Where does it say all retailers must operate the exact same way?

[Food Lady]

One of the new cashiers had a question: the customer wanted to know if we could look up her store credit card because she forgot it. I told her we couldn't; it was a security thing. When she kept kind of protesting I said that we didn't even have any software that would allow us to do so. So she came out with this gem: "So your computer runs differently than all the other stores'."
Yeah, and you know, not only do we not necessarily use the same system as our competitor, but two other companies could even have programs different from each other!
I just walked away.

[MoonCat]

"All" the other stores? What, has she done a survey of every store in existence? What a twit.

[Mr Hero]

I know that The Other Place (TM) lets you look up your credit card in case you forget it.

[raudf]

Heh, sometimes, not even different branches of the same chain have different programs. The MW store could look up store credit cards, but the repair center could no. Our computers, with the exception of the register, ran totally different programs, because the last thing we needed was for the store idiots....err... sales staff to schedule tech calls. Especially given how often they screwed things up as it was.

[notalwaysright]

She should come to any store at my company. As far as I know, we can't look up gift cards (which is how store credit is issued) and we can't look up if you are on our mailing list.

On a side note, when someone asks if we have an coupons (no!) I ask if they have a smart phone. I'm able to show many people how to get coupons that way. And no, I don't always make them sign up for anything, sometimes I just point them to the website. Anyways, I'm amazed at how many people say they forgot it, or it's dead, or something. Not saying it's sucky, just as a general comment.

[drjonah]

Yeah my SC's love to try to tell me I should let them do certain things because 'Awful-mart does it!'

And then I shut them up by pointing out that the Awful-mart right down the road, the sales they do in one WEEK is equivalent to the sales my store does for an entire YEAR. So they can afford to do certain things differently.

[Food Lady]

I always want to say--well, actually I have said--"We're not Awful-Mart." Just...the idea that all stores in the mall are the same company or all retailers are the same company. I know there are companies that own a lot of brands, but they don't own everything.