How to score free stuff. (long / ranty)

[Nyx]

Firstly, make sure the MOD is a customer kiss ass.

I had woman come through my line with an exchange and a purchase. Seems she had changed her mind about the colors of clay that she had wanted. She had bought three packs of clay at the previous sale price of $0.99 and wished to return them and get the new colors for the same price. Fair enough, so I quickly verified with my FES J (since she was there, but I probably would have done it anyway). So I returned the first three clays and rang in the next three at the overrided price of $0.99, then rang up the rest of her purchase. So negative three dollars plus three dollars equals nothing, an even exchange, yes? She goes on her way and about 15 to 30 minutes later during a rush of customers she comes back, and tells me that I over charged her. I look at her receipt and see just what I did, minus $3 then plus $3. I show her this and she begins her tantrum.

Me = thoughts in italic
DL = dumb lady
C = the MOD

Me - I took of the three clays you returned and added on the three you got, so it's even there's no charge.
DL - But the three I just got are on my receipt!
Me- Yes, because I had to ring the three you just got back into inventory and ring the next three out, but they were the same price so it's an even exchange.
DL - But they're on the receipt, so you never gave me the three dollars back.
Me - No, because you purchased three more.
DL - But then why are they one the receipt?

*lather rinse repeat this crap for what seemed like fng forever *

I had asked her a few times to explain to me what she thought I was saying to her, which must have left her thinking I was confused and didn't know what I was doing. So I finally had enough of her crap and called for C in hopes that he could explain to this idiot what was going on. So He comes over and as I'm trying to explain to him what happened this rude biotch in line behind me pipes up and repeats what DL was saying. She tells me "You charged her even though she was returning." I wanted to turn around and tell her that she had no idea what was going on and that it was none of her business so shut up, but alas I couldn't. *sigh* So I just said "Ma'am please let me handle this." I explain it to C, and I, of course, didn't get the back up I was looking for.

C - So give her her money back.
Me - But she's doing an exchange. (I didn't even finish this sentence before he walked away)
Me - Fine it's not my fing money
So I give the bh the money and as I'm doing this she pipes up and like she's talking to a small child asks me "You still don't understand do you?" Somehow I kept my mouth shut and didn't say a word to her or look at her through the rest of the transaction (I might have lost it other wise). Then I did what I always do in that situation, I lather on the smiles and friendlys to the next person in line while the SC is in ear shot.

Later after the rush I had C come back to sign the return slip and told him...

Me - You know she just got $3 free right?
C - Why what happened?
Me- why didn't you ask me that when it was relevant!?!?!? *I explain the situation again*
C - Oh, oh well. *walks off*

By this time FES J had come back from lunch and I told her what happened and she couldn't believe he did that either and I asked to go on break. Thing is I rarely take breaks, I'm only in for a few short hours anyway and I like to get my work done, but I think I deserved one after that. So I don't know who I'm more angry at, the dumb lady, the interrupting biotch, or my manager for not showing any spine. Is a little backup to much to ask!? Especially when I was right and trying to save the company some money.

[depechemodefan]

a world of "ugh." I work with spineless managers so I do sympathize. And I don't know why people butt in. One time when I worked in Walgreens they had a sign saying "if we don't give you a receipt we give you $5." I was sacking this woman's purchases when she asked if I gave her her receipt. I said "yes" and but then noticed I didn't. I still didn't think the transaction wasn't over, since I was still sacking her stuff and she didn't walk away. But Cun'zilla behind was saying "you should get $5, she didn't give you a receipt." ANd the lady was being nice, saying that it wasn't a problem but Cun'zilla would shut the -up so the lady asked for the $5. I call the manager, who happened to be the limp noodle manager. He comes over, I tell him what happened, he said he would be back...and never came back. So while waiting for the manager I ring up Cun'zilla's purchase and she was all friendly, joking, "why don't you forget to give me my receipt so I can get the $5? hee hee!" I ignore her and decide to give the $5 to the first woman from the till since the manager never came back.

[Apathy]

I'd say be equally mad at everyone.

SC: For being too stupid to function in real life
Manager: For being a spineless douchebag
Interrupter: For being an all around nosy jackass who can't mind her own damn business
Walmart: For creating the current society in which SCness flourishes

[Plaidman]

.... Its simple math. +3-3 will always equal Zero. Maybe she skipped kindgarten?

In anycase, I'm so glad exchanges and returns are made on the register, and no recipt is given. Makes things easier for all.

[simplyanother]

Only certain cases are we not to give the customer the receipt back, but damned if I can remember any of them right now.

