How often is an electronic scale calibrated at the grocery store checkout?

Question

I was wondering the other day how often the electronic scale at the grocery store checkout lanes are calibrated. Often times, when you purchase bulk items, such as fruit and vegetables, there is a different weight on the scale that is given at the checkout versus the manual hanging scales. Sometimes, the price difference works to your advantage, but more times than not, there is a few cents difference than expected. This is not a problem to the average shopper ( paying a difference of a few pennies), but in the long run, the grocery store is sure to make quite a few dollars at the end of the month from the additional and unexpected weight gain of the bulk items. So I am curious...does anyone know how often the checkout scales are calibrated? Thanks!

Answer 1

Most States require at least an annual certification of a scale sued for buying and selling, and have provisions for blind spot inspections. A wise grocer will check scales at least weekly. The spring scales used in the produce sections are not required to be calibrated, and are illegal in all States for money transactions. The intent is to give the customer a rough estimate of weight, not an accurate weight.

Answer 2

The electronic scale checked due to its Dept of Standard in every country.In Malaysia, all the scale being checked once a year because of its usage at the grocery store.Otherwise,electronic scale that was used as a primary standard and was kept in the national metrology institute is being calibrated once in 3-5 years.The elect.scale or balance in the grocery store was in the category of "working standard".

Answer 3

well, this depends on your local USDA regulations. In most areas, it is state inspected and stamped at least once a year with possible suprise inspections. I would be more concerned with POS systems like Wal-mart that are usually incorrect at a rate of 20% of the time. This was mentioned a few months ago in a lawsuit against Wally World. Basicall, They over charged 1 in 5 customers.

Answer 4

I use the self checkout lanes for getting my lunch break meals. The lines are short and move fast. Time is on our side when working, these help get through the long waiting lines of customers. They work and are convenient when purchasing a few items and in a hurry.

Answer 5

Grocery stores usually have a policy of calibrating their scales periodically. You can ask the store manager what that schedule is.