SCANNER CRACKDOWN CHARGING FORWARD.Byline: Troy Anderson Anderson, river, Canada Anderson, river, c.465 mi (750 km) long, rising in several lakes in N central Northwest Territories, Canada. It meanders north and west before receiving the Carnwath River and flowing north to Liverpool Bay, an arm of the Arctic Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County supervisors unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to crack down on retailers that charge customers more than the prices posted on the shelf. The ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been , which still needs final approval, will charge retailers annual fees of $160 to $300, depending on the number of price scanners in the store. The fees will generate an estimated $2 million a year and will be used to hire 16 weights-and-measures investigators - in addition to the one inspector the county currently has. The inspectors would post notices - in the spirit of the county's restaurant letter grade system - on the front doors of stores convicted of overcharging customers. The ordinance also would impose misdemeanor misdemeanor, in law, a minor crime, in contrast to a felony. At common law a misdemeanor was a crime other than treason or a felony. Although it might be a grave offense, it did not affect the feudal bond or take away the offender's property. By the 19th cent. fines of up to $100 for stores that overcharge by $1 or less, with penalties of up to $1,000 for those that overcharge by more than $1. ``This will put in place a program of regular inspections of retailers who use price hook-up devices, commonly known as scanners,'' said Cato Fiksdal, agricultural commissioner and director of weights and measures weights and measures, units and standards for expressing the amount of some quantity, such as length, capacity, or weight; the science of measurement standards and methods is known as metrology. . The California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Grocers Association opposed the ordinance. ``After reviewing the proposal in the limited amount of time granted, we strongly believe the ordinance before you will not provide consumers in Los Angeles County with a more accurate pricing climate but will only serve to place an additional fee on the county's business owners,'' Director Gilbert Canizales said in a letter. A three-week undercover investigation last month found that 60 percent of 108 retail stores overcharged for advertised sale-price items that were rung up on automatic checkout scanners. Inspectors were overcharged on 208 of 1,867 items purchased. The average overcharge was $3.89. |
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