We usually keep a close eye on the checkers at Whole Foods, lest they charge us for pricey Kumatos rather than our poor man’s Jersey tomatoes, and according to a study by the Department of Consumer Affairs, this sort of thing happens quite a bit. According to the Times’ City Room blog, the Department found that 52 percent of stores it inspected were violating consumer protections in one way or another, whether by failing to add price tags, overcharging, or the like. Manhattan stores proved the worst offenders, with 62 percent of those inspected racking up violations. Consumer Affairs is proposing that supermarkets have to pay customers ten times the price for any overcharging. Whatever happens, we just hope they don’t start issuing letter grades for this sort thing. [City Room/NYT]
