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1. How can one tell if a scale has been approved?

When a device passes its annual inspection, a blue seal of approval is placed on it. If its results are incorrect, the scale is rejected for use until corrected. Samples of the blue seals of approval can be found on scales at a supermarket or pumps at a gas station.

2. How does the City ensure that citizens receive their money’s worth when buying items like meat, milk and gasoline?

In New Jersey, all large cities and most counties have weights and measures inspectors working to protect consumers from unfair practices. 

Scale & Bar Code Inspections

Highly accurate equipment is used to test and inspect scales and bar code scanners at:

• Food stores
• Hardware stores
• Meat processing plants
• Scrap yards
• Pharmacies
• Precious metals buyers

Additional Inspections

In addition, inspections are performed on:

• Gasoline dispensers
• Heating oil truck meters
• Propane meters
• Taxi meters
• Timing devices and counting devices
• Water meters

Many forms of taxes and fees are based on weight or measurement.

3. What are the consequences of using an incorrect scale in a business establishment (as a means to charge consumers)?

A scale that is incorrect by one ounce on each weighing, making 100 weighs a day for 300 days a year at a unit price of $2 per pound, will cause an error of $3,750 per year. An error of 3 tablespoons in 5 gallons on a gasoline pump will result in an error of thousands of dollars per year at today's average prices.