Physical Measurement Laboratory

Office of Weights and Measures

Weights and Measures in the News

A variety of fresh vegetables on the store shelf. Farm produce. Natural background.

Credit: Adobe Stock

Safeway, Albertsons, Vons settle price overcharges, false weight advertising complaint for nearly $4M

Supermarket News
By: Bill Wilson, Senior editor at Supermarket News
October 4, 2024

Credit: Adobe Stock

Home Depot Settles Violations Related to California Price Accuracy Law for $1,977,251

Sonoma County District Attorney
Santa Rosa, CA
September 16, 2024

Home Depot to pay $2 million settlement for overcharging customers

CNN
By: Ramishah Maruf
September 14, 2024

Credit: Adobe Stock

How we ensure the high value of fair scales

California County Weights and Measures officials ensure the trust and transparency of everyday consumer transactions, from buying bulk produce to fuel at the pump.
Farm Progress
By: Todd Fitchette
September 10, 2024

Photo of Hand holding a gas pump handle pumping gas into a vehicle

Credit: Getty

FUELING RAGE: ‘It’s illegal,’ says 7-Eleven shopper as she’s overcharged 77 cents a gallon – company’s ‘reply’ left her stunned

The U.S. Sun
By: Debbie White, U.S. News Reporter
Published: 10:37 ET, August 16, 2024
Updated: 9:29 ET, August 19, 2024

Credit: Photo courtesy of Kistler

New York City DOT Tackles Overweight Truck Problem

ENRNewYork
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) is frequently used by overweight trucks.
By: Marigo Farr
August 1, 2024

Man pushing a shopping cart at the supermarket

Credit: Adobe Stock

Consumer Reports: Save bucks by using 'unit pricing' when shopping

ABC4 Utah
Consumer tip: Use unit pricing to identify the best value for your money.
July 29, 2024

Credit: NPR, Planet Money

How to fight shrinkflation? Pay attention to unit prices at grocery stores

National Public Radio (NPR)
The Planet Money podcast describes how to use unit pricing and current shrinkflation challenges facing U.S. consumers.
By: Greg Rosalsky
July 9, 2024

Northeastern University students tour the Massachusetts state metrology laboratory, observing the state standards, as well as the precision weighing and volumetric calibration processes

Credit: Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Division of Standards’ Metrology Laboratory: Scientific Study in the Heart of Ashland Benefitting Consumers

Massachusetts Consumer Affairs Blog
Northeastern University students tour the Massachusetts state metrology laboratory, observing the state standards, as well as the precision weighing and volumetric calibration processes.
June 24, 2024

Modern, brightly lit supermarket aisle with stocked shelves and refrigeration units, showcasing a variety of products and organized layout.

Credit: Adobe Stock

New Jersey fines Walmart over in-store pricing practices

Reuters
New Jersey Attorney General and the Division of Consumer Affairs regulators and U.S. retailer Walmart reach a settlement over allegations of unlawful pricing practices at 64 retail stores.
June 18, 2024

*Furnace Creek Visitor Center in Death Valley National Park in California, United States*
Credit: Adobe Stock

Here's the real reason the U.S. doesn't use the metric system

National Geographic
By: Erin Blakemore
June 18, 2024

Graphic Image of Blue Electric Car at Charging Station

Credit: Adobe Stock

Vermont’s EV chargers

CBS Channel 3
Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, Weights and Measures Program begins Electric Vehicle (EV) fueling system charging station testing.
June 7, 2024

Your movie theater may be shortchanging your drinks, a lawsuit alleges

CNN
By: Samantha Delouya
April 19, 2024

Credit: Adobe Stock

Memorandum for Departments and Agencies Participating in the White House Cislunar Technology Strategy Interagency Working Group

Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
White House directs NASA to develop lunar time standard based on the International System of Units.
April 2, 2024

Credit: Adobe Stock

Dynamic pricing is coming to grocery stores

National Public Radio (NPR) All Things Considered
March 17, 2024

Credit: Adobe Stock

State lab consolidation is taking shape

West Virginia, WCHS Network
February 19, 2024

Man in grocery store reach for a box of mac and cheese

Consumers are increasingly pushing back against price increases — and winning

AP Business News
February 25, 2024

Credit: Credit: xkcd.com

xkcd: US Survey Foot Comic

Gasoline Fuel Dispenser — *Gasoline fuel dispenser*
Credit: Adobe Stock

'It scares me': Residents successfully push for gas station to fix 'pump creep' (ktnv.com)

KTNV, Las Vegas, Nevada
January 26, 2024

The United Kingdom intends to recognize CE-marked weighing and measuring instruments indefinitely.

NIST
By: Jan Konijnenburg
January 24, 2024

Image of George Washington (Nate Bargatze) tells his soldiers (Kenan Thompson, Mikey Day, Bowen Yang, James Austin Johnson) his dream for the country.

Credit: SNL

Saturday Night Live skit on Weights and Measures - Washington's Dream
YouTube
October 29, 2023

Credit: Alexander Kirk, Briana Fernandez

Scammers are drilling holes into gas pump payment machines

KUSA-TV, Denver, CO
By: Alexander Kirk, Briana Fernandez
September 27, 2023

Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains…Will the U.S. Adopt the Metric System?
Why didn’t the US switch to the metric system? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice breakdown how Americans are sliding closer to using the metric system, what measurements would change, and which will stay the same. What if time was metric?

StarTalk
September 26, 2023

Timestamps:

00:00 - Metric in the US
6:56 - Soda, Electricity, & Engines
12:55 - Do We Keep Celcius?
14:30 - Why Don’t We Like The Metric System?
16:00 - Getting the Units Wrong

Credit: Missouri Department of Agriculture

Missouri attorney general sues Dollar General over deceptive pricing practices

KTVO News (Kirksville, MO)
By: Nicolas Fuchs
September 13, 2023
Additional Resources on this topic: NIST OWM Examination Procedure for Price Verification Frequently Asked Questions

Credit: North Carolina Department of Agriculture

How Weights and Measures Regulations Protect Consumers Behind the Scenes

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA)
By: Sarah Grace Fowler
August 23, 2023

Media Caption: NC Director of Standards Division discusses his career in agriculture

two thermometers, one Farenheit and one Celcius, showing the boiling and freezing temperatures

Credit: NBC

Why does the US use Fahrenheit instead of Celsius? NBC (English Language) and Telemundo (Spanish Language)

NBC’s Miguel Estrada discusses United States temperature scale use with Elizabeth Benham, NIST Metric Program and Don Hillger, US Metric Association President.
August 14, 2023