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WPCNR QUILL & SCANNER. From New York Public Interest Research Group. April 22, 2009 (EDITED): On the morning of County Executive Andrew Spano’s State of the County Speech this evening, the New York Public Interest Research Group has issued a news release urging Westchester to turn aside the county effort to eliminate individual item pricing in supermarkets and other retailers.
Consumer protection organizations Consumers Union and the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) urge Westchester County legislators to reject a proposal to allow the county to waive the requirement that supermarkets and other retailers price each item they sell. Legislators are considering adopting a waiver system that would allow retailers who show that their cash register scanners are accurate 98% of the time to be relieved of pricing each individual item for the following year.
On Monday, April 27, 2009, the Westchester Board of Legislators will vote on a bill that would effectively strip shoppers in
“The proposal that merchants meet scanner accuracy standards is a no brainer—of course retailers should charge customers the right price—that’s a given,” said NYPIRG Consumer Attorney Tracy Shelton. “And tightening up the requirements for signs and shelf stickers—as the County’s proposal would do—is a great idea. But these improvements should be done in addition to item pricing, not as a replacement for pricing items individually.”
“Consumers are already confronting enough challenges in this tough economy without having to contend with the removal of price labels from individual grocery and retail items,” said Consumers Union Director of Programs Chuck Bell. “Shoppers want to quickly find out what the prices of individual items are, and track their accuracy at checkout. We appreciate that
The groups pointed out that
The groups pointed out the many benefits of item pricing laws, including:
■ Enabling consumers to monitor and verify whether scanners accurately ring up the correct price at the cash register. Having a price sticker remains the easiest way for a consumer to compare a price at the cash register—without having to memorize the prices of dozens of items (or do percentage calculations on the spot) and recall them at the register.
■ Allowing consumers to easily tote up the cost of all the items in their shopping cart or basket. When you’re on a tight budget, this is a great help in shopping.
■ Ensuring that consumers, particularly older, infirm or disabled shoppers, do not have to search for a sign or shelf sticker with the price—particularly for items on top or bottom shelves.
■ Item pricing allows consumers to compare prices on similar products that are located in different parts of the store, for example comparing dry pasta with pasta in the refrigeration case.
■ The ability to compare the price on newly purchased items to prices on items being replaced at home so consumers can see how much a product has gone up in price, and compare prices between different brands and different retailers.
The groups noted that it is a particularly bad idea to deny consumers valuable shopping information at a time of enormous, widespread financial hardship. The proposal contains absolutely no guarantee—in fact it’s highly unlikely—that the substantial savings to supermarkets and other retailers will be passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices. When the cost of oil spiked retail prices immediately jumped, yet retail prices haven’t dropped now that gas is down around $2 a gallon. Thus the cost savings to retailers from waiving the County’s item pricing law will result in higher profits for retailers, but will not result in lower prices for consumers.
The groups urged Westchester residents to contact their
