Section 184C Price marking of food and grocery items - Massachusetts Statutes

Section 184C. Except as hereinafter provided, every item in a food store and every grocery item in a food department offered for sale, whether edible or not, shall have each unit individually marked with the correct selling price. All prices represented to the consumer for the same item shall be consistent with each other and to the price rung up and charged for the item. The seller shall be responsible for the completeness and accuracy of all price marking.

The following classes of items are exempt from the price marking requirement of this section; provided, however, that the cashier can readily discern the price of the exempted item, that no exempted item is marked with an incorrect price, that the exempted item is on a current price list maintained by the seller as hereinafter provided and that a clear and conspicuous separate sign, or a single sign in the case of similar items all priced the same, larger than the seller’s regular unit price label with the price no smaller than one inch high, is placed at the point of display of each exempted item containing the name of the item, the correct price, and, if appropriate, the size or other distinguishing information:—

(1) unpackaged: produce, meat, fish, poultry, delicatessen, bakery items, and any other unpackaged items offered from a bulk display, except that any such item weighted or wrapped to order by the food store or food department but paid for at a place other than at the point of such weighing or wrapping shall have the correct price marked on the item;

(2) gallons and half gallons of milk;

(3) eggs;

(4) cigarettes, cigars, tobacco and tobacco products;

(5) individual units within a multi-unit package if the package is correctly price marked;

(6) snack foods such as cakes, gum, candy, chips, and nuts if offered for sale individually, weigh less than three ounces, cost seventy-five cents or less, and are located at the checkout area;

(7) individual greeting cards; provided, however, that such cards are marked with a price code readily understandable by the consumer;

(8) individual glass jars of baby food of the same brand and price where vegetable or fruit is the predominant ingredient other than water, but not including juices; provided, however, that if offered for sale by a seller with an automatic checkout system they are coded, or if offered by a seller without such system, they are on an easily referenced price list at each cash register;

(9) soft drink bottles and cans; provided, however, that items are fully and accurately price marked at their regular shelf location and the seller maintains a list of such items as required by section one hundred and eighty-four D;

(10) not more than sixty items that are located in end-aisle displays; provided, however, that if offered for sale by a seller with an automatic checkout system they are coded, or if offered by a seller without such system they are on an easily referenced price list at each cash register; and provided, further, that such items are fully and accurately price marked at their regular shelf location, and the seller maintains a list of such items as required by section one hundred and eighty-four D. Said sixty item limit shall be reduced by seventy-five percent in the case of a food department. For the purpose of determining whether a seller has exceeded said sixty item limit, units of an item which differ only by color, flavor or scent shall be considered the same item if they are otherwise identical in all respects including price, size, and brand, unless in a particular case the director of standards determines that such units are different items;

(11) frozen food products.