A perfect score for Toys R Us, he says. When price scanners were introduced in 1974, they were touted as a way to make sure prices were rung up accurately. No longer would a slip of a clerk's finger or a hastily read price tag result in a customer being charged the wrong price. But as state inspections show, the scanners have brought their own set of accuracy problems to stores. Managed poorly, scanning systems cost stores money.
Overcharges alienate customers.
One craft store on the west side of the state compiled an error rate of 44 percent at a late 1996 inspection, with almost all the errors in the customer's favor. Some of the problem likely was caused by the store entering sale prices into its computer before the sale started, state inspectors said. Do a full store audit several times a year by checking prices on one aisle or area each week. Hand-held scanners can speed the process. Use a portable label printer to replace incorrect or missing shelf labels immediately.