8 ms·

I have a funny (IMO) anecdote: I used to be a cashier at a major regional chain. I once had a customer complain that an item rang up higher than the MSRP print

I have a funny (IMO) anecdote: I used to be a cashier at a major regional chain. I once had a customer complain that an item rang up higher than the MSRP printed on it. I told the customer, 'MSRP stands for the average suggested retail price and that because it's an average, sometimes the actual price will be higher.' The customer didn't say anything else and bought the item (didn't ask for a manager or anything!).

mtmail 7y ago
In Germany the equivalent is called translated 'non-binding price suggestion'.
- peter_tonoli 7y ago
  In Australia, it's called 'recommended retail price'.
- eru 7y ago
  And the exact wording might have been chosen to work around anti price fixing laws?
- smnrchrds 7y ago
  And I assume it is all one long word? Edit: Apparently it is two long words instead: Unverbindliche Preisempfehlung
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
graedus 7y ago
> 'MSRP stands for the average suggested retail price and that because it's an average, sometimes the actual price will be higher.' It stands for manufacturer's suggested retail price, but I guess your point stands because it is only a _suggested_ price. Still, I can't remember ever being charged more than MSRP, although perhaps it's happened without me noticing.
- ChuckMcM 7y ago
  Apparently you didn't buy a high end GPU card during the Bitcoin craze :-)
  - graedus 7y ago
    I did near the height of the frenzy (Jan '18), but I got lucky and got it for MSRP. That's a great example though, I remember seeing retailers charging 2-3x MSRP.
- rootsudo 7y ago
  It's pretty common in Asia, especially if it's in a trading shop or importer.
  - keithnoizu 7y ago
    99 cent arizona ice tea cost 2 bucks out here. : /
    - nightcracker 7y ago
      But the price is on the can though :)
      - keithnoizu 7y ago
        It still beats drinking samurai brand soft drinks
- filmgirlcw 7y ago
  It isn’t common but it can happen if something is in short supply with high demand. There can be regional differences too. I’ve seen the same item sell for more in a place with a higher cost of living than a place with lower cost of living 50 miles away, at the same retail chain. In those cases, the retailer is trying to squeeze additional margin to compensate for other factors that my run down profit. It’s like how a 20oz bottle of Diet Coke might cost $1.00 in a small town, $1.25 on average, and $2.00 or even $2.25 in NYC.
reaperducer 7y ago
In most American states the customer is entitled, by law, to the lowest advertised or marked price. The store must honor that price. In some cities, they're required to give the customer the item for free if the price at the register doesn't match what's on the product or on the shelf. My grandmother was notorious for holding up checkout lines for this reason.
- tomcam 7y ago
  Citation needed-I think this is an urban legend. Because it doesn’t account for innocent mistakes, which could be made with no knowledge of the stores. For example, an inexperienced staff member putting the wrong labels on.
  - phyzome 7y ago
    This certainly applies to grocery stores in Massachusetts, and is even printed up on an informational placard tacked to the register, so that the customer can easily read it. Basically: First item free if under $10, or gets a $10 discount, rest of items of same product at lowest price. Does not apply if lowest price is 50% or lower than the highest price (which seems too high to me, given that there are legitimate sales at that markdown level.)
    - dustincoates 7y ago
      I always assumed that was the store's way of preventing cashiers from overcharging and pocketing the extra, but sure enough: https://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/the-price-is-right-the-massachusetts-item-pricing-law/ https://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/the-price-is-rig...
      - phyzome 7y ago
        It's to protect consumers who see what looks like a good price and don't notice the discrepancy. (A friend of mine whose budget is very tight has been caught out by this a few times, and is the one who pointed the law out to me.) For a while, my closest grocery store (part of a local chain) was terrible at keeping pricing information up to date. Occasionally I'd get surprise discounts, but more frequently I'd get charged too much instead. I was going to buy those things anyway, but on the principle of not letting the store screw people over, I started being a stickler about it. And guess what? The store shaped up. (I assume the mechanism was that the increase in the number of price overrides at the register caused a review, and the store manager allocated more employee-hours to keeping prices in order, instead of treating it as an optional task.)
chrisseaton 7y ago
How can you have an ‘average suggested retail price’? There’s only one manufacturer to suggest a price so what multiple values would they be averaging?
altShiftDev 7y ago
> The customer didn't say anything else and bought the item (didn't ask for a manager or anything!). A very patient man then, I would have asked you why you thought an acronym beginning with M stood for average.
- jldugger 7y ago
  Aww, don't be 'mean'...

