Check your dockets at the supermarket

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Some Today Tonight viewers have raised concerns about the accuracy of supermarket scanners after being overcharged for some products.

Lyn Arnet did not discover her mark-up until she got home. She was charged $54 for a half-stick of celery."

Eighty-eight sounded a bit high for a few items so I checked the docket and I saw that I was charged nearly $54 dollars for half a celery," she said.

"So, you know, I just couldn't believe it, just, couldn't conceive that could possibly happen."

Supermarket is not always so spectacular but you would be surprised how often it can happen.

For example, the Queensland Office of Fair Trading investigated 282 supermarkets in February and March.

Acting Director Garry Gillard said the department found one-in-three supermarkets get it wrong.

"A lot of those ones they overcharged 1 cent, 2 cents, 3 cents, 5 cents, they were very small amounts," he said.

"The Office of Fair Trading has taken the view that when they are small amount we'll give the trader a warning."

Customer service expert, Barry Urquhart, said when it comes to reliability, scanners quite often fail.

"Prices can change in a supermarket as many as three, four, five times a day and there in lies the problem so scanners have to keep up with changes in prices through a day," he said.

"The errors being picked up by the consumers would be a very low percentage of the number occurring."

The best advice is to check then double-check your dockets just as you leave the store.