Check your bill!

You are in a rush so you pick up the items that you want to buy and race to the cashier, pay hurriedly and leave.

Often the receipt is quickly discarded as you move on to the next errand. You have not even bothered to check the bill!

How many times has this happened to you?

Cashiers Make Mistakes!

Although cashing items is a major part of their job description, cashiers often make mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes are unintentional while other times they are due to sheer laziness.

The fact is that most cashiers are not happy with their jobs as they are often overworked and underpaid.  Long hours of standing and dealing with cranky shoppers would put anyone in a bad mood.

Cashiers can also be distracted by having to do multiple tasks for which they are ill equipped. If they are overwhelmed this can easily cause them to enter incorrect data in the system.

Sometimes they even make mistakes because they make errors in judgement. Once a cashier put another shopper’s items on my bill because she thought that we were shopping together, although we had never met before.

System Errors

Although the human element in costing items accounts for a number of errors, there is also another factor which can cost consumers money and that is an error with the computer system.

If there is a sale for example and the item has been marked down, it might not register on the bill which might still reflect the original price.

It is also important that you ensure that you are paying the correct G.C.T. (General Consumption Tax) on the items which you purchase.

This means if the cost of an item is $100.00, the final cost plus GCT becomes $116.50. (which is 16.5% G.C.T) There are some persons who would not even offer any change but that is what should be charged for the item.

Consumers should also familiarize themselves with the items that are tax free to ensure that they are not being asked to pay GCT when they should not.

What’s your take? Do you check your receipts?

Teri Ann Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: bills