New survey suggests people should check receipts before leaving grocery stores

Dalhousie University researchers conducted a survey earlier this month to learn more about shoppers' habits when it comes to their grocery store receipts.

They surveyed more than 5,500 Canadians from coast-to-coast. The poll revealed that the most common mistake reported is when the price of something in the aisle doesn't scan the same at the register.

Researchers said more than 75 per cent of people caught those discrepancies when they checked their receipts before leaving the store.

“If you look at your receipt every single time you go to the grocery store you’ll save $50 to $75 per year, which might not seem like a lot – but these days again – we need all the help we can get," said Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, director of Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

CTV News asked shoppers in Timmins, Ont. if they checked their receipts – most said it is not something they considered.

“Never thought about it,” said one shopper.

“You just take it for granted. Pay your bill, you walk out, put your groceries away and that’s it.”

Other shoppers said they have just accepted that grocery prices have gone up and even for the little bit you get you to have to pay a lot.

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Another frequent error people found is on 'Enjoy Tonight' daily deals (items close to their best-before date), or when the cashier scanned an item too many times.

Charlebois said a receipt can also reveal other important details such as what foods are taxed.

“If you buy a box of granola bars and they went from 6 to 5 granola bars, that box is now a ‘snack’ and is taxable,” he said.

“Those are the things you want to know.”

Charlebois told CTV News that most Canadians complained when they noticed errors and were satisfied with the way grocers handled complaints.

Officials said the survey was done to encourage grocers to do better.

The full results of the customer service survey can be found here.