Consumer Council Warns Shoppers Over Shelf and Checkout Price Mismatches

The Consumer Council of Fiji has issued an urgent public warning to shoppers after finding frequent differences between shelf prices and checkout prices in supermarkets across the country.

The Council said its surveillance found that items marked as discounted or on promotion on shelves were often scanned at higher prices at the checkout

The Council said shoppers do not receive the advertised discount unless they notice the error and raise it with cashiers. Customers who are in a hurry and fail to check their receipts may unknowingly pay more than expected.

According to the Council, the problem is commonly seen with products nearing expiry, fruits and vegetables, and promotional items that are displayed separately with reduced prices.

In many cases, cashiers are required to manually override the system to apply the correct price. While some retailers may blame human error, the Consumer Council said the repeated and widespread nature of these price mismatches raises serious concerns.

Commenting on the findings, the Consumer Council’s Chief Executive Officer said retailers have a responsibility to ensure prices are accurate, especially during the busy festive shopping period.

“The recurring mismatch between shelf prices and checkout prices cannot simply be dismissed as mistakes,” the CEO said. “Shoppers must be able to trust that the price displayed on the shelf is the price charged at the checkout”

The Council warned that even small price differences can add up quickly, particularly for families purchasing multiple items during peak shopping periods.

Shoppers are being urged to carefully check prices at the cash register and review their receipts before leaving the store. Any discrepancies should be raised with store management and reported to the Consumer Council.

The Consumer Council said it will continue to monitor supermarkets throughout the festive season and beyond. Members of the public can report concerns through the National Consumer Helpline 155 or by email at complaints@consumersfiji.org