FDACS completes holiday price verification sweep, fail-rate average of 7.97%

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ has finished its second of two holiday price verification sweeps, which make sure that prices advertised match the prices scanned.

The sweeps target holiday items to make sure that they are accurately labeled, and that advertised prices for holiday specials match the price that rings up at the register.

“As consumers wrap up their holiday shopping, we’re advising them to be aware of what they’re being charged at the register, especially any items on holiday sales or specials,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Items can ring up with an incorrect price due to a simple mistake by a store employee or a system error — consumer awareness can be the difference between overpaying and paying the correct and fair price. If consumers believe there’s an error, we encourage them to file a consumer complaint with FDACS.”

From Dec. 1 through Dec. 18, inspectors from the FDACS Division of Consumer Services conducted the statewide holiday price verification sweep from that focused on advertised sale items.

The process involved reviewing holiday sale ads from stores — including department, grocery, hardware and toy stores — and randomly selecting items for testing at stores across the state.

The sweep inspected 188 retail stores and 6,687 items for pricing accuracy. Of the retail stores tested, 15 failed the inspection creating a statewide fail-rate of 7.97%.

The incorrectly priced items were immediately removed from sale until the errors were resolved.

The December inspection is the second holiday sweep the FDACS has completed this year. The first holiday price verification sweep ran from Nov. 16 through Nov. 20, and focused on holiday food items.

Inspectors checked the net weight of over 3,000 holiday food goods, including Thanksgiving staples like turkeys, hams, cookies and cakes. The inspection used net weight to ensure that consumers are only charged for the actual good they are purchasing and not the item’s packaging. This sweep stopped sale orders on 90 packages.