I don’t like sneaky business ethics. Unfortunately, there are too many store owners around that have sneaky business ethics.

In my area, there are many Mom and Pop type groceries around. While Mom and Pops sometimes sell items cheaply that make it worth your while to shop there, many times these local stores try to take advantage of the fact that you will be buying there anyhow, no matter the price, because of the location.

I got a question from a reader. She asked me how one buys fruits and veggies in season if I don’t keep records from month to month and when local stores don’t even write down the prices of the produce sometimes. Yes. You read that correctly.

Some local stores think you are so desperate for food and aren’t willing to travel any distance to buy food that they will not even label produce with their current prices. The owners of these Mom and Pops assume that if your shopping list says “Cucumbers” you will buy them no matter what the cost, and that if the peaches look luscious enough, they’ll make your way into your shopping cart as well.

Do not fall into this trap! Always find out the price of an item before you put it in your shopping cart!

My local Mom and Pop sometimes tries to pull this trick in the produce section, the refrigerators, and in the freezer section.

Although it makes your shopping trip last a little bit longer, try doing the following:

Call over a worker in the store.

“Sir, how much do these carrots cost?”

He answers and then is about to run off.

“No, wait. How much are tomatoes? And cucumbers? And potatoes? And onions? What about those zucchinis?” Hold the storekeeper hostage with your questions.

Make sure to find out the prices of all the fruits and vegetables on your shopping list, and only then release the storekeeper.

Don’t fall into the trap of buying expensive foods, merely because the storekeeper didn’t list a price. Nudge him, nag him, get him annoyed as possible with your incessant questions. Perhaps if he gets annoyed enough he’ll start listing the prices on all the foods in the store and you’ll have helped others from falling into the trap of buying expensive, unmarked foods.

Penniless Parenting’s Rule # 2:  Never buy an item until you know how much it costs!