Recently I wrote a piece about why you should always check the clearance section. The other day, DF and I were reminded why you should always check your register receipt, too.
While shopping on Senior Tuesday (10 percent off all Kroger brands), we noticed that boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale at an almost agreeable price. Since I wanted to try a new recipe (butter chicken in the slow cooker), we decided to spring for a package rather than buy a whole chicken and cut it up.
(Maybe not the most frugal move, but he recently had a major health issue and since then we have sweated far less small stuff. Besides, it would be loads cheaper than going to an Indian restaurant.)
Generally I do check the register receipt; in fact, I tend to watch items as they get rung up, to make sure that sale prices show up correctly. On that day, however, we were both a bit distracted. At one point he did glance at the electronic readout and said, “Wait – did that say 99 cents a pound? … No, I guess that was the discount per pound.”
When we got home I checked the receipt to see how much we’d saved overall – and noticed that the boneless, skinless chicken had indeed rung up at 99 cents a pound. D’oh!
DF had an appointment, and decided to leave a little early to see if there was any chicken left at that price. It being $5 day at the movies, I headed out as well – and returned to more than 25 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts chilling on the back steps.
Nope, it wasn’t all for us. We are both fond of scoring grocery deals for others, so 10 pounds of bird went to my niece and five pounds to a neighbor. The rest got rewrapped and Tetris-ed into odd corners of our freezers.
We’re looking at plenty of future pot pie, teriyaki chicken, burritos, more of that butter chicken and anything else we can come up with. More to the point, we’re looking at a primo price for protein, both now and in that future.
Register receipt vigilance: It pays off
As I noted in that “always check clearance” piece:
These inflationary times are scary. We can’t change the economy, but we can change how we react to price jumps. That’s why I urge everyone to keep checking clearance. You might have to wade through an awful lot of “Congratulations Class of 2023!” plaques and off-brand press-on nails. But every now and then you’ll find something that makes your frugal heart beat a little faster.
This is also true of the register receipt. For starters, you might find a mistake that isn’t in your favor. Pointing it out on the spot will save you money – and depending on the store, you might even get the item for free.
An unadvertised special like this one will also save money, obviously. Typically we buy chicken thighs, and only when they’re on sale. But it’s been a long time since they were 99 cents a pound, and the boneless/skinless variety is 100 percent protein vs. bones* and meat.
Incidentally, the butter chicken turned out great. It was also quite frugal:
- The chicken, as noted, was 99 cents per pound.
- I used 49-cent tomato sauce from the dented-can bin.
- Two of the required spices (garam masala and ground turmeric) came to us recently as part of a Buy Nothing score.
And the punchline? We both loved the flavor of the butter chicken, but agreed that thighs would have been tastier than chicken breast. Live and learn.
Readers: Do you check the receipt? If so, care to share some of your best “dodged a bullet there” stories?
*Those bones get saved for the boiling bag. But you already knew that.
Related reading:
I usually shop at Safeway, with occasional stints at King Soopers, in Colorado. In the past year, I have found more than a DOZEN mistakes on the cash register receipts — and none were in my favor. In one case, the $1.29/lb Signature ham rang up at $3.99/lb (the most expensive brand). The customer service people at that Safeway admitted that someone in the meat department used the wrong stickers. How many people at Safeway that week even noticed? And if they did, were they willing to spend 15 or 20 minutes at customer service, getting their money refunded?
I was — and $30-plus was added back onto our credit card. But I really wonder whether these ‘mistakes’ are actually shadow profits that grocery stores take advantage of. Sad, but true.
P.S. On the plus side, Donna, I found 29 cents plus a Russian rouble in the change machine during my recent Safeway stop. And they doubled a $4.00 coupon; ‘our mistake, you can keep it.’ But that’s the first in a long, long time. King Soopers used to give the item free if they mispriced it — no longer. And neither grocery store gives rainchecks anymore.
I’m diligent about checking my receipts. Our local grocery, Publix, will give you a full refund if an item scans wrong!
I am with Cindy above! It seems they overcharge me at a Giant store (I go to various ones depending where I am at) and they overcharge me. This happens at LEAST every other week. This past Monday, it was a buck which is on the minor end. The store never seems to mark anything down further than half price. Other stores around me are more expensive except for Aldi. I only go to the other places for their sale items.
