This mum's genius grocery trick gets her free food at checkout
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In this day and age of high prices, it is crucial to be mindful of every dollar you spend.
But what if you could get your groceries for free? Sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, not if you're Melissa, who discovered a simple way to score free groceries at the supermarket checkout.
Melissa's father-in-law, Frank Noble, an 85-year-old stickler for rules and an avid reader of CHOICE Magazine, introduced her to this little-known consumer law.
Frank's keen understanding of his rights as a consumer led him to discover that supermarkets will give you an item for free if it scans at a higher price at the checkout than advertised.
Sceptical at first, Melissa decided to put this theory to the test.
To her surprise, when a punnet of raspberries scanned at a higher price than advertised, the supermarket honoured the rule, and she got the item for free.
So, how does this work?
Melissa’s father-in-law explained: ‘It usually happens when there’s a special on, although it happens sometimes when the specials have finished but they haven’t changed the label on the shelves.’
‘It’s happened with a shaver kit, oranges, mixed fruit, garlic bread, cheese when there was a deal when you bought two for a reduced price and the single price came up,’ Frank added.
Being a smart shopper is more important than ever in today's economy, and Frank has made it a habit to check the unit price of items on the shelf to compare which is the most economical.
He also pays close attention when his groceries are being scanned to ensure the price is right.
'If something scans at a different price, I usually let the staff member know that the item has scanned incorrectly, and they refer me to a senior person,' Frank said.
'They won't do it unless you ask,’ he shared.
The secret behind this tip lies in the Scanning Code of Practice.
Woolworths Supermarkets, along with other major grocery chains, are signatories to this Code. Under the Code, customers are entitled to receive an item free of charge if the scanned price of an item is greater than the shelf price displayed.
Exceptions under the Code are products with a shelf price greater than $50, as well as tobacco products. These products will be adjusted to reflect the shelf price.
A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed this rule, 'Our store teams work hard every week to ensure all our shelf tickets are up to date. Now and then, human errors can unfortunately occur. However, we are committed to ensuring our customers are not disadvantaged in these instances.'
Coles Supermarkets also apply the 'Our Promise on Price Scanning' rule to ensure confidence in the pricing accuracy at their registers.
A Coles spokesperson stated: ‘If an item scans at a higher price than the advertised or ticketed shelf price for that item, we will give the customer that item free.’
ALDI has a similar policy. Their website states, 'If a regular product scans at a price higher than that displayed, you are entitled to receive the first item free. All subsequent items will be charged at the lower price.'
Frank acknowledged that mistakes can occur and he is content with the way supermarkets rectify them.
‘I’m loyal to Woolworths because they live up to their policy, no problems at all,’ he shared.
So, next time you're at the supermarket, keep a keen eye on the prices as your items are being scanned. You never know, you might just score some free groceries!
If you want to read more about your consumer rights, you can visit CHOICE here.
Have you ever experienced a price discrepancy at the checkout? Did you know about this rule? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below.
But what if you could get your groceries for free? Sounds too good to be true, right?
Well, not if you're Melissa, who discovered a simple way to score free groceries at the supermarket checkout.
Melissa's father-in-law, Frank Noble, an 85-year-old stickler for rules and an avid reader of CHOICE Magazine, introduced her to this little-known consumer law.
Frank's keen understanding of his rights as a consumer led him to discover that supermarkets will give you an item for free if it scans at a higher price at the checkout than advertised.
Melissa discovered a way to get free grocery items. Image source: Freepik
Sceptical at first, Melissa decided to put this theory to the test.
To her surprise, when a punnet of raspberries scanned at a higher price than advertised, the supermarket honoured the rule, and she got the item for free.
So, how does this work?
Melissa’s father-in-law explained: ‘It usually happens when there’s a special on, although it happens sometimes when the specials have finished but they haven’t changed the label on the shelves.’
‘It’s happened with a shaver kit, oranges, mixed fruit, garlic bread, cheese when there was a deal when you bought two for a reduced price and the single price came up,’ Frank added.
Being a smart shopper is more important than ever in today's economy, and Frank has made it a habit to check the unit price of items on the shelf to compare which is the most economical.
He also pays close attention when his groceries are being scanned to ensure the price is right.
'If something scans at a different price, I usually let the staff member know that the item has scanned incorrectly, and they refer me to a senior person,' Frank said.
'They won't do it unless you ask,’ he shared.
The secret behind this tip lies in the Scanning Code of Practice.
Woolworths Supermarkets, along with other major grocery chains, are signatories to this Code. Under the Code, customers are entitled to receive an item free of charge if the scanned price of an item is greater than the shelf price displayed.
Exceptions under the Code are products with a shelf price greater than $50, as well as tobacco products. These products will be adjusted to reflect the shelf price.
A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed this rule, 'Our store teams work hard every week to ensure all our shelf tickets are up to date. Now and then, human errors can unfortunately occur. However, we are committed to ensuring our customers are not disadvantaged in these instances.'
Coles Supermarkets also apply the 'Our Promise on Price Scanning' rule to ensure confidence in the pricing accuracy at their registers.
A Coles spokesperson stated: ‘If an item scans at a higher price than the advertised or ticketed shelf price for that item, we will give the customer that item free.’
ALDI has a similar policy. Their website states, 'If a regular product scans at a price higher than that displayed, you are entitled to receive the first item free. All subsequent items will be charged at the lower price.'
Frank acknowledged that mistakes can occur and he is content with the way supermarkets rectify them.
‘I’m loyal to Woolworths because they live up to their policy, no problems at all,’ he shared.
So, next time you're at the supermarket, keep a keen eye on the prices as your items are being scanned. You never know, you might just score some free groceries!
If you want to read more about your consumer rights, you can visit CHOICE here.
Have you ever experienced a price discrepancy at the checkout? Did you know about this rule? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below.
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