Target Fined for Overcharges at 5 Local Stores

Target Stores Inc. was ordered Wednesday to pay $10,492 after pleading no contest to six misdemeanor charges that scanners at five San Fernando Valley stores last year overcharged undercover county investigators from 50 cents to $10.

“We don’t have any evidence that [the overcharges] are intentional,” Deputy City Atty. Don Cocek said. “But these little mistakes, even if they are small, can add up to a lot. The money belongs in the pocketbooks of customers, not the stores.”

The five stores are at 8840 Corbin Ave. and 8999 Balboa Blvd. in Northridge, 20801 Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills, 6635 Fallbrook Ave. in West Hills, and 17055 San Fernando Mission Blvd. in Granada Hills. Checks at 15 other Target stores last year found no problems, officials said.

As part of the plea agreement, Target will contribute $6,000 to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Cocek said. About $2,300 will go to the Los Angeles County Agricultural Commissioner-Weights and Measures Department to reimburse taxpayers for the cost of its investigation of Target. The rest is a fine.

Undercover investigators from the weights and measures department randomly chose 120 items from the five stores from February to October 1998 and found 24 scanner mistakes at the checkout counters. Cocek said. The scanners overcharged 21 items and undercharged three.

Of the 21 overcharges, 13 were greater than $1, misdemeanors that carry fines up to $1000 per violation. The remainder were $1 or less, infractions that carry fines up to $100 each.

The greatest overcharge found was for a computer software program advertised for $29.99 that scanned in at $39.99, Cocek said. The smallest was for a plant spray displayed for $6.49 but scanned at $6.99. The largest undercharge was $6.09 for a Christmas stocking scanned at $13.90 even though it was on display for $19.99.

Target’s scanner overcharge rate in Los Angeles County worsened over the last year, officials said. In 1997, Target stores tested by county investigators overcharged about 6% of the sample, which was about the average for the area’s businesses, said Joseph Jamora, division chief of Business Practices Investigation at the weights and measures department. But in 1998, Target stores overcharged 12.8% of the sample.

Despite repeated attempts, Target officials could not be reached for comment.

The Minneapolis-based department chain operates 30 stores in Los Angeles County.