I try to watch as things are being scanned and added, but sometimes I can’t. The checkers and baggers work very fast. (Good for them)! Sometimes I’m able to catch a checker who is inadvertently undercharging me for something so that it can be corrected. I don’t want to shortchange anyone. If I find out I’ve been overcharged after I get home and the amount is small, I let it go. It’s a 15 -20 minute drive to the store, and I’d probably lose out because of gas usage. If the difference is significant, I’ll go back. My worst one was when I came home after buying a very full cart of groceries. The total was higher than I’d expected, but I thought that I’d miscalculated. When I checked the receipt at home, there was a $45.00 charge for bulk tea, something I had never bought. It was apparently a coding error, because one item I had bought was not on the receipt. I had no problem getting a refund. The store personnel are super nice. Yes, by all means, check the receipt!
As usual great advice,Donna. A few weeks ago I noticed at Aldi what I thought was an error on a self price sticker…1/2 gallon of cranapple or crangrape juice for 25 ¢. Took one to have it scanned and YES that was the right price! Went back and got a dozen to donate to the local food pantry. Next day went back and of course none left
I can go you one better: Fred Meyer had milk for FIFTEEN CENTS per gallon the other day. Its sell-by date was the following day. I got one for me, one for my neighbor and a couple extras after putting it out on Buy Nothing.
Later other people responded to ask if I had any extras. Kicking myself for not buying a dozen or more and THEN putting the word out on Buy Nothing. I’m pretty sure I could have easily found folks who wanted them. And if not? It was 15 cents!
I was shopping with my #1 DD who is 23 and loves to go to the grocery with me (she isn’t great about eating and such, so a bit of time in the store with her is a wonderful way for her to come away with ideas and bargains.). We don’t get 99 cent chicken here in Canada very often, but this store did have a decent price for chicken drumsticks according to their flyer. we were shopping the last evening of the flyer, and I found a package of drumsticks – the ‘company’ label said chicken drumsticks, but the store created scan code said thighs (whith the correspondingly doubled price). it was late in the store so quiet, and I demonstrated to my daughter how one encourages the store to do the right thing – got the thighs at a discount! (there wouldn’t have been any if they were properly labeled, it was that late in the sale). Took them home with her, set up her Instant Pot with the drumsticks and some random spices – told her once they were cooked to pull the meat, and put all the bones and skin into the freezer, and to freeze the broth, too. am going to teach her how to make broth, next!
We did err on the side of being distracted and neglected to use some 50 cent off stickers on her cheese packages, but we peeled them off and I will use sometime in the next week or so.
And I always like to watch the prices as I get a lot of clearance items – the tellers are good, but they sometimes miss the random re-pricing.
Teaching by example. It works!
I have only one thing to add: check the receipt before leaving the store. Errors can be easily corrected & you still have the items in your cart.
I did mention that “pointing it out on the spot” is the best way to go. That’s especially true if you live 15 to 20 minutes away from the store, as a reader named Peg F. does; sometimes the drive back to save a few cents just isn’t worth it.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
I check my receipt when I get back to my car before leaving the parking lot. It beats standing inside or outside of the store.
I only do online shopping. Have not been inside a grocery store since 2020. I shop at Hy-Vee. I have to do pick up because I live too far away for delivery. When it was crazy busy, I once got half of my order and half of someone else’s order. Because the manager that day lived in the small town next to mine, he not only refunded what I didn’t receive, but did a porch drop of the rest of my order.
Any other errors, they have quickly corrected with a phone call. I no it’s been no more than 5 calls in 5 years.
A porch drop-off from the manager: Now that’s service.
Score from last week from checking the receipts:
1) $3 cash refund due to the cashing in rewards points for $’s that did not deduct off at local Giant store.
2) Almost $29 cash refund from a convenience store due to a double charge from one of the card readers and online payment systems malfunctioning. I did have to wait until the 1/1 holiday cleared all receipts and drive 16+ miles to Maryland to get it, but gas at that store was $2.99 per gal that day, instead of $3.48 in PA, and I could stop at a nearby Walmart and get a gal of milk for $2.73 in Maryland instead of $5 + in PA. Then found a bunch of clearance priced food on the clearance rack.
FYI: I have one of my budget envelopes labeled food, that I use specifically for grocery store receipt refunds. I ask for a refund if the mistake is 50 cents or over. The total is $26 + in less than 18 months. Saving it up for when I’m really broke, or an emergency for me or a family member or friend.
Check those receipts, preferably while still in the store for immediate refund or credit, and so they can identify an online or register problem.
Some things are worth the trip.