Tesco Ireland Ltd, the supermarket chain, has been fined £3,800 for overcharging and failing to display the price of goods.
The company pleaded guilty to five counts of overcharging and two of not having any price displayed at three of its Dublin stores.
The Dublin District Court was told Director of Consumer Affairs inspectors visited the stores and found grocery items charged at between 5p and £1.13 more than their marked price. The court was also told that since then, Tesco was the second least likely to overcharge, according to a survey carried out earlier this year.
A Consumer Affairs inspector, Mr Philip Duggan, said he called to the company's Sandyford branch four times between October and November last. On one occasion he was charged £1.13 each for two garlic bread rolls which were marked at two for the price of one. Another day he bought a garlic baguette for £1.49, although he should have got one-third off that price. On two other visits, he found no price marked on Pretty Polly tights and Lucozade.
Mr Garret Fennell, a consumer affairs consultant, twice visited the Tesco store at Nutgrove, Rathfarnham, and was overcharged 5p for wholemeal bread, and 10p for a packet of Wrigley chewing gum.
Mr Fennell, who said the items were selected randomly, admitted he was also retained as a consultant by the independent retailers' group, RGDATA.
Ms Emily Egan (instructed by O'Mara, Geraghty and McCourt solicitors) for the Director of Consumer Affairs, said it was accepted Tesco did not intentionally overcharge.
The company came out very well in a State-wide survey which showed it had overcharged on one in every 169 items compared to one in 47 and one in 76 for other unnamed major multiples.
Mr Feichin McDonagh, for Tesco, said the company had a "very extensive" system for checking labelling which unfortunately did not discover these items. It was a failure of the computer system to notice changes on the finishing of certain special offers which led to the overcharging.
Pleading for leniency, he said the company was prepared to make a contribution to Father Peter McVerry's hostels for homeless boys. Judge Michael O'Leary said he had to fine Tesco. He imposed fines totalling £3,800 and ordered the company to pay costs.