I recently discovered three weeks in a row that I’d been undercharged for a produce item at the Chestnut Hill store. That discovery led to email conversations with management, and I thought some of what emerged was important to share with the whole Co-op community in the interest of us all.

Undercharging can occur if the correct sticker is missing from organic produce. Or someone might return an organic item to the non-organic spot, and a later shopper will pick it up and inform the cashier that it was not organic. Or another version of these scenarios can happen, resulting in overcharging. So stickers and location can mess things up.

If the price of an item or sticker is on top and visible when placed on the checkout counter, accurate pricing is more easily ensured. Case in point: I was undercharged both when a sticker indicating the produce item was organic was missing, and when the sticker was not on top. In addition, I was overcharged for raw milk with a reduced price because the sticker was on the far side of the bottle.

We shoppers can help by being alert to these situations. I now intend to place my organic produce close together, with stickers facing up. And if an organic sticker is missing, I’ll look for a loose one among the others or will just be ready to inform the cashier of its identity.

— Lynn Mather