Doing this one thing at checkout could prevent you from getting overcharged.
Since the pandemic, everything—from groceries to rent to gas—has become more expensive, and there seems to be little indication that prices will fall (historically, prices go up more than they go down), NerdWallet reported.
Given this, individuals and families must be even more careful with every dollar they spend. That includes being vigilant of how much they’re charging them at checkout.
A wrong receipt
“This is your sign to always get a receipt and always check that motherf–ker,” model and influencer Selena Perez (@selenacperez4) said.
In a video with more than 75,000 views, Perez said she was at the gas station filling up her tank and getting a snack for her niece.
While she only got $40 of gas, an apple juice, and a Twix, the total was around $68. But the math isn’t mathing. That would mean the little girl’s snack costs about $25 to $28.
As she checked the receipt while walking out of the door, Perez noticed that one item said $25.
She went back inside to talk to the cashier about it. According to Perez, he said he accidentally rang up a $2.50 item as $25 but could issue her a refund.
“Always check that sh-t, because b-tch, I almost got charged $25 for apple juice or a Twix. Like, what the f–k?” Perez said.
She concludes, “Always ask for a receipt, always check that sh-t, always making sure you’re paying for what you get, OK?”
@selenacperez4 always check your receipt!!! #relatable #foryou ♬ Disco – Surf Curse
Was it a scam?
Some people in the comments section seem to think the gas station worker was purposefully scamming Perez.
“When paying at pump or cashier always do credit – if you do debit sometimes the cashiers will add ‘cash back’ and keep that $$,” a person alleged.
“Honestly he was probably scamming I’m sure you’re not the only one. He probably taking out the extra and pocketing it,” another added.
“It’s so suspicious how EVERY place is asking ‘do you want your receipt?’ Like it’s literally coming out, just hand it to me. If you ask, I immediately think you wanna be sneaky and alter it somehow,” a top comment read.
In a comment response, Perez clarified that she’d originally noticed something was off with the pricing before paying and said something about it to the cashier, but he “just brushed it off.”
While that definitely seems suspicious, it could be an innocent mistake or a systemic issue.
Corporations caught scamming
It seems it’s not just employees potentially ripping customers off to bag the profits.
A few years ago, over a dozen North Carolina Wlamarts were fined by the state for charging customers the wrong prices. Essentially, an item would be listed at one price but would ring up as another, Newsweek reported.
Like a cake that was listed as $2.62 in-store and online but rung up to $4 each.
“Walmart and big corporations know that no person, specifically individuals and parents who are doing large grocery trips, have kids, are busy, etc., are going to track the price of each item at checkout to compare it to what it was at the shelf,” a customer who noticed a discrepancy told Newsweek.
The Daily Dot reached out to Perez for comment via email and Instagram direct message.
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