Utah: Summary of Results by Store (150k image)
Source: Utah Department of Agriculture and Food

States Ranked by % Error (100k image)
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

Holiday shopping can be hassle enough, but now we have a consumer alert on the accuracy of price scanners. You might want to pay attention at the cash register to make sure you're paying what you think you are.

A recent study in 36 states, including Utah, indicates some store's scanners don't give you the price you think they're giving you.

In fact, in Utah, one out of every 25 items scanned at the stores in the study scanned a price wrong. The Department of Agriculture and Food studied 37 area stores at random. And when it's wrong, you have a 50-50 chance of the price either being too high or too low. The bottom line here is: keep an eye on the scanner display to make sure the price is right.

Kyle Stephens, Department Of Agriculture and Food: "THE CONSUMERS EXPECT THAT WHEN THEY PURCHASE AN ITEM THEY'RE PAYING THE RIGHT PRICE. THEY SHOULD HAVE THE ASSURANCE THAT THE ITEM IS PRICED CORRECTLY."

Out of the 36 states studied, Utah ranks 25th. That means that four out of every 100 items scans wrong at the stores in the survey. By comparison, an average of 3 out of every 100 items scans wrong nationally. The study isn't really meant to pick on any particular store.

Tonight, Dateline NBC will have an undercover investigation of the issue.

Links:

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food