What to do, step by step.

I caught it while I'm still in the store

1. 1Keep your receipt and your shelf tag photo. Don't go back through the line.
2. 2Go to customer service (or the self-checkout attendant). You don't need a manager to start.
3. 3Show both photos and read the script Checkout Cop gives you. It names your state's rule.
4. 4Most stores fix it on the spot: a refund of the difference, or more in Michigan, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

This is the best time. The item and the tag are right there, and the fix takes minutes.

I only noticed after I got home

1. 1Run the check with your tag photo and your receipt.
2. 2Go back with the receipt, the photo, and ideally the item. Customer service handles it the same way.
3. 3In Michigan you have 30 days to tell the store, in person or in writing.

No tag photo? Digital tags can change after you leave, so the shelf may not match what you saw. Take an employee to the shelf, or snap it next time before checkout.

My receipt is really long

1. 1Take it in parts, top to bottom, up to 4 photos. A little overlap is fine; we won't count a line twice.
2. 2Lay it flat in good light and fill the frame with each section.
3. 3If we still misread it, fix the numbers on the confirm screen. Nothing is judged until you confirm.

I have a digital receipt in the store's app

1. 1Open the receipt in the store's app and take a screenshot.
2. 2On the receipt step, choose that screenshot instead of taking a photo.
3. 3Digital receipts are often the easiest to read.

More than one item rang up wrong

1. 1Snap every tag during the trip. At checkout one receipt check matches all of them at once.
2. 2Each overcharge is its own error. In Michigan each one gets its own bonus, and the script lists them all.

I ordered online for pickup or delivery

1. 1The price you agreed to is the one in your cart when you ordered. Screenshot your cart or order summary before you check out.
2. 2Compare it with the final receipt or order total in the app. Prices and substitutions can change between order and pickup.
3. 3Use the store app's own "report a problem" or refund option first. It is usually the fastest fix for an online order.
4. 4Sold-by-weight items (meat, produce) are often estimated at order and charged by actual weight. The receipt should show that weight.

The Michigan, Massachusetts and Connecticut bonus rules are written for prices posted in the store. For online orders, count on the refund, not the bonus.

I used self-checkout

1. 1Wave down the self-checkout attendant before you leave, or go to customer service.
2. 2The rules are the same. The register charged more than the shelf, however it was scanned.

The tag said "with store card" or "2 for $5"

1. 1The lower price may only apply if you met the condition: used the store card, bought the number shown, and so on.
2. 2Checkout Cop flags these conditions on the confirm screen so you can tell before you go to the desk.

The store said no

1. 1Stay calm and ask for a manager. Show your photos again.
2. 2Write down the date, store, item, both prices, and who you spoke with.
3. 3In Michigan, if the store doesn't pay within 2 days of your notice, the law lets you sue for $250 or your actual loss, whichever is more.
4. 4Anywhere, your state weights and measures office checks price accuracy. Send them your photos and notes.

You decide whether to file anything. We never file for you or post about a store.

What about sales tax?

1. 1We compare prices before tax. If the item is taxed, the store should also refund the tax on the overcharge.

I used a coupon or a loyalty price

1. 1Compare the shelf price you qualified for with what the register charged before your coupon came off.
2. 2A coupon you used doesn't change what the register should have charged.

The item is priced per pound

1. 1For produce or deli sold by weight, compare the per-pound price on the tag with the per-pound price on the receipt.
2. 2Use the weight check to test the weight itself.

A sale sign showed a lower price than the tag

1. 1In many states, including Massachusetts, you pay the lowest posted price, whether it's a sign, a sticker, or the tag.
2. 2Snap the sign too, and type its price as the shelf price.

It was a buy-one-get-one deal

1. 1The deal only applies if you took the number the tag says. Check the receipt shows the free item came off.
2. 2Checkout Cop flags deal conditions it reads on the tag so you can check before you go to the desk.

Does it do price matching?

1. 1No. Price matching is a store policy, not a law. Checkout Cop only checks the price this store posted.

The store says the tag was wrong or expired

1. 1A tag on the shelf is the posted price. Your time-stamped photo shows it was up when you shopped.
2. 2If the tag shows a sale end date that has passed, the store may be allowed to refuse. Check the date in your photo.

Do I have to return the item?

1. 1No. An overcharge refund isn't a return. You keep the item.

Does it work without signal?

1. 1Reading photos needs a connection. Tags you snap without signal still save to your trip; type the price in, or retake the photo when you have signal.

A packaged item seems light

1. 1Weigh it on a zeroed scale. The app checks your scale with coins or the store scale's inspection seal first.
2. 2Snap the label and the scale. We check it against the legal NIST limit for that size.
3. 3One package slightly under isn't always illegal. The law allows a small shortfall per package.

A delivered order weighs less than I paid for

1. 1Weigh the item on a zeroed scale as soon as it arrives, still in its package.
2. 2Packaged items: snap the label and the scale. The legal limit is the same as in the store.
3. 3Sold-by-weight items (meat, produce): compare your scale with the weight printed on the receipt or order. Subtract the tray or bag.
4. 4Report it through the store app's refund or "report a problem" option, with your photos.

Deli or bulk item weighed with the container

1. 1The container, tray or wrap should be subtracted before the price is set.
2. 2Weigh the empty packaging at home and compare it with the receipt weight.
3. 3This one needs a human look. Bring the numbers to customer service.

It's over the legal limit. Now what?

1. 1Ask the store for a refund first. That's usually fastest.
2. 2The maker filled the package, so you can also contact the brand's customer line.
3. 3Your state weights and measures office is who officially checks. We show you which one.