Ever visit a deli counter and wonder if that half pound of salami is really half of a pound? Do you check your receipts after you've left, to make sure you got all the deals that were advertised?
If not, the city is trying to have your back.
A city agency goes around to ensure everything at grocery stores adds up and consumers aren't being cheated. The New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection sends out inspectors on unannounced and random visits to stores, checking a variety of different goods sold so that customers don't get a raw deal.
"If you’re buying fruit in a container, for example, you want to make sure the weight that’s on the label is exactly what it weighs," said Vilda Vera Mayuga, the commissioner of the department.
NBC New York tagged along on one inspection at Brooklyn Fare, on Greenwich Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. While in the store, the inspector checks each scale wherever they are found: at registers, deli counter, seafood section and cheese aisle.
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The inspector sets the scales at zero, then adds weights one by one to make sure there are no discrepancies. If the scale checks out, he adds a sticker showing that it passed inspection.
At the Brooklyn Fare the inspector was at with News 4, two scales failed inspection. One product had a label without a clear name and address of the manufacturer. And several items didn’t clearly display prices.
So next time you're at the grocery store, check to see if the scale had been inspected within the last year.
In response, the supermarket said "we are not perfect. We carry around 40,000 different items and mistakes will be made. When that happens, we always give the customer the price that was labeled on the shelf. And we relay that information down to our pricing team who will fix the issue immediately."
The store said it shut down two checkout lanes as the malfunctioning scales were fixed. They said the problem had since been solved, and they had reached out to the city to come back for another inspection.
In addition to making sure their scales are in proper working order, supermarkets also have to comply with tax laws. To test for that, the inspector will bring certain items to the register to ensure no additional taxes are added.
"There are a number of items that are not allowed to be taxed. For example, feminine products, over the counter medication, things like that," said Commissioner Mayuga. "You want to make sure there’s no tax added to those."
Inspectors aim to check each business about once a year, but if customers have a problem, they should report it directly to the agency right away. And there are other things that shoppers can do to protect themselves.
"One of the things is, always check the receipt," Mayuga said. "The other thing is to hold the store to its advertising...make a list and take into account sales, coupons, things like that ."
