https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/2836966/bbc-secret-shopper-finds-two-thirds-of-tesco-customers-overcharged-by-expired-deals/

In 33 out of 50 Tesco stores visited by a secret shopper over a three month period, customers were being short-changed after a discount marked on the shelf was not applied at the till because it was out of date.

 

It also uncovered multi-buy deals still being advertised on Tesco shelves days, weeks – and in some cases months – after the deductions were no longer being applied at the till.

 

 

In January they were discovered short changing customers by increasing the cardboard inner of toilet rolls, thereby reducing the number of sheets on the loo roll

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tesco-shoppers-getting-bum-deal-9679313

http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/13/customers-tricked-into-overpaying-in-two-thirds-of-tesco-stores-6442718/?ito=facebook

And even after customers complained to staff, some stores still failed to remove the out-of-date discount labels from the shelves.

 

In the worst case, staff at a Tesco Express in Birmingham repeatedly failed to remove labels showing items as on offer when they no longer were. The out of date labels were still on display a full month after the BBC’s reporter first pointed it out.

 

 

I had this issue a little while ago, bought two bottles of Rum marked at £15 each or 2 for £20, but after leaving the shop I was thinking my bill had seemed too high, so when I checked my receipt I realised they really had just charged me £15 each.

When I went back in to complain they not only refunded me the additional £10, but they refunded me double. Apparently it was store policy to refund double when it was their fault.

In that case they did remove the out of date label, right away when they'd gone to check it. Kind of a shame really given that they essentially gave me two bottles of rum for free. I'd have gone back the next day and gotten a few more if the label had still been there...

I can definitely understand the problem though, so many people don't check their receipts, they just pay and walk out with no idea of what the amount should have been. I only realised because I'd been keeping track of the prices of what I had been buying (a relatively small number of items which is why I could keep track). Had it been a big weekly shop I probably wouldn't have noticed the extra £10.

A lot of it isn't deliberate, but where special offers have expired but where advertising is then left in place and not removed straight away. Stores have drastically reduced headcount and especially in the smaller stores struggle to keep up with relabelling