I took a few minutes to clean up and transform the 7 Strategies to Avoid Getting Ripped Off at Checkout post into a free, downloadable article. I also spoke about these strategies on our latest Podcast over at The Saver’s Kitchen. Take a listen!

Please DO email this article, in it’s entirety, to your circle of friends who are looking for money saving tips.

Please DON’T republish, reprint, or scan and post it without attributing it to me or asking first.

If any of your groups (MOPS, MOMS Club, women’s ministry, etc) want to republish this article in their newsletters, please have them contact me for the .doc file. Ditto if you’re a blogger and want to post this as a guest post from me on your site. The referrals really make my day. I expect to have more of these free articles coming out later this spring, so would like to know where they land. That way, I can make sure to let them know what’s hot off the press. Thanks for your understanding.

Enjoy!

I’m paying more attention at the checkout lately. I’ve had sale products ring up inaccurately, mis-keyed produce codes, incorrect change made, and coupons completely missed. Has this been happening to you too?

Fortunately, I caught them all. But if I hadn’t, I’d be out about $10.00. Not a huge sum, but every little bit does add up and we’re not that far in 2009 yet.

To avoid getting ripped off:

1) Have any coupons ready. Do NOT fish around in your purse for loose coupons while the clerk is checking your groceries because you might miss a register error. Have all coupons together and handy before you begin unloading your cart.

2) Let the clerk know you have coupons or a store club card. He’ll say, “Hello. Did you find everything okay?” To which you might respond, “Yes, thank you. I have some coupons here for you as well.” Present your coupons as soon as he has his full attention on you. He may take them from you right then or ask you to set the coupons down. Either way, don’t act shy about it or embarrassed. He is in the business of taking your money and you are in the business of saving yourself money. It’s that simple.

3) Group multiples of the same item together. This is helpful even if you don’t have a coupon. Say you’ve decided that the “3 for $5.00,” or “10 for $10″ are good values. Be sure to group them together on the belt so that the clerk can scan them one after another. This makes it easy to spot errors.

4) Place those screaming deals on the belt LAST. Chances are that you will have emptied your basket and will be waiting for the checker to finish. When you put those hot deals on the counter first, and then finish unloading your basket, you’re sure to miss errors. Instead, save them for last so that you are not distracted.

5) Ditto for items to be weighed. Often the clerk has to hand-key the produce or bulk bin code. These codes are easy to confuse. If weighed items are among the last items to be scanned, you will spot mistakes. (I forgot this step recently and got charged $3.00 more for an entirely different product. I noticed it after I had finished paying. The checker couldn’t fix it at that point, so I got to spend another 15 minutes at the customer service desk. Not good!)

6) Shop without kids. I’ve compared my receipts from trips with and without kids. And I can tell you that, on average, I spend about $35.00 MORE when they’re along. Included in this expense are the little treats I offer to reward good behavior. These treats get doled out when we’re in the checkout line, which distracts me from the transaction. If this scenario sounds familiar, consider shopping alone.

7) Scan your receipt for mistakes before you leave. Despite your best efforts, distractions sometimes happen. Magazine covers catch your eye, you run into a friend, or zone out after a long day of work. You’re only human, right? Take a few seconds to review your receipt to ensure things are in order. Look for doubles; sometimes items get scanned twice. Then look at product names for anything unfamiliar. Get discrepancies taken care of before you leave the store.

2009 Copyright Kati Neville