Was this ethical?

So I was in Target last night and the cashier who informed the cashier waiting on me that night that she should punch in the correct price asked if I got the case of dog food that night and at which price - I informed her what happened and she said "some people only go by what the computer tells them the price is" and then a "good for you"

Quote: aceofspades

So I was in Target last night and the cashier who informed the cashier waiting on me that night that she should punch in the correct price asked if I got the case of dog food that night and at which price - I informed her what happened and she said "some people only go by what the computer tells them the price is" and then a "good for you"

My understanding of Michigan's scanner verification laws, and penalties, from a long time ago when I was in retail, is that manually/hand entered prices are not subject to the penalty if it is entered incorrectly.

The law applies when the price scanned is different (and higher) than the price marked on the package, on the shelf tag, or on the advertisement.

If there was a price clearly marked on the package, the cashier could have used it. If the cashier noticed that the product scanned for higher than the price marked on the package, he or she could save the store from the penalty by correcting it before the customer has paid.

I think it is ethical (for the original poster) to accept the price that the product scanned at, after checking with the cashier. I think that is the extent of your ethical duty.

I don't think it legally absolves you, though. You and the cashier can be accused of collusion and retail fraud. Highly unlikely, though. The stores like to reserve that action for people who are willfully stealing from them.