P.M. BRIEFING : Scanner Overcharging Found

Customers of supermarkets with automatic checkout scanners were overcharged in 32 of the 33 stores checked by New York state inspectors this year, officials said.

The 32 stores, which include all of the major supermarket chains, were fined a total of $5,015 for the violations, said Joseph Ferrara, assistant director of food inspection services for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

More than 5% of the items in a typical store are incorrectly charged in favor of the supermarket, Ferrara said.

Nonetheless, state officials were unable to say Wednesday whether the customers at the 32 stores ended up net winners or losers because of the scanners. Industry officials noted that the scanners might also be undercharging customers on some of the many items checked in each supermarket.