Have you ever bought a pound of sliced Swiss cheese two weeks in a row and noticed that one week it felt a little lighter than the other? Perhaps you were concerned that somebody at the grocery store was putting their thumb on the scale, maybe making a little extra profit by fiddling with the weights?
Could it be a conspiracy?
Maybe. But if so, it's one that's gone unreported at least in the past year.
A spokesperson for the State of Colorado told Denverite that no stores have been busted for this practice in the city in the past 12 months.
In fact, no complaints have been filed.
It's not like calling in the strong arm of the law about weights and measurements is a particularly direct process. There is no 911-type number pounded into the heads of members of the general public about where to lob a gripe.
Could it be that people just don't know how to let officials know about possible bad behavior?
Denverite asked the state about how weights and measurements are regulated and what to do if you suspect a company's fudging the numbers.
Colorado's official weights and measures standard is set and maintained by the State Metrology Laboratory. The organization works on behalf of both government and private businesses.
That body calibrates mass, length, volume, time, frequency and grain moisture standards, explained Olga Robak, a spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
In the mix of all that calibration: the scales at grocery stores.
Weights and measurements, statewide, are then verified by 16 Colorado Department of Agriculture Inspection and Consumer Services inspectors based out of Denver. Measurement Standards inspectors certify the scales and check packages to make sure customers are getting at a minimum the amount of any given product a package states.
When a complaint is filed, the inspectors go on the scene and evaluate whether the scales are calibrated to the state's standards.
And what happens if a store is busted for messing with the numbers?
"Misrepresentation of a price is a violation of the Colorado Measurement Standards Act," according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture website. "Price verification tests (scan tests) are done in stores throughout the state on a routine basis. If more than 2% of prices checked are overcharged, a fine may be issued and the test is repeated soon after the failure. All overcharges found must be corrected. In addition, our office investigates consumer complaints."
If you have a grievance about weights and measures to file, you can do so here. There is one caveat. If your gripe is about how gas is being dispensed, contact the Weights and Measures Section of the Division of Oil and Public Safety at 303-318-8525 or by email at [email protected].