mtmail 7y ago

In Germany the equivalent is called translated 'non-binding price suggestion'.

peter_tonoli 7y ago
In Australia, it's called 'recommended retail price'.
eru 7y ago
And the exact wording might have been chosen to work around anti price fixing laws?
smnrchrds 7y ago
And I assume it is all one long word? Edit: Apparently it is two long words instead: Unverbindliche Preisempfehlung

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

graedus 7y ago

> 'MSRP stands for the average suggested retail price and that because it's an average, sometimes the actual price will be higher.' It stands for manufacturer's suggested retail price, but I guess your point stands because it is only a _suggested_ price. Still, I can't remember ever being charged more than MSRP, although perhaps it's happened without me noticing.

ChuckMcM 7y ago
Apparently you didn't buy a high end GPU card during the Bitcoin craze :-)
- graedus 7y ago
  I did near the height of the frenzy (Jan '18), but I got lucky and got it for MSRP. That's a great example though, I remember seeing retailers charging 2-3x MSRP.
rootsudo 7y ago
It's pretty common in Asia, especially if it's in a trading shop or importer.
- keithnoizu 7y ago
  99 cent arizona ice tea cost 2 bucks out here. : /
  - nightcracker 7y ago
    But the price is on the can though :)
    - keithnoizu 7y ago
      It still beats drinking samurai brand soft drinks
filmgirlcw 7y ago
It isn’t common but it can happen if something is in short supply with high demand. There can be regional differences too. I’ve seen the same item sell for more in a place with a higher cost of living than a place with lower cost of living 50 miles away, at the same retail chain. In those cases, the retailer is trying to squeeze additional margin to compensate for other factors that my run down profit. It’s like how a 20oz bottle of Diet Coke might cost $1.00 in a small town, $1.25 on average, and $2.00 or even $2.25 in NYC.

reaperducer 7y ago

In most American states the customer is entitled, by law, to the lowest advertised or marked price. The store must honor that price. In some cities, they're required to give the customer the item for free if the price at the register doesn't match what's on the product or on the shelf. My grandmother was notorious for holding up checkout lines for this reason.

tomcam 7y ago
Citation needed-I think this is an urban legend. Because it doesn’t account for innocent mistakes, which could be made with no knowledge of the stores. For example, an inexperienced staff member putting the wrong labels on.
- phyzome 7y ago
  This certainly applies to grocery stores in Massachusetts, and is even printed up on an informational placard tacked to the register, so that the customer can easily read it. Basically: First item free if under $10, or gets a $10 discount, rest of items of same product at lowest price. Does not apply if lowest price is 50% or lower than the highest price (which seems too high to me, given that there are legitimate sales at that markdown level.)
  - dustincoates 7y ago
    I always assumed that was the store's way of preventing cashiers from overcharging and pocketing the extra, but sure enough: https://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/the-price-is-right-the-massachusetts-item-pricing-law/ https://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/the-price-is-rig...
    - phyzome 7y ago
      It's to protect consumers who see what looks like a good price and don't notice the discrepancy. (A friend of mine whose budget is very tight has been caught out by this a few times, and is the one who pointed the law out to me.) For a while, my closest grocery store (part of a local chain) was terrible at keeping pricing information up to date. Occasionally I'd get surprise discounts, but more frequently I'd get charged too much instead. I was going to buy those things anyway, but on the principle of not letting the store screw people over, I started being a stickler about it. And guess what? The store shaped up. (I assume the mechanism was that the increase in the number of price overrides at the register caused a review, and the store manager allocated more employee-hours to keeping prices in order, instead of treating it as an optional task.)

chrisseaton 7y ago

How can you have an ‘average suggested retail price’? There’s only one manufacturer to suggest a price so what multiple values would they be averaging?

altShiftDev 7y ago

> The customer didn't say anything else and bought the item (didn't ask for a manager or anything!). A very patient man then, I would have asked you why you thought an acronym beginning with M stood for average.

jldugger 7y ago
Aww, don't be 'mean'...