate, according to the state agency.

If a store has more than a 2% error rate on overcharges, inspectors talk with the store manager and make a follow-up inspection. Stores are penalized if they fail the follow-up inspection.

Stores are re-inspected every 60 days until meeting the 2%-or-less error rate, and could face additional fines. Undercharges are also reported but don’t count against a store.

What to do if you find a price scan error?

Along with notifying store employees about price discrepancies, customers who see price scanner errors on their receipts may file a complaint with the state Standards Division. Call 984-236-4750.