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I had to step out of my hiding place to tell everyone about this winner... it happened tonight. Beware, this will be a doozy...
Let me set the stage. My workplace sits in a town/city that is, for all intents and purposes, a drained out swamp. Be that as it may, there are some very nice places around it, and while there are a few dark spots, it is far from "ghetto". My father used to work Downtown DC, Buzzards point, to be specific, so I've seen the real "ghetto". We ain't it. Not according to this woman...
H= Guess who
Sw= Stupid woman
Sg= stupid grandmother
S= Supervisor
A= Other associate
It began when Sw, who was happened to be of African descent (This is important), and her hells...well, the kids were actually pretty good. Ranged from 13 to 17, kept to themselves. She and her children walked up to the Men's register. A had asked me to cover while she went to the restroom, so I did. Sw is on the phone with Sg. I don't know this, just that she is on the phone with someone.
They have a few items in their hand, a dress shirt and tie included.
Sa= How much is this tie?
H= By itself, it is 38 dollars. It is on a buy one get one 50% off deal. If you just want one I would recommend getting brand X, because it is a flat 19.99 per tie.
Sa= Ok. Here (hands the tie to her son) go find one of brand X.
The son goes off to the ties.
Sa= What? Oh, ok. Here.
She then proceeds to hand me the phone. Uh oh...this could be bad...
H= Hello?
Sg= Yeah, how much is the total?
At this point, part of me is hoping that she is just verifying how much the other woman is spending. Think that's all this is? You wouldn't be on this site if you didn't think otherwise.
H= The total is XX.xx, but that's without the tie.
Sg= Tie? I thought they found a tie.
H= It wasn't on sale, so they went to find another.
Sg= Ok.
The son comes back with another tie, the right brand, and color, and I ring it in. I have since handed the phone back to Sw.
H= Ok, the total is XXX.xx.
Sw= Grandma, the total is XXX.xx. Ok, here. She will tell you what to do.
She hands me the phone again...I know what is coming.
H= Hello?
Sg= Yeah, here's my credit card number
Hold it right there! Store policy, as well as common sense says a retail store does not take a credit card over the phone. It is idiotic to think that one would. So I reply as I was trained to do.
H= I'm sorry ma'am, we don't take credit cards over the phone.
Sw= What? Since when?
H= We have never done that.
Sw= Yes you have! I bought a 200 dollar suit from this very store last year, and I did that.
Sg= I have all the information, I can give you anything you ask for.
H= I'm sorry, I can not do this. It is against our policy.
Sw= I've done this here before! I've been to Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom's, and they both did it.
H= I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't take a credit card over the phone.
I hand the phone back to her, just as A walks up.
Sw= What? Oh, yeah, I'll try another associate. Ma'am.
A= yes?
Sw= I am trying to buy clothes for my children, and am trying to use my grandmother's card to do it.
H= She doesn't have the card here, her grandmother is on the phone with the number.
A= I don't think I can do that...we should call a supervisor.
H= Good idea.
Sw= Yeah, call someone.
I pick up the radio.
H= I need an MOD to call mens please.
S= Give me a second to get to the phone.
Phone rings, it's S. I explain the situation, she tells me the same thing. Sw is, of course, appalled again. I hand the phone to her, and she has a conversation with S and Sg at the same time. She must have trained in dual-phone-wielding. S tells the woman that the only way she can do it is for Sg to call credit, and place Sw as a temporary, single time user of the card. Sw asks S if she could come over and talk with her grandmother herself. S agrees and hangs up.
Sw= Yeah...yeah, I know...this is what I get for coming to the ghetto...right, yeah...if I go up to XXX, where all the white people are, they don't have any problem with it...right...
S Comes up, takes the phone from Sw and tries to explain the policy to Sg. She gets interrupted time and time again that it is for security reasons, but the woman won't have it. Finally she gives her the number to call for the temp addition. They hang up and S tells me to call her again if I need her. I thank her, then go back to Sw.
Sw= this is stupid, I don't understand why you can't just take the card. I've done it before!
H= We have no way of validating that the person on the other end of the phone is who she says she is.
Sw= But it's a store card, I don't understand. She has all the information you need.
H= We need a physical ID for the card. Taking card numbers over the phone is a security risk.
Sw= Not for you! I think it's safer then having the card with you. You don't know the person taking the card from you, they could be stealing it themselves.
H= If that's what you believe, then that's fine. But personally, I wouldn't want someone to steal my wallet, then buy something over the phone with my card.
Sw= You work in a mall, no one will steal your wallet. There are too many cameras.
(WHAT THE HEZMANA!?!?! ARE YOU FRELLING SERIOUS?! This lady has GOT to be farbot...pardon my farscapian...)
