Allegheny County Weights and Measures team ensures consumers are getting their money's worth
When you head to the gas station, grab the gas pump, and fill up your car, is a gallon of gas truly a gallon?
Or, when you head to the grocery store, order your favorite meat at the deli counter, is a pound really a pound? If finances are tight, it's certainly a good idea to know if you're getting your money's worth.
The county inspection team works to verify prices, weights, and measurements
The task is monumental, but your hard-earned money is on the line, so one team takes its work very seriously. A gallon is not a gallon unless Frank Pollock and his team say it is.
"It's a plus-two, so on this pump, the customer is getting about that much extra," Pollock, the Chief Inspector for Allegheny County Weights and Measures.
Across the more than 400 gas stations in Allegheny County, all of them have multiple pumps, and each of them pumps multiple grades of gas. That's where Pollock's team comes in.
"What we'll do is, we'll pump five gallons from each grade once per year, usually once per calendar year," he explained.
As chief inspector, Pollock and his team of four level their cans, pump in the gas, and make sure it's within the tolerance.
"We are looking at a plus-three," he said. "So, [that means] you're getting a little extra on the everyday, 87-grade gas."
That's a little extra, as Pollock said, and now the gas station has 30 days to get it recalibrated.
"If the pump is giving out too little, we wire the pump shut so the customers cannot use it," he said.
Is this a common problem across Allegheny County?
Pollock did say that it doesn't happen very often, and it doesn't really matter if it's a new station or an old one; there's only one trend he is not a fan of.
"The areas that are less affluent, sometimes we find most of the problems," he said.
Pollock's team is not just checking gas pumps; they also check the scales at deli counters, so those stickers you see at your local grocer, those come from Pollock's team.
They're making sure you're getting what you're paying for at the gas pump, deli scales, timing devices, and price tags.
When they find an issue, that's when the red cards or stickers come out.
"I think our entire staff takes it personally," he said. "We really enjoy protecting the consumers."
When they do their inspections, there isn't a warning, they show up unannounced. Pollock also encourages consumers, if they think someone's scale, pump, or timer is off, to let the county know, and they'll look into it.
What is a "timing device," and how do they check it?
So, you may be asking yourself, a timing meter, what is that?
Well, simply put, they put a stopwatch on parking meters or dryers at the laundromat to make sure you're getting the time that you paid for.
Along with timing devices, they also go into stores to verify that the price on the shelf is what comes up at the register when you check out.