Store Networks
Part of Electronic shelf labels
Testing price consistency between shelf and checkout
Use a defined store sample to compare actual shelf prices with checkout, trace mismatches and check promotion changeovers.
Compare the price on the actual shelf label with what checkout would charge for the same product, store and moment. Use the approved price record to diagnose a mismatch, but inspect the shelf: a system status cannot show that the label is beside the right product.
Define what is being compared
Set a cut-off time and identify the saleable item by barcode or store identifier, pack or variant, store and shelf position. Record any promotion conditions. Decide whether the check covers an ordinary price, a special, a loyalty offer or a multi-buy. Test conditional offers under their stated conditions and check what other shoppers would pay.
Use the checkout path customers actually use. A back-office price file shows an intended price, not necessarily the amount charged. An approved checkout preview may help, but record any discounts or conditions it cannot apply. Where a completed transaction is needed, follow the store's authorised testing and reversal procedure.
Include price changeovers
Select a defined set of ordinary items, recently changed prices and promotions about to start or end. Include lookalike variants, multi-buy conditions and labels that have been moved or replaced. Record observation times: the shelf and checkout may change at different points in a release.
| Record | What to note |
|---|---|
| Physical shelf | Product beside the label, displayed price and offer conditions. |
| Checkout | Amount and conditions applied to the same item at the test time. |
| Approved record | Authorised price, store and effective period. |
| Label system | Intended update, label association and available status. |
| Outcome | Match, explained conditional difference or unresolved mismatch. |
Respond while investigating
If checkout and a displayed or advertised price differ, staff should handle the customer under the retailer's approved procedure while the error is escalated.
Record the item, shelf position, both prices, time, offer conditions and action taken. Then trace the likely break point: the approved record, checkout release, label update or physical placement. Correct the cause and repeat the shelf-to-checkout comparison. Keep the case open until both customer-facing points have been checked again.
If the retailer is covered by the Unit Pricing Code, include unit pricing in the check. Matching selling prices do not establish that the unit price is right.
Report the limits of the check
State the products, stores, times, offer conditions and checkout method tested. Report mismatches by cause and resolution instead of giving one unexplained accuracy percentage. Repeat at later promotion transitions and after integration changes. A sample can expose defects in the conditions tested; it cannot prove that every label will remain correct.
