(MONEY Magazine) – Thanks for April's "Don't Get Cheated by Supermarket Scanners," your consumer alert on overcharges at the checkout counter. Every shopper should watch the price readout on the cash register. But sometimes that's not possible for someone like me because, to avoid finding my seedless grapes crushed by cans, I do my own bagging. So here's my compromise: When unloading the grocery cart onto the checkout belt, I put all the special sale items in front, along with anything that has no price tag or a price tag that seems erroneous to me. Since these are the items a scanner is most likely to overcharge you for, I watch them being rung in before I begin bagging. I later review the rest of the goods on paper. And here's another tip: If I am disputing a charge, I always accompany the clerk who is sent to make a price check. This allows me to find out for sure if my memory was accurate. If not, I apologize. An apology has been necessary only once. J.A. Robins Philadelphia

I find it a challenge to go food shopping. I have been charged $7.99 a pound for green peppers that were 49 cents a pound. I am continually overcharged, as you pointed out, on the sale items of the week. Whenever I think I'm being cheated, I dare to hold up lines and ask for price checks on items before I pay. You should do the same. Don't let yourself be intimidated by people waiting behind you or by store employees. Irene Szabo Irvine, Calif.

Why not have scanners around the store so customers can check prices as they pick items off the shelf? James S. Vergotz Pittsburgh