Supermarket customers are claiming the prices they are being charged at the till are higher than the labels on the shelves because prices have gone up and staff haven't had time to update the labels. The problem has been reported at a number of different supermarkets - including Aldi and Asda - with inflation now meaning food prices are rising rapidly.
One supermarket has been seen selling Lurpak at more than £9 a packet, and Sainsbury's has warned that the cost of living crisis is not over.
Raising the issue on the Reduce Your Supermarket Spend Facebook page, one shopper said: "Has anyone else noticed the supermarkets are not keeping up with replacing the prices given on the shelf for items and then when you go through checkout it puts another price on.
"It's happened a few times and when I question it, the reply is that they haven't got round to changing it yet. There also doesn't ever appear to be staff in the supermarkets to ask where they have changed items."
Many shoppers said the same had happened to them, reports MEN.
"Orange and apple juice cartons price differently under the tills and on the shelves," one said. Supermarket staff said they don't have the time or people to keep up.
"Unless you've worked in a supermarket you don't understand how hard it is," said one. "So please be kind to staff for a start. Legally the increased price should be labelled. These get priority for changing the tickets. If it's decreased it's less priority legally. Stores struggle specially if there's a lot of holiday, sickness etc."
Another said: "I work in retail, and I agree, it's not what it was, not going into detail but yes, people forget that we got them through the pandemic with food, going in, risking our health to keep the shelves full, whilst having customers cough, sneeze and reach over to get what they want, now, it's price increases, every day I'm there, there's comments on how much food has gone up by, yes, we know... we are in the same boat as you."
Oli Townsend, assistant deals and features editor at MoneySavingExpert, said: “Stores sometimes make mistakes when labelling prices, or forget to replace old labels when there’s been a price change.
"When you get to the checkout, if you find the price is more than it says on the shelf label, the shop doesn’t have to give you the item at the cheaper price. It’s still worth explaining that it’s a lower price on the shelf and asking the store if it’ll honour it though.”
An Aldi spokesperson said: “If any customer believes the price of a product is incorrect we would encourage them to speak to one of our colleagues in store or contact our customer services team who will be happy to help.
“We are the lowest priced supermarket in Britain and our customers always pay less for their shop at Aldi than they would elsewhere. This is why we were named the Cheapest Supermarket of the Year by consumer champion Which.”
A spokesperson for Asda said: "In any instance where the shelf edge price is different to the price that comes up on the till we would honour the price on the shelf. If customers believe they have been charged a different price to that shown on the shelf they should speak to a colleague who will be able to issue a refund there and then."
Abuse and violence towards shop workers and service staff is on the rise again as new penalties come into force, according to research.
A quarter of staff who have faced increased hostility said they believe this increase is partly due to the sharp increase in the cost of living and stress this has placed on customers.
New figures from The Institute of Customer Service revealed 44% of frontline service staff have experienced hostility from customers in the past six months – a rise from 35% in February 2022.
It comes as new powers come into force, which will allow for large penalties to be handed to customers who attack and abuse shop workers.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 was given royal assent in April.
The policy change came after a host of retailers, including the Co-Op, reported a surge in attacks on workers during the pandemic.
Tensions are continuing to rise and this is thought to be linked with declining consumer sentiment amid the cost-of-living crisis, according to the Institute for Customer Service.
Jo Causon, chief executive officer of the institute, said: “Today’s change in the law is a reason for celebration for all those who campaigned for service with respect for our nation’s hard-working, frontline service professionals.
“These new stricter sentencing guidelines will provide vital protection for workers against a backdrop of heightened customer stress and frustration relating to rising prices, and falling levels of service due to widespread skills shortages.
“I worry that UK businesses are becoming trapped in a Catch-22 situation, with tensions boiling over into abuse that triggers staff absences leading to further frustration.
“We must break this cycle, by acting together as a society to offer our support to hard-pressed, frontline workers.”
The new research, from a poll of more than 1,300 customer-facing staff, found that over a third – 35% – believe that behaviours and tone has become more aggressive over the past six months.
Meanwhile, 33% of workers who have experienced hostility cited higher levels of anxiety among shoppers as a trigger for customer hostility and a quarter (25%) specifically linked it to price increases.
Ms Causon added: “As a nation, we find ourselves at the mercy of stock and staff shortages related to global and domestic issues.
“These issues aren’t going away, and so price rises and inflation will be on the cards for many months yet.
“To prepare for this, I urge employers to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to hostility, ensuring their employees are trained to handle difficult situations when they arise.”
