The body kit is the most common variant of cheating customers. If you purchase goods by weight, and not in factory packaging, then at least once a week, without noticing it yourself, you overpay “for air”. However, there are many ways to save money and get exactly the amount of product that you need - just know how cunning traders cheat.
How to "cheat" on the scales
In large retail chains, the scales work properly and show the exact weight. Of course, they, like any other technique, tend to fail, so if you notice that the numbers on the scoreboard "jump" strangely, changing from large to smaller, do not rush to throw a scandal. Call the seller or manager and ask to understand the situation - in most cases the problem will be solved in a few minutes.
But in small shops where there is no self-service, sellers often weigh - someone in order to cover the shortage, and someone makes an increase in salary. The situation is similar on the market: buying a kilogram of strawberries or tomatoes, you risk getting only 800 g. Moreover, if you have already moved away from the counter, it will be difficult to prove the merchant's guilt.
The most common methods of cheating are:
- "Blind seller." In order not to be caught cheating, the merchant pretends that he has poor eyesight. For example, instead of one, he sees seven on the scoreboard, and six seems to him as a figure of eight. In this case, the only way to recognize that you are being hung up is to carefully monitor the numbers and independently calculate the cost of the goods.
- "An approximate calculation." A bag of cucumbers or sugar is literally thrown onto the scales, which is why the arrow randomly rushes from side to side. Wait until it is fixed on a specific division, the seller does not enter into the plans - he immediately picks up the goods, determining its actual weight according to the maximum indications. If you notice this behavior, ask the seller to weigh the products correctly.
- "Plus a hundred." A small value, usually 50-100 grams, is fixed in advance on the scales. Then it is automatically added to the weight of the products. Vigilance will help not overpay - look at the scales display when the seller picks up the goods. If any number other than zero appears there, then you are being deceived. Demand to remove the virtual appendage and recalculate the cost.
- "Entertaining mechanics." A fishing line or a thin strip of adhesive tape is attached to the bowl. Putting the goods on the scales, the trader steps on the free end of the fishing line and pulls the bowl down, because of which the arrow shows the weight 200-500 g more than the real one. It’s easy to define a hoax - just use a checkweigher.
Remember: according to the law, the scales must be located so that the buyer sees the exact weight of the goods. If they are installed deep in the stall or lined with boxes, this is a sure sign that the seller is dishonest at hand.
Checking the balance with improvised methods
If you doubt that the scales in the store or in the market are working properly, use a simple life hack - put on them any item whose exact weight you know. It can be a mobile phone, a bunch of keys, a notebook, glasses, or something else. A thing selected as a “measure” should be weighed in advance on an accurate scale. Thus, knowing that your smartphone weighs 180 g, and the key to the car is 40 g, you can easily determine whether you are being fooled at this point of sale or not.
How to behave so that the seller does not have a desire to weigh me?
First of all, you need to be vigilant and carefully look at the dial of the scales. If, when making a purchase, you are distracted - talking on the phone, reassuring the child, looking at something in the neighboring windows or poking around in the bag - the merchant has a great opportunity to deceive you, and so that you won’t even notice it.
What if, when I arrived home, I noticed a lack of weight?
To begin with, you can contact the seller and demand compensation - a refund for the missing goods. If the merchant does not admit his guilt, you should contact Rospotrebnadzor - the employees of this organization will check the specified outlet and if any violations are found (for example, unauthorized interference with the operation of electronic or mechanical weighing systems, violation of the integrity of the seal), the owner of the trade points will be punished. If the incident happened on the market, it is also worth notifying the administration.
Is it possible in the presence of the seller to outweigh the goods by steelyard?
Manual spring scales have low accuracy and can be mistaken even by 50 or 100 g both to the smaller and to the greater. Therefore, you can outweigh the purchases, but using the readings of this device as an argument is unlikely to succeed. In addition, there are two types of steelyards - with a vertical and a round dial. It is advisable to use devices of the second type, since it is easier to determine the readings on them.
Do not hesitate to assert your rights, be sure to make a comment to the seller, if you see that he weighs you. Only at first glance it seems that 20 or 50 g of underweight is a mere trifle that is not worth bickering. Calculate how much money you “give” daily to merchants, not receiving the goods, and you will see that an impressive amount is accumulating in a month.