We have a new return policy. If you return something without a receipt---it used to be you'd get whatever it was for sale for--RIGHT NOW, on store credit. It's still the same, except--if the item isn't on promotion, and is regular price, you get it for regular price minus 20%. Not that big of a deal, but I suspect many people were buying shit on sale, and returning them for regular price...free money at the craft store!

Too bad it's not a higher precentage....like 30 or 50% That'd be awesome. "Yeah, I can return these for you....."

Can you imagine the drama?

[JLG]

Wow! I think sometimes receipts confuse customers. When I am the M.O.D and I get called up for a situation where everyone at once is trying to explain what is going on I take one story at a time until I understand it. I listen to the associate first and then the customer. I repeat the story back to the associate to make sure I am getting it right.

One night I got called up front because a lady did not understand why she had to sign two receipts for an exchange. She returned some items and purchased more than she returned and used a credit card for her purchase. She had to sign the exchange receipt showing what she returned and purchased. That is for OUR records and we know what transactions the service desk people are doing. The other receipt she had to sign was for her purchase being put on her credit card. She did not understand this and was insisting that we were charging her twice because she had to sign twice. I tried to explain to her over and over again that she was signing one for her return/exchange and the other because her purchase was being paid with a credit card. Finally I told her that she was making this whole thing more complicated than it really was.

[Gerrinson]

I'm very sorry you're stuck with an invertabrate manager who can't be bothered to verify the situation with the staff before making a snap decision.

The SC sounds like an old grocery store customer we had, I've posted about it before somewhere, but the short version:

Buy 1 get 2 free items would ring in price of all three, then deduct 2 of them. Each time we had one, he'd buy a ton of stuff, go up the to the service desk and howl about how we 'overcharged' him and we were 'lying ripoffs' etc. And each time the desk staff or the MOD would just cave and refund the guy the cost of the two free items for each sale. He often took home more money than he brought, which only encourages repeats.

Until the day he got me at the desk. I ran his order on a calculator tape, showing him what it would be if we did charge full price for everything. And a tape showing the price with the sale which came to the same total as what he paid. He denied it, went from loud, to yelling, to screaming, until the store manager came down. This SM had a spine and told the guy that he had to stop shouting, couldn't be abusive to the staff, was trying to scam the store out of money, and not only was he not getting a refund he didn't deserve, but he wasn't allowed back in the store, either. SM then called corporate and explained why he had a customer trespassed.

That was one of the few managers I ever saw at the grocery store who would back up the staff.

[Jbball]

What a stupid bitch. I don't know how you didn't explode on her. I really think I would've lost my mind and screamed at her while walking off the job. If your support team (managers) will not back you up, then there's no point of being there when there's plent of better jobs in the world.

[Fiyero]

That reminds me why i don't miss working in retail. I would have refunded the return then do an entirely new purchase (then it would be 2 separate receipts).

Quite often when I am asked to sign several things when making a purchase or doing a return I will ask what each one is, better safe than sorry (Thinking mainly of one shop where they ran my card through the main till AND a separate card reader - alarm bells in my head for that one)

[greensinestro]

Again, my faith in humanity always drops when I read things like this. In the end, I think the biotch who bought the clay is the one I would be mad at the most. It sounds to me like it was a scam she planned before leaving her house. What really would have upset me is when she says "You still don't understand, do you?" as if she's making sure to rub in the fact that she got her way on this. I'm sure it's not the first time she's done this either.

Florida has its share of nosy people, and I have seen my share of people pipe up when it's a situation that's none of their business. Maybe this person was a collaborator being scam artists often work in pairs. Then again, she was probably another SC who always thinks she's right because she's the customer, and I'm sure she's done this sort of thing before.

Finally, your manager is not only spineless, he's simply a wimp. From the way you told this, he didn't want to deal with this situation at all being he walked off while you were explaining the situation. He probably also felt it was not a big deal since it was only $3.

I think you handled this whole situation rather well, considering it was three against one here. I know other people would have quit, or mouthed off.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Know how there's such a thing as a stupidity tax?

This is what I call a "stupidity tax refund"--being stupid (possibly deliberately) in hopes you'll get what you want.

Also, if manager C is going to be such a puss that he gives a customer a free $3 to shut them up, HE should be the one signing into the register and processing the return, so that later on if the subject ever comes up again, he can't toss you under the bus and claim you made the wrong decision.

[unclejampuff]

People who butt in while I'm "explaining" things to a customer annoy me to no end.