Last Updated on May 4, 2025 2:30 pm
A Staples store in Watauga is one of two businesses recently fined for excessive price-scanner errors by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division (NCDA&CS).
The store, located at 1275 Blowing Rock Road in Boone, paid a $1,005 fine after failing two inspections in 2024, according to an NCDA&CS report. An initial inspection in February 2024 found seven overcharges on a 50-item lot – a 14% error rate. A follow-up inspection in April 2024 found a 6.33% error rate for 19 overcharges on 300 items, resulting in a $1,005 fine. The store passed inspection in June 2024. The store paid the fine in February.
NCDA&CS has also collected fines from a Speedway location in Davidson.
“We inspect stores to ensure their pricing is accurate and the price at the register matches the price on the shelf,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “While most stores pass inspection, the ones that do not will face fines until they come into compliance.”
The department conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of price-scanner systems in businesses to check for accuracy between the prices advertised and the prices that ring up at the register. If a store has more than a 2% error rate on overcharges, inspectors discuss the findings with the store manager and conduct a more intensive follow-up inspection later. Undercharges are also reported, but do not count against a store. Consumers who would like to file a complaint about scanner errors they encounter can call the Standards Division at 984-236-4750.
Penalties are assessed if a store fails a follow-up inspection. In addition to the penalties paid, the store will be subject to reinspection every 60 days from the last inspection until it meets the 2%-or-less error rate. Additional penalties may be assessed if a store fails a reinspection.
Other local fines in recent years include:
Dollar General in Foscoe paid $2,240 in fines in 2023.
Earth Fare in Boone paid $94 in fines in 2022.
Dollar General in Vilas paid $1,095 in fines for 2022.
Dollar General in Foscoe paid $1,425 in fines for 2022.
Pet Supplies Plus in Boone paid $750 in fines in 2022.
The Tractor Supply store in Boone, located at 2221 Old 421, paid $615 in fines related to the fourth quarter of 2021.
The Staples store, at 1275 Blowing Rock Road in Boone, paid $1,080 in penalties in 2018.
The Tractor Supply location in Ashe County paid $1,515 in penalties also in 2018.
Following are civil penalties recorded in the first quarter of 2025:
(Davidson) Speedway at 19 Cotton Grove Road in Lexington paid $405 after failing two inspections in 2024. An inspection in April 2024 found an error rate of 16% for eight overcharges on a 50-item lot. A follow-up inspection in June 2024 found an error rate of 3% for three overcharges on a 100-item lot, resulting in the $405 fine. The store passed inspection in August 2024. The store paid the fine in March.
(Watauga) Staples at 1275 Blowing Rock Road in Boone paid a $1,005 fine after failing two inspections in 2024. An initial inspection in February 2024 found seven overcharges on a 50-item lot – a 14% error rate. A follow-up inspection in April 2024 found a 6.33% error rate for 19 overcharges on 300 items, resulting in a $1,005 fine. The store passed inspection in June 2024. The store paid the fine in February.
