Have you been overcharged for groceries?

Two friends who enjoyed a great conversation over lunch inside a supermarket in Chula Vista have much in common, but when it comes to paying for groceries, they're complete opposites.

"I check every single item as it gets rung up at the cash register,” said Carmen Quibrera with her head held high. “Even if it’s just 1 cent off, I’ll let the cashier know there was a mistake in what I was charged.”

Smiling across the table from her was Estella Rinks. She admitted she’s much more trusting than her friend when paying for the items in her shopping cart.

“I don’t pay attention — I’m usually chit-chatting with somebody, they’re scanning my stuff, and I’m in a hurry, always in a hurry,” said Rinks with a laugh.

Most shoppers NBC 7 saw at a recent trip to the supermarket didn’t check their receipts.

“I just put it in my pocket, and I think I’m going to look at it later," Rinks added. "I look at the balance and if it’s not too much, I just let it go."

Rinks may not be checking, but San Diego County sure is — about 1,500 times a year — to make sure retailers stay honest with their customers at checkout.

“Right now, the compliance rate is a little lower in our region than it has been in the past,” said Austin Shepherd with the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures.

Shepherd added that the county is concerned about the jump it has seen since 2019 in the number of stores that receive notices of violation due to overcharging customers — from 12% to 18%.

NBC 7 Responds took a look at supermarket chains in San Diego County with more than 50 inspections since January 2019: Albertsons, Ralphs and Sprouts received violation notices about a quarter of the time. Vons and Smart & Final about 20%, while Grocery Outlet came in at 14%.

Carnival Supermarket stores have only had four inspections, with zero violations as a result of those visits. They told us they’re constantly updating their prices on shelves but acknowledged that mistakes happen and that they correct them as soon as possible.

Shepherd explained that stores often have trouble keeping the shelf tags updated with the latest prices, so when customers get to the register, any change can go unnoticed.

“Neither the cashier nor the customer is necessarily actually looking at the price at the time the customer is charged,' Shepherd said. "A lot of times, the item is scanned and put in a big pile."

The margin for pricing error has Shepherd advising shoppers to always check the receipt before leaving the store. Customers should also flag any mistakes to the county so its representatives can respond with an unannounced visit.

“We gather the items undercover and go up to the cash register, and that's when we let them know that it's part of an inspection — after they've rung up the items," Shepherd said. "That way, we're replicating the customer experience as closely as possible."

So, whether you’re suspicious at the cash register like Quibrera, trusting like Rinks or somewhere in between, remember that pricing mistakes happen more often than you think.

What the grocery store chains have to say

NBC 7 reached out to each of the grocery stores mentioned above.

Kroger, the parent company of Ralphs, sent a statement referencing a recent Consumer Reports investigation regarding pricing errors.

“The Consumer Reports allegations boil down to misinformation, reviewing a handful of discrete issues from billions of daily transactions. It in no way reflects the seriousness with which we take our transparent and affordable pricing.”

Albertsons and Vons, which have the same parent company, sent us the following statement:

"Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions is committed to ensuring our customers pay the lowest advertised price on a product, and we work quickly to correct any price discrepancies. Any customers who may have been inadvertently charged a higher price are eligible to receive a gift card or the item for free as outlined under Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions price accuracy guarantee policy, which can be found posted in Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions stores."

The Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions Price Accuracy Guarantee, posted in stores, is as follows:

• If we overcharge you for any item and the lowest applicable advertised price is $5 or less, we will give you the item for free.
• If we overcharge you for any item and the lowest applicable advertised price is over $5, we will give you a $5 gift card and charge the correct price.
• If we overcharge you for more than one of the same item, the free item or gift card is limited to one of those items.
• If we overcharge you for two or more different items, the free item or gift card policy applies to the highest-priced item.

Sprouts, Smart & Final, and Grocery Outlet did not send statements.