this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2025
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Today I Learned

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TIL The Scanner Price Accuracy Code is a Canadian retail voluntary practice (en.m.wikipedia.org)
submitted 3 months ago by JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world to c/til@lemmy.world
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The Scanner Price Accuracy Code is a Canadian retail voluntary practice managed by the Retail Council of Canada and endorsed by the Competition Bureau. It was introduced in June 2002 as Canadian retailers were in the midst of updating their point-of-sale systems with barcode readers to "foster consumer confidence" with the new systems.

Full disclosure: I didn’t just learn about this today. I did just learn that it didn’t exist until 2002 which seems pretty late to start using barcodes.

Anyway, I have noticed a lot of stores have dropped out of the program or are bending the rules about what a posted price actually means (like if the price tag is on the shelf under the thing instead of actually on the thing). Sure, none of this is legally required — but still — don’t let them take this from you.

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[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago

A lot of people do not know that the reason this voluntary code came into place was because the retailers were fighting hard against legislation that would compel them to follow this.

They argued that it was onerous, difficult to implement.

Retailers assured the government that they would voluntarily apply this code so the results would be the same

It was not long before many retailers dropped out of the program and stopped complying

And now they are all trying to weasel out of it

Fuck all of these companies

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

A true TIL for me! Thanks, OP!

If the price of an item scans incorrectly during checkout at the point of sale, the customer is entitled to request a price adjustment; if the item's price is less than $10, they receive it for free, and if the item's price is at least $10, the customer receives a $10 discount.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

There's another nuance to this, and I thought it best to make another comment.

The original policy was that under $10 they must give you the first item for free, and all subsequent same items at the lowest posted price.

If the item was over $10, you would get a $10 off the lowest posted price for the first item, and every subsequent same item at the lowest posted price. This generally came into play when an item rang up $200 but maybe the sign said $170.

Which meant that you could find something that was incorrectly priced, and grab 50 of them. One time I bought 20 power toothbrushes that were incorrectly posted at $9 but were $79 a piece. You better believe I had a picture of the advertisement when I walked up to the till. The manager was hotter than the hinges of hell I can tell you that!!! They even paused for 10 minutes to go check security footage to make sure I did not post a fake price!

The other subtlety was that retailers who adhered to the policy did in fact have to have signage posted at the till. But it was on the customer to ask. If the customer making the purchase did not specifically ask to invoke the policy, nothing would be done.

I would compel people in line to specifically ask for the discount as the clerk stood there, following their training, that they are not to talk about it unless specifically asked! I made it my mission for like 2 years to let every human I know how to use the policy to their favor.

I'm kind of using advertised and posted interchangeably here, but generally I mean the posted price, either way it still applies.

[–] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I have never had that kind of job, but it is remarkable some people gatekeep these discounts. Like, I must protect the gynormous company that barely and begrudgingly pays me minimum wage!

I feel like I would have all the discounts hotkeyed and ready to go. I probably wouldn’t have had that job very long. Maybe that’s the thing.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I feel you but cashiers don't gatekeep because they're personally invested in the outcome, they are trained and ordered how to conduct themselves, and they are monitored and will be punished accordingly otherwise.

[–] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world -1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

You caught me; I was being a tad bit dramatic with my Karen-y comment. No shade against cashiers, IRL. But I — personally — probably would not have a job like that for very long because I am privileged enough to be openly contemptuous.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

because I am privileged enough to be openly contemptuous.

... and now you understand, if fairness depends on privilege, you do not live in a fair society

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

People like you make everything worse. So you know you're being misleading in the interest of making a bitter self-centered remark. Bravo /s

You're literally a boomer and Karen with your shit attitude, I bet you think you're next level and so cutting edge.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

It's one of the things I actually enjoy about getting older. I didn't see it coming but you end up getting this long view and it helps color in a lot of gray areas.

It can also be profoundly frustrating because there is knowledge that I have gained and lost forever because it can't be found on the internet, ever again.

Like when Microsoft executives did not want to extend pocket Windows to mobile devices because they literally stated that smartphones will never happen, and nobody will use them; That embedded Windows CE in hardware was the future. We all see where that went, and Apple ate their lunch followed behind by Google with Android, released as a strategic buffer against Apple's future dominance.

I can't prove any of this to anybody, but I was a game developer, and an early adopter of handheld devices on top of everything else. I hacked my own frighin' drivers together for an unsupported wifi card, and hex edited windows 2003 and released a torrent, which let people install it on older Dell devices.

Nobody will ever know these nuances but me, and maybe some other gray beards who are also interested in a specific slice of knowledge as I was... because you can't find this information.

Good and bad.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

How many laws/regulation/guideline/code does anyone know that are only voluntary for regular people?!... anyone?