Muntinlupa mom finds discrepancies in her grocery bill; Advises everyone to check their bills before leaving supermarkets
“You won’t notice and get affected until it happens to you.”
This was what one Muntinlupa mom told Alabang Bulletin yesterday when she asked for help to make more people aware of what she experienced in SM Hypermart by East Service Road in Muntinlupa.
“I’ve heard about this happening to other people. I’ve seen posts on Facebook. But I never thought this would happen to me as well,” said the mother of two who requested anonymity.
While doing groceries in SM Hypermart, she picked up her usual coffee and cheese among other stuff but got confused when the cashier told showed her the bill.
The Coffee with the Price on the Shelf
“I was a bit surprised because my bill was somewhat high considering I only bought a few items,” she expressed.
The price she was charged for the coffee.
It turns out that the coffee she thought she bought for only P219.50 (the price displayed on the shelf) was registered as P241.50 on the cash register OR was P22 more expensive than what was declared.
Upon further looking at her bill, she also saw the cheese she thought she was buying for P126 was tagged as P145 on the cash register — a P19 difference.
She admitted that for some, the almost P41 difference would be small but she also expressed that P41 is P41.
She talked to the customer service and got a refund for the coffee. She hasn’t gone back for the cheese, she added.
“Their price checker also displays a different price from the tag,” the Muntinlupa mom also mentioned.
She feels that this has been going on for a long time but that she was only able to check this instance.
“Feeling ko madami pa items na ganyan pero wala lang akong time to check one by one,” she noted.
The price displayed on the price checker.
She then advised all shoppers in all groceries to check their receipts before paying as this error or negligence might be prevalent in other supermarkets as well.
Have you experienced this as well? Let us know so we can post as well and call the attention of DTI.
I experienced the same in 3 instances too, twice in SM Southmall Hypermarket, and just recently in SM Sucat Hypernarket. In all 3 instances, i called the attention of the cashier, and without hesitation their customer service officers gave me refund outright (without saying sorry man lang).
You dont need to experience this for yourself of others experienced this with proofs. Might as well share this to all social media so that others will be aware that this is happening.
This has happened to me MANY, MANY times. I am savvy enough now to watch the checkout prices display and immediately queery the discrepancy, where I have obtained a full reimbursement immediately to the display price. I also told several managers that if this continues, I will report them to the DTI myself. I am a foreigner here but a very switched on shopper. We don’t have these problems in our country, it is pure laziness on the shops part to update thongs appropriately
Experienced this not only once. That isn’t new and SM’s irregularity isn’t an isolated case either. This happened to me even at Metro G before. Their common reason is that the ‘diser (merchandiser or the staff assigned to a certain section) failed to update the tag price. The cashier would insist that the price on their system is the updated one. It’s so irritating but I eventually become used to it. That’s why I don’t always rely on the tag price alone. 🙁
Same with SM Center Las Pinas. The display price for the shrimp and he tag is different from the cashier. 60 pesos diference!!! I told the cashier to follow the price tag. But she told me, “maam, nag mark up po kasi ganun talaga” so I argued with her (not just because of the 60 pesos, but I felt like tinatanga ako e) told her it is their responsibility na match dapat lahat ng prices from the display price, tags, and sa system nila. Pero she insisted na follow ano asa screen daw nya. Dun ako nainis. Sabi ng DTI all establishments MUST follow the price on the tag. Kung nag mark up man, dapat inupdate nila mga tags bago pa may bumili. When I told her abot the DTI thing, dun lang sya kumilos and changed the price. This was not my first time, maraming beses na yan sa SM. I know the prices bago ko dalhin sa counter and chinicheck ko to sa cashier. Pero pag may discrepancies, I take the item out na lang to avoid dramas kasi mga cashiers e di naman aware sa DTI. Madalas to sa SM Sucat at Las Pinas.
Same thing happened at SM Bicutan. Bought Gochujjang at a more expensive price than what I saw at the shelf price tag. Happened twice! First time, when I checked the receipt I thought I remembered the shelf price tag wrong (I’ve been buying the same brand multiple times back in Cebu so I know the price… but I just thought it was more expensive in Manila) . When I came back to replenish my gochujjang stock, I was more careful and remembered to take note of the price tag. And as I was looking at the receipt, I saw the price went up! I notified the cashier about it, she asked me if I want to officially have it checked,… But I was running late for my movie schedule so I just told her to tell her manager to make it right.
Naexperience ko naman Jan sa SM Hypermarket Muntinlupa, pag-swipe nung advantage card ko cannot be read, tapos Sabi ng cashier wait lng daw, tapos nung after nya ko singilin inabot ko ulit ung advantage card ko, tapos nag Sabi na lng sya bigla ng ‘ay sorry po Ma’am’, para san pa ung advantage card Kung di mo maavail ang mga rebates at points, hello 150 pesos ang bayad para makakuha k ng advantage card at pagnag-expire renew ulit and bayad ulit ng 150 pesos…
I stopped shopping at SpendMore months ago. On average you spend 35% more on Grocery then other stores. Dont matter what department, they are a huge scam and in Western they would had paid already a huge Fine for false advertisment also with the wrong tagging has been going on since I have been here almost 2 years you alway expect more to pay at the register as there labels do not match the POS outdated price tags or misplaced items if there is a price on the shelf. Vegetables and Meat always in poor condition and you are paying for spoiled food meat OMG stay away (SM Delgado SM City and Hypermarket in Jaro) all nasty and pricy items no thx! 😀
It happens in ALL groceries and supermarkets. When the stores change their prices, the items get repriced immediately at the counters. But the tags usually remain unchanged for days or even weeks!
this happened to me last sunday at sm cubao.
picked up diapers worth p484. i was being charged for p500+. i thought i was cross eyed, so i went back to the store after paying up. snapped a photo on what was displayed and i presented the evidence to customer service for a refund of p25.
looks like this is common among sm groceries
Experienced this also in SM Makati supermarket. First time we encounter is the difference of the price tag and cashier price for a detergent powder so we informed the cashier about it & what they did is somebody checked the price tag but their reply is “sorry po mam hindi pa po nauupdate.” So the 2nd time we do our grocery (same supermarket), what we did is I have a list of the items & input the price written in their price tag & my husband will check it in their price checker if it is the same or already updated. There are still items that are not updated because as we pay at the cashier the total computation of our bill from our list does not match the total bill from them. Still the same reply we got from them. On our 3rd time, same thing we do & still it doesn’t match. It is just a waste of time to complain to them because they do not do anything & I might lose my temper. Hopefully the DTI can do something about this.
Oh no! I never check receipts especially when they are long. But every time I pick up items, i make computation estimate, rationally. When at the cashier, still, my own computation is most of the time lesser than that appearing on the receipt from the register. Grrrr.