Could use advice regarding customers and management

[snugglegirl05]

I could use advice regarding customers and management.

This particular situation happened twice at work. Sunday was the first time. Monday was the second time.

A particular race of customers claimed that I short-changed them.

So Kroger management counted down my till to make sure that I was not over the amount the customer claimed he was. I was only over 90 cents on Sunday when this happened. The customer claimed that I short-changed him $3.00. The supervisor on duty literally took $3.00 out of my till because he "did not want to deal with this customer anymore".

Then on Monday another customer claimed that I short-changed her as well. So the Customer Service Manager counted down my till to make sure that I was not over the amount she claimed I short-changed her, which was $5.00. According to the CSM there was too much rolls of change in my till. She also gave the customer the money she claimed she was owed because she too "did no want to deal with this customer".

I am getting tired of dealing with this at work.

What is the best approach to the customers who do this and to management who takes money out of my till because "they do not want to deal with the customer"?

[csquared]

First off, are you being help accountable for the money that the manager hands out? If so, that needs to be taken up with someone higher up.

If not, then I would assume that the manager has the authority to hand out the money at their discretion. If that is the case, there is not much you can do. Scammers will be scammers and spineless manager will be spineless.

The only other thing to do is take measures to make you less likely of a target. If you show extra caution in counting back the money, they will be less likely to challenge you. Talk with your manager about this.

[wolfie]

Management shouldn't be giving out money from YOUR till without putting in a note signed by them stating how much was taken out and for what purpose. After all, you are accountable for that money, and without the note you'll be short.

[snugglegirl05]

Management shouldn't be giving out money from YOUR till without putting in a note signed by them stating how much was taken out and for what purpose. After all, you are accountable for that money, and without the note you'll be short.

So how should I go about having this done?

[scruff]

So how should I go about having this done?

Ask them sweetly while they are there handing the money over, purely in the interests of accurate bookkeeping of course.

If they are slow about that, you can fill out a note yourself while the customer is still arguing with the manager, and then ask them to sign it and date it as they hand the money over.

[csquared]

How was it accounted for the two time that they did it? Did they say you were short?

[snugglegirl05]

How was it accounted for the two time that they did it? Did they say you were short?

I was not made aware of my shortages.

Today when I got to work the Front End Assistant Manager counted my bank along with me. He is the only Kroger employee in a supervisory role who does this. Today was the first time he has done this with me.

Earlier this week when he was the closing manger on duty a male customer came back to the store and told him that $40.00 worth of meat did not end up in his cart when the bagger at the register he checked out bagged his groceries. That bagger told him that he always checks to make sure that he did not miss anything. He came to my line to pay for his replacement and told me that the meat department could not find the original missing package of meat.

No other manager or supervisor does this.

[bainsidhe]

I find that verbalizing the payment is helpful. For one thing it reaffirms the payment amount and reduces the likelihood of confusion. You can also count the change back to them. For example:

OP: Your total is $XX.XX
SC: *hands over payment*
OP: Ok, that's out of Twenty. *Rings it in and places in till* Your change is $8.76, that's Five, six seven, eight, and your change. Thank you.

[katzklaw]

I find that verbalizing the payment is helpful. For one thing it reaffirms the payment amount and reduces the likelihood of confusion. You can also count the change back to them. For example:

OP: Your total is $XX.XX
SC: *hands over payment*
OP: Ok, that's out of Twenty. *Rings it in and places in till* Your change is $8.76, that's Five, six seven, eight, and your change. Thank you.

this is what i do, and it works very very well. also, when i remember i tend to lay the bill i'm given on top of the open drawer instead of actually placing in a slot. that way if they say "no, i gave you a X bill, you can say "here is the bill you gave me"

[snugglegirl05]

this is what i do, and it works very very well. also, when i remember i tend to lay the bill I'm given on top of the open drawer instead of actually placing in a slot. that way if they say "no, i gave you a X bill, you can say "here is the bill you gave me"

This is a great idea.

I will put this to use the next time I get one of these customers.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Bonus points if they claim... 'no,I gave you a 20'...open drawer,we don't have any 20s in there....
then they'd claim you'd hidden it somewhere....

[dalesys]

...OP: Ok, that's out of Twenty. *Rings it in and places in till* Your change is $8.76, that's Five, six seven, eight, and your change. Thank you.

... lay the bill i'm given on top of the open drawer instead of actually placing in a slot...

Always do these. They will help in most, but not all cases (barring scammers and the terminally confused).

Watch for snatch & run attempts on the loose bill(s).

[bainsidhe]

Watch for snatch & run attempts on the loose bill(s).

This is the reason I never did the popular method of placing the bill on top of the drawer until the transaction was complete. In every placed I've cashiered, the till was within easy reach of customers. I found it much safer and more efficient to quickly get in and out of the till. Not every place has the same setup, of course.

[CyberLurch]

This is a great idea.

I will put this to use the next time I get one of these customers.

Do this with EVERY customer. It puts the kibosh on 'wrong change' scammers before they can even open their mouth. At my former convenience store job, it was just the way it was done, because in that neighborhood, virtually everyone was trying to run a game of some kind.

[workerbee222]

OP: Your total is $XX.XX
SC: *hands over payment*
OP: Ok, that's out of Twenty. *Rings it in and places in till* Your change is $8.76, that's Five, six seven, eight, and your change. Thank you.

Don't do this with *one of these* customers. Do it for *every single customer,* or you can be accused of discrimination.
"A particular race of customers claimed that I short-changed them." Do not say this out loud, to anyone at work.