How to avoid getting cheated at Shoprite

Shoprite is one of the cool places to go shopping in Nigeria but some Nigerians might have been cheated knowingly or unknowingly at the store and it may not exactly be the fault of the management. I've been a victim too and want to share my experience and tips on how you can avoid getting cheated when buying things at Shoprite.

Here are some tips:

1. Compare prices first: Yes, while I agree that there are a lot of things sold at Shoprite for really low prices, you may get a better price elsewhere outside the store such as local markets and shops in Nigeria closer to you. If you are a prudent shopper, I guess you'll want to save the most money and so it's best you don't rush to make buying decisions just because it's available at Shoprite. It could really be cheaper somewhere else so just check before you buy. Some items I've noticed that are actually more expensive at Shoprite are the imported items such as fruits and vegetables but I guess most of their made in Nigeria products are at reasonable prices.

2. Count your items and compare with your receipt: When checking out, ensure you count all your items and know how many there are such that after your receipt has been printed you'll be able to compare the number and this will help you make corrections assuming the teller billed you more than once for a single item. If you bought 10 items, then there shouldn't be 11 items on your receipt and if there is, ask them to do a subtraction. Counting your items will also ensure you don't leave any item on the table when going out as it has happened to me that I found out that I lost an item which I had already been billed for on the and I'm suspecting the cashier may have hid it somewhere.

3. Check the expiry date on packaged items: At times, things listed on Shoprite may really come at a good price but one thing it may be lacking is a long shelf life and so it may make no sense if you are buying such an item for long term storage. Check the expiry date of such items such as packaged food items first before buying so that you don't feel cheated after you've bought it.

4. Pay cashlessly and discretely: When paying at Shoprite, it's better to pay cashlessly such as with a card or voucher rather than cash and when doing so, ensure you don't allow other people to view your PIN as criminals like to do this when they see someone using a card. It also ensures that you don't have to start waiting for your change since you'll be paying the exact price in Naira and kobo.

5. Don't forget your change when paying with cash: If you are paying with cash, you may run into problems such as being given dirty or torn currency as well as incomplete change. If there is no change, then you should pick an item such as sweets or bottled water to make up for your change rather than letting it go like that.

6. Ensure the cashier doesn't approximate your bill: If you are checking out at Shoprite and paying with your card, one thing the Shoprite cashier normally does is to enter the total amount of your bill on their computer and it's first of all done automatically as your items are being scanned on the machine and then entered manually by the cashier on the POS terminal. To avoid being cheated, ensure that the cashier enters the same bill that was displayed on the scanning machine to the POS terminal and if not, you should tell them you are not paying until it is corrected. If your bill was N11,114 but it was rounded up to N11200, you would have been cheated of N86 if you didn't complain and went ahead to make payment. At times people even get cheated of N500 even without their knowing.

I hope this has been helpful to you.

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