"The price on the shelf and the price at the register should match," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler in a release Wednesday. "Stores have a responsibility to make sure their pricing is accurate, and most stores pass inspection. Ones that don't face fines until they come into compliance."
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Three stores in Wake County and one in Durham were among the violators in the second quarter of 2019:
- Circle K at 3301 Guess Road, Durham, has paid $1,875 in penalties. An inspection in March found an 8 percent error rate based on two overcharges in a 25-item lot. A second inspection in April found a 23 percent error rate based on 23 overcharges in a 100-item lot.
- Family Dollar at 2001 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, has paid $1,635 in penalties. An initial inspection in October found a 6 percent error rate based on three overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in November found a 3.33 percent error rate based on 10 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in January.
- Advance Auto at 420 W. Gannon Ave., Raleigh, has paid $3,900 in penalties. An initial inspection in August found a 14 percent error rate based on seven overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in September found a 9.67 percent error rate based on 29 overcharges in a 300-item lot. A third inspection in November found a 3.67 percent error rate based on 11 overcharges in a 300-item lot. A fourth inspection in January found a 7.67 percent error rate based on 23 overcharges in a 300-item lot. The store passed inspection in March.
- Auto Zone at 1100 E. Williams St., Apex, has paid $390 in penalties. An initial inspection in April found a 6 percent error rate based on three overcharges in a 50-item lot. A second inspection in May found a 3 percent error rate based on nine overcharges in a 300-item lot.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Standards Division also collected fines from stores in Buncombe, Haywood, Pitt, and Watauga counties.
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Those stores were Advance Auto in Candler, Dollar General in Canton, Dollar General in Winterville, and Staples in Boone.
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. If a store has more than a 2-percent error rate on overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with the store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection at a later date.
Consumers who would like to file a complaint about scanner errors they encounter can call the Standards Division at (919) 707-3225.
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