Experts are warning that some of the savings tactics households are adopting could be illegal. A warning has been issued as one woman’s supermarket self-service checkout “trick” is breaking the law.
The woman in question shared a story with News.co.au’s Sisters in Law column about an argument she had with her friend over a shopping savings tip of her.
This particular column is written by sisters and lawyers Alison and Jillian Barrett who solve peoples’ legal questions.
In this case, the woman wrote in to discuss how her friend uses the self-service checkout at her supermarket.
This friend usually scans the more expensive fruit and vegetable items, such as avocados, as cheaper items like a brown onion.
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The woman’s friend can even be awarded criminal charges if she becomes a repeat offender.
In their response, the legal experts slammed the friend’s savings trick as being “against the law” and warned people about doing it in the future.
The sisters explained: “It doesn’t matter how your friend tries to justify her behaviour, her deceitful conduct in intentionally not paying full price is against the law.
“Your friend’s technique of using the self-service checkout to pass off more expensive items as cheaper ones cheat the system by underpaying.
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“Her fraudulent behaviour is just one of many tricks employed by self-service thieves to avoid payment.”
The legal duo issued a warning to the writer that if she were caught, she could likely face serious consequences.
For example, her friend could be given a fine, be forced to pay for the items and issue an apology to the supermarket.
The woman’s friend can even be awarded with criminal charges if she becomes a repeat offender, according to the lawyers.
The Barnett sisters added: “You have to ask, is saving a few dollars on avocados worth the risk?”
Katy Simpson, the personal finance expert at Virgin Money, recommends those who want to purchase more expensive items while grocery shopping should set themselves a “savings goal”.
This would involve putting small amounts of money away on a regular basis and saving that cash for luxury essentials.
Ms Simpson said: “This is a great way to save, regardless of whether you’re aiming to buy something specific, like a new sofa, or if you just want to keep some money aside for a rainy day.
“Decide the total amount you want to save, work out how much you can afford to put away each month, and then divide the total value by the goal you’re working towards.
“This will give you a rough idea of how long it will take until you reach the full amount or can afford to buy the product outright.
“If you can, it may also be a good idea to wait until the usual sales events, such as end-of-season sales, to go shopping.
“ That way you might be able to avoid paying the full price. It’s difficult to predict what discounts will be available, but it could mean that you end up keeping some extra cash.”