I was recently shopping at the Meijer store here in Battle Creek, Michigan and had picked up a toy for my son that was marked $5.99. I thought I was getting a great deal considering the size of the toy.
When I went to purchase it, it scanned at $25.99. I thought that they had to sell you an item by which it was marked. I pointed out the price tag to the cashier and she called the manager over. He said the most they could do was sell it to me at wholesale value.
I asked about the having to pay back 10 times the amount over charged from the price on the item and he said that is only after you had purchased it. So he looked up the wholesale price and I ended up paying $17.99, which is lower than scanned but still not the price marked.
I couldn’t find anything in the scanner law about paying the price marked before you checked out. Is this right or should I have gotten the toy for $5.99?
~Buttercup
Dear Buttercup,
It is my understanding that a merchant is required to sell an item at the price marked on that item, unless there is evidence of fraud. Perhaps, someone who is familiar with Michigan law can look up the code.
This is the only portion of Michigan law that may apply, but since this section of the code deals with the advertising of sale items, not “the sale” of items; it may not apply.
According to Michigan Law:
1.) A person shall not knowingly charge or attempt to charge for a consumer item a retail sale price exceeding the price required to be indicated pursuant to section 3. It shall not be construed to be a violation of this act to charge for a consumer item a total price less than the price required to be indicated pursuant to section 3.
The manager is correct, in that according to the Michigan Scanner Law, you must first be overcharged and have evidence of that overcharge (receipt) before you are eligible for the bounty.
It was nice of the manager to give you a discount. You should return to the store and see if they corrected the price on the remaining items, to see if they actually repriced the toys.
Thank you for writing!