Finally, she gets in touch with Sg again. Sg tells Sw she has to call a number. She takes the number, calls it...it's another store. Ok, so apparently I am supposed to call credit to verify that Sw is now a one time user of the card. I call up, get a CSR, explain the situation.
CSR= What is the account number?
H= 1234
CSR= and the name of the temp?
H= Sw
CSR= Hm....I don't see an Sw on the account.
H= No?
CSR= nope, nothing close.
H= ok, thank you.
I turn to Sw.
H= She says you aren't on the account.
Sw= What? Hold on. (Calls Sg) Hello? Grandma? Yeah, he called credit and they said I'm not on the account...what? No, that's what you were supposed to do...No, remember they said they won't do that (Apparently Sg didn't want to add Sw onto the account cause she was afraid Sw would have full access, not one time...like, you know...it says in temporary one time user...) ...no, it's what the white lady said when you talked to her...yeah, it's only a one time thing...no, they won't do that...yeah, your right, I don't need to be treated like this...yeah, I'll go to a store where they will do it for me. Yeah, I'll go to XXX, it's the big white area... (Did I mention that I am white? White and nerdy, to be exact...)
Sw walks off, and I let a sigh of relief. I rip up the piece of paper on which I wrote the account number on, and by rip I mean confetti. I don't mess around with account numbers, I don't care how sucky the customer. She comes back about 5 minutes later.
Sw= Can I get the paper you wrote the account info on, so I can rip it up?
H= I already did, see?
I show her the confetti, she says alright. Now my one question...if she hadn't come back for that paper, and I hadn't ripped it to shreds, and someone happened to get the number, then call in that they wanted to buy something...by this woman's logic, I should have just done the sale. Cause, it's obvious that the person is the card holder. They have the number!
Sw= Ok, well I just wanted to make sure.
H= So you don't want to get anything then?
Sw= no, I don't like the way I was treated here...
I hope she goes to the other store and they do exactly the same thing. On a lighter note, I now have a new nickname for S, which I used as I left.
H= By the way, S, you are now officially the White Lady. So...Good night, White Lady!
S= Hey, I've been called worse, so I'll take it!
We close at 9:30, she finally left around 9:10. I normally start cleaning my department around 8:30, but I couldn't do that...cause I was helping this woman...oh well, I open in the morning, so I can get it all straightened out...
Let me set the stage. My workplace sits in a town/city that is, for all intents and purposes, a drained out swamp. Be that as it may, there are some very nice places around it, and while there are a few dark spots, it is far from "ghetto". My father used to work Downtown DC, Buzzards point, to be specific, so I've seen the real "ghetto". We ain't it. Not according to this woman...
H= Guess who
Sw= Stupid woman
Sg= stupid grandmother
S= Supervisor
A= Other associate
It began when Sw, who was happened to be of African descent (This is important), and her hells...well, the kids were actually pretty good. Ranged from 13 to 17, kept to themselves. She and her children walked up to the Men's register. A had asked me to cover while she went to the restroom, so I did. Sw is on the phone with Sg. I don't know this, just that she is on the phone with someone.
They have a few items in their hand, a dress shirt and tie included.
Sa= How much is this tie?
H= By itself, it is 38 dollars. It is on a buy one get one 50% off deal. If you just want one I would recommend getting brand X, because it is a flat 19.99 per tie.
Sa= Ok. Here (hands the tie to her son) go find one of brand X.
The son goes off to the ties.
Sa= What? Oh, ok. Here.
She then proceeds to hand me the phone. Uh oh...this could be bad...
H= Hello?
Sg= Yeah, how much is the total?
At this point, part of me is hoping that she is just verifying how much the other woman is spending. Think that's all this is? You wouldn't be on this site if you didn't think otherwise.
H= The total is XX.xx, but that's without the tie.
Sg= Tie? I thought they found a tie.
H= It wasn't on sale, so they went to find another.
Sg= Ok.
The son comes back with another tie, the right brand, and color, and I ring it in. I have since handed the phone back to Sw.
H= Ok, the total is XXX.xx.
Sw= Grandma, the total is XXX.xx. Ok, here. She will tell you what to do.
She hands me the phone again...I know what is coming.
H= Hello?
Sg= Yeah, here's my credit card number
Hold it right there! Store policy, as well as common sense says a retail store does not take a credit card over the phone. It is idiotic to think that one would. So I reply as I was trained to do.
H= I'm sorry ma'am, we don't take credit cards over the phone.
Sw= What? Since when?
H= We have never done that.
Sw= Yes you have! I bought a 200 dollar suit from this very store last year, and I did that.
