Over charging

7-Eleven and Circle K are charging customers more at the register than the prices posted on shelves, sale signs and gas pumps, according to a Guardian investigation that reviewed 153 shopper complaints across 17 states.

In McAllen, Texas, 29-year-old Marco Cruz picked up a pack of beef and jalapeño cheese sticks at a Circle K priced at $3.99 on the shelf. At checkout it rang up at $4.19. When he asked the employee to fix it, he was refused. Cruz told The Guardian this same thing has happened to him at least five times at convenience stores over the past six months.

The problem isn't isolated to one store or one state. Government price-accuracy inspections show it's widespread:

• Circle K failed 35% of inspections in Florida, 62% in North Carolina, and 82% in Columbus, Ohio, between 2023 and 2025.
• 7-Eleven failed 47% of inspections in Colorado and Utah, and 79% in Ontario County, New York.

Roughly half of the 153 complaints reviewed by The Guardian involved food, drinks and merchandise. The other half involved gas pumps charging more than the price posted on the roadside sign.

An Arizona inspection earlier this year found 12 of 25 products at a 7-Eleven rang up above their shelf price — including a pack of gum marked $3.99 that charged $4.99 at the register.

7-Eleven and Circle K have not responded to requests for comment.

What Shoppers Can Do
With prices already stretched thin for household budgets, a dollar here and there adds up fast. Consumers can protect themselves with a few simple steps:

• Watch the screen when your items scan and compare it to the shelf price before you pay.
• Speak up immediately if something doesn't match — it's easier to get it fixed before the transaction closes.
• Take a photo of advertised prices, especially sale signs, so you have proof if a dispute comes up.
• Report repeated problems to your local consumer-protection agency if the store won't correct it.

 

I've worked in retail for many years, everything from part-time goffer to owner/general manager, and changing prices is an important job, but it is just one job out of many. In our small stores we usually had just one person to wait on customers, stock the shelves and coolers, clean, take out the trash, raise and lower prices (including changing prices on the shelves, cooler doors, displays and the register), etc. If the price posted was lower than the price at the register, we always used the lower price and then took down the sign until we got things sorted out. Prices at 7-eleven and Circle K are changed automatically daily and the people at corporate headquarters expect the employees at the under-staffed stores to keep up. So, give a hard-working store clerk or manager a break, THEY are not over-charging you. Also, a store clerk or manager can't always over-ride the register and charge you a lower price... corporate calls that STEALING and it can cost them their job!
Another thing, don't go into stores and ask to speak to the manager or owner, they are busy people and don't have time to talk to you about #1- Charitable donations for any cause or reason, that has to go through channels.
#2- Questions about merchandise, those are usually best addressed to someone that works in that department.
#3- Prices, the manager or owner usually doesn't have any control over prices.
#4- Wanting last week's sale price cause the answer is always gonna be NO!
#5- Asking about a job for someone else.

 

What really gets me is trying to figure out the prices of the goods on the bottom shelf, can't get down to read it or for the things in the reach in freezer with all the prices on the back in print too small to read and 6 labels with short cuts and no idea which ones cover which product. I am in one of those powered carts or a wheelchair and I often just buy things because I can't price them. It is often the worst in the areas where they have the cheaper or house brands. Not a problem in the aisle were there are 20 feet of shelf for a name brand, but it is for the 2 feet for the house brand or local one that costs half as much. That or grab an item and find out that you picked up the organic one that costs twice as much. I happen to like the royal brand gelatin and it costs about half as much as Jello but they have rows of Jello and a couple of feet of Royal and it may be priced. I don't shop in some grocery stores just because I can't figure out what things cost. It's often the worst on the day after prices change. It may be easier for the store, but it isn't for the customer. I know that the checkout clerk can often not change prices as one of the oldest scams in retail is charging for 1 pint and 3 quarts as pints. That is why most stores scan every item.

 

You ever get the feeling that the rule of law is gone?

 

It would be interesting to see exactly what those locations are and how many of the accused businesses are owned and operated by foreign born people. The vast majority of people don't bat an eye at what's being typed up in the register. Just put in their card and walk out. .50 or $100 extra will be hardly if ever noticed. If a business that has unscrupulous business practices skims $1 from each customer that really adds up. Might be $500 or more a day unreported for those 24/7 businesses. X500 by 30 = $15,000 X12 = $180,000

 

many of them are run by foreign born have been a victim of one or two myself and they were always foreign born proprietors!

 

I hear Wally World is heavy into this. Electronic price rages that can be changed/increased between the time you put it into the basked and checkout. Fraud!!!

Prices are alleged to change with time of day, number of shoppers, and whatever your phone tells them that you have searched and intend to buy.

I guess being billionaires ain’t enough. Corp greed is unbelievable.

 

Ive seen a few guys online trying to form 'high trust' neighborhoods if you catch what I mean. They are being attacked for doing this but I think they are making some progress

 

While I agree that stinks I'm not convinced they are doing it out of criminal intent. A store like that is difficult at best to keep up with the pricing. I think many of those places it's incumbent of ourselves to watch the cost of the item being rung up. I have gone into stores and seen a price different than on the shelf. When I ask the checker about it a price check gets done right away and the current price is reflected. Sometimes I have caught them under charging me only to find out the item is on sale or marked down and I missed it on the shelf. The cause is not everything gets updates in the computer fast enough I believe. While not right I don't believe there is any crime behind it would be very difficult for the checkers to skim money off the top. Not impossible but I think very difficult. Those smaller places are a much different story if you ask me, especially the owner/operated stop and rob joints.

 

I have not heard of that. What is a High Trust Neighborhood?

 

all white people

 

I've wondered about that type of stuff for years,, I've thought I was overcharged once in a while ,, but to be sure ,,I'd have to walk back thru the store with the sales ticket to check the prices ,, wasn't worth the time , for the few pennies I'd might have saved .

 

Reminds me of an old gal the other day that had bought a plate lunch and a 12 oz jug of water.
They sat down behind me for a second then she jumps up and tells her friend,
Oh no, 4.22 for a bottle of water!!! off she goes with the water and receipt.
Got her money corrected!

 

Speaking of over charging...

 

ROFL you havent been to McDs in a while have you? My local one is like $15 for bigmac and fries

I have actually opened a chain of QSR restaurants that make really good and super healthy food for the same price range as McDs. Every local business eats at my place, even the staff from McDs.

 

Check out Jimmy Wrigg, he's been exposing WM, Kroger and other stores that have pre-packaged items that are weighed incorrectly - always favoring the store or manufacturer.
This Tiktoker went viral finding Walmart meats with wrong weights, prices