Tallahassee, Fla. — Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) inspectors recently completed a price verification sweep to ensure that the advertised price for holiday specials matched the scanned price that rings up at the register.
FDACS Division of Consumer Services’ recent price verification sweep focused on items advertised in holiday sale promotions. Any stores advertising a holiday sale could be part of the price verification sweep, including but not limited to department, grocery, hardware, and toy stores.
“While finishing any last-minute holiday shopping, it’s crucial that consumers pay close attention to what they’re being charged at the checkout counter — especially for items marked for a holiday special,” shared Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Whether it’s a system error or mistake by an employee, items can ring up incorrectly. Make sure you’re paying the correct, fair price and if you think you there’s been an error, reach out to our Department and file a consumer complaint.”
FDACS inspectors reviewed holiday sale ads and randomly selected over 2,600 items for testing at 100 locations across the state to ensure accurate pricing. 4 retail locations failed to meet pricing accuracy standards due to pricing errors from 4% to 20% of the items tested. The incorrectly priced items were immediately removed from sale until the errors were resolved.
Standards adopted by FDACS require accurate pricing on 98% of items tested for a retailer to pass inspection. Department inspectors use the Examination Procedure for Price Verification (EPPV) established by the National Conference on Weights and Measures. The EPPV is a nationally adopted inspection procedure that provides regulatory officials with the test procedures to monitor and evaluate the pricing accuracy of any store.
FDACS is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, information and protection. When in doubt, consumers should contact FDACS – all consumer complaints will be investigated. To file a consumer complaint, visit FloridaConsumerHelp.com or call 1-800-HELP-FLA or 1-800-FL-AYUDA (for Spanish speakers).