Sg= I have all the information, I can give you anything you ask for.
H= I'm sorry, I can not do this. It is against our policy.
Sw= I've done this here before! I've been to Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom's, and they both did it.
H= I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't take a credit card over the phone.
I hand the phone back to her, just as A walks up.
Sw= What? Oh, yeah, I'll try another associate. Ma'am.
A= yes?
Sw= I am trying to buy clothes for my children, and am trying to use my grandmother's card to do it.
H= She doesn't have the card here, her grandmother is on the phone with the number.
A= I don't think I can do that...we should call a supervisor.
H= Good idea.
Sw= Yeah, call someone.
I pick up the radio.
H= I need an MOD to call mens please.
S= Give me a second to get to the phone.
Phone rings, it's S. I explain the situation, she tells me the same thing. Sw is, of course, appalled again. I hand the phone to her, and she has a conversation with S and Sg at the same time. She must have trained in dual-phone-wielding. S tells the woman that the only way she can do it is for Sg to call credit, and place Sw as a temporary, single time user of the card. Sw asks S if she could come over and talk with her grandmother herself. S agrees and hangs up.
Sw= Yeah...yeah, I know...this is what I get for coming to the ghetto...right, yeah...if I go up to XXX, where all the white people are, they don't have any problem with it...right...
S Comes up, takes the phone from Sw and tries to explain the policy to Sg. She gets interrupted time and time again that it is for security reasons, but the woman won't have it. Finally she gives her the number to call for the temp addition. They hang up and S tells me to call her again if I need her. I thank her, then go back to Sw.
Sw= this is stupid, I don't understand why you can't just take the card. I've done it before!
H= We have no way of validating that the person on the other end of the phone is who she says she is.
Sw= But it's a store card, I don't understand. She has all the information you need.
H= We need a physical ID for the card. Taking card numbers over the phone is a security risk.
Sw= Not for you! I think it's safer then having the card with you. You don't know the person taking the card from you, they could be stealing it themselves.
H= If that's what you believe, then that's fine. But personally, I wouldn't want someone to steal my wallet, then buy something over the phone with my card.
Sw= You work in a mall, no one will steal your wallet. There are too many cameras.
(WHAT THE HEZMANA!?!?! ARE YOU FRELLING SERIOUS?! This lady has GOT to be farbot...pardon my farscapian...)
Finally, she gets in touch with Sg again. Sg tells Sw she has to call a number. She takes the number, calls it...it's another store. Ok, so apparently I am supposed to call credit to verify that Sw is now a one time user of the card. I call up, get a CSR, explain the situation.
CSR= What is the account number?
H= 1234
CSR= and the name of the temp?
H= Sw
CSR= Hm....I don't see an Sw on the account.
H= No?
CSR= nope, nothing close.
H= ok, thank you.
I turn to Sw.
H= She says you aren't on the account.
Sw= What? Hold on. (Calls Sg) Hello? Grandma? Yeah, he called credit and they said I'm not on the account...what? No, that's what you were supposed to do...No, remember they said they won't do that (Apparently Sg didn't want to add Sw onto the account cause she was afraid Sw would have full access, not one time...like, you know...it says in temporary one time user...) ...no, it's what the white lady said when you talked to her...yeah, it's only a one time thing...no, they won't do that...yeah, your right, I don't need to be treated like this...yeah, I'll go to a store where they will do it for me. Yeah, I'll go to XXX, it's the big white area... (Did I mention that I am white? White and nerdy, to be exact...)
Sw walks off, and I let a sigh of relief. I rip up the piece of paper on which I wrote the account number on, and by rip I mean confetti. I don't mess around with account numbers, I don't care how sucky the customer. She comes back about 5 minutes later.
Sw= Can I get the paper you wrote the account info on, so I can rip it up?
H= I already did, see?
I show her the confetti, she says alright. Now my one question...if she hadn't come back for that paper, and I hadn't ripped it to shreds, and someone happened to get the number, then call in that they wanted to buy something...by this woman's logic, I should have just done the sale. Cause, it's obvious that the person is the card holder. They have the number!
Sw= Ok, well I just wanted to make sure.
H= So you don't want to get anything then?
Sw= no, I don't like the way I was treated here...
I hope she goes to the other store and they do exactly the same thing. On a lighter note, I now have a new nickname for S, which I used as I left.
H= By the way, S, you are now officially the White Lady. So...Good night, White Lady!
S= Hey, I've been called worse, so I'll take it!
We close at 9:30, she finally left around 9:10. I normally start cleaning my department around 8:30, but I couldn't do that...cause I was helping this woman...oh well, I open in the morning, so I can get it all straightened out...
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