WHILE shopping in a local supermarket, I chose an item from the reduced price shelf which had an orange coloured reduced price label attached beside the label carrying the original price.

On returning home I discovered that the check-out till had read the original price label and that consequently I had been charged the full price!

I spoke to the deputy manager on the phone, suggesting that either the original labels should be removed or that the reduced price labels should be stuck over the original labels thus avoiding any future repetition of what could be a common problem. He apologised and said that it was a human error as the staff had already been instructed to stick the reduced labels over the originals and he would speak to them again.

Some days later I chose another reduced price item from the same place, noting that all the items on offer still carried the reduced price label beside the original label. So this time when the same problem occurred, I was able to point out the error to the check-out girl and get an immediate refund. I told the girl that I'd spoken to the deputy manager of the problem and that the reduced labels should cover the original labels and she said they'd been told not to do that as it confused the check-out reader!

So let the buyer beware. Shoppers buying reduced price items should always check at the till, that the correct price has been charged. Especially when the check-out person is talking to someone else and not fully concentrating on the pricing labels!

K V ASHENDEN, Abbey Croft, Pershore.