State fines 16 stores for price-scanning errors

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced statewide retail-pricing enforcement involving stores in 13 counties.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services collected penalties from 16 stores in 13 counties after inspectors identified excessive price-scanning errors.

The enforcement actions were announced Wednesday and cover inspections conducted during the second quarter of 2026.

The department’s Standards Division inspects retail checkout systems to determine whether customers are charged the same prices displayed on store shelves, signs and advertisements.

Stores that exceed the state’s permitted error rate are subject to follow-up inspections. Businesses that continue to fail may receive civil penalties.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said the inspections are intended to prevent consumers from paying more than advertised prices.

Retail inspections are conducted throughout the year and can include grocery stores, pharmacies, department stores, discount retailers and other businesses using electronic checkout scanners.

When inspectors conduct an initial examination, they compare a sample of products with the prices entered into the store’s checkout system. Stores that fail are typically reinspected at a later date to determine whether the errors have been corrected.

Continued failures may result in fines that increase based on the number of unsuccessful inspections and the severity of the pricing errors.

The Standards Division also regulates commercial weighing and measuring devices, including grocery scales, gasoline pumps and other equipment used to calculate the price of consumer purchases.

Customers who suspect they were charged an incorrect amount should retain their receipt and compare the checkout price with the shelf label or advertised price.

Consumers may bring a discrepancy to the retailer’s attention and may also submit a complaint to the Standards Division.

The department’s enforcement announcement identifies the stores penalized, the counties where they operate and the amounts paid following failed inspections.

Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.