This is from a few years ago at the store where I work. The store sends out its own coupons to the customers in the mail (although sometimes people don't get them -- not our fault, it's corporate), but we also take manufacturer's coupons. And store policy is to only accept two coupons per item -- one store coupon, one manufacturer's. In other words: NO, you can't use two store coupons on the same item, NO, you can't use two manufacturer's coupons on the same item, NO, you can't use a coupon with another store's name on it.
So, it's late in the evening at work, and this couple comes through my line and buys over $100 worth of stuff.
And then they hand this HUGE wad of coupons, about the size of a softball. Immediately I know that a lot of them will be invalid. So I start sorting through them first.
~ More than half of the coupons were expired.
~ Of the ones that WEREN'T expired, at least a third were for other stores.
~ Of the ones that weren't for other stores, half of those were for brands that we don't carry. They'd bought something similar, but not identical.
SC demands to know why I'm not scanning the coupons.
J2K: Because, sir, a lot of these are coupons that we can't take.
SC: Why not?
J2K: Because THESE *points to one stack* are expired--
SC: The cashier took them last time.
Right. And maybe last time they weren't expired yet, or if they were, the cashier was an idiot or something.
J2K: Well, it might be one thing if they were a day expired, but most of those expired more than a week ago. And THESE *points to another stack* are for [competitor], [grocery store], or [another grocery store], and so we can't take them--
SC: No they're not.
J2K: Look here, sir, you can see the [grocery store] logo on this one, and this one, and this one says [competitor] here. And THESE *points to last stack* are for items you didn't get.
SC: Yes, I did, look!
J2K: Sir, that's [different brand], not [coupon's brand]. I can't take it.
I go back to sorting through the rest of the wad of coupons, and still separating them into separate stacks, and now SC is getting pissed off because his attempt at scamming us out of all this money isn't working.
SC: JUST TAKE THEM!
J2K: I'm sorry, sir, I can't do that. I CAN take THESE coupons *point to stack of valid coupons* but not the rest. You can go over to the service desk after I've rung you up if you'd like to talk to a manager.
SC and his wife grumble as I scan the valid coupons, and I point to the expired stack.
J2K: Did you want me to throw those away for you?
SC: Why?
J2K: Well, they're expired.
SC: No. Give them back.
So I do. If they want to throw them out, fine, if they want to try to scam someone else, fine. I just want this jackass out of my line now. So he pays for his stuff, grabs his invalid coupons, and marches over to the service desk. Leaves his cart at my register, too. I just wheel it over next to the desk, and go back to my line.
SC did try to complain, of course, but didn't get anywhere. So he ended up RETURNING EVERYTHING and walking out.
Far too often, I'll get people who would rather not buy anything than not get EVERY coupon they hand me taken off.
Seriously. They'll have a full cartload of stuff, and hand me a bunch of coupons, and just because a single $1 coupon is invalid, they'll walk out the door.
I just put on a smile, bottle up the irritation, and save it up to unleash on some nice violent video game when I get home.
So, it's late in the evening at work, and this couple comes through my line and buys over $100 worth of stuff.
And then they hand this HUGE wad of coupons, about the size of a softball. Immediately I know that a lot of them will be invalid. So I start sorting through them first.
~ More than half of the coupons were expired.
~ Of the ones that WEREN'T expired, at least a third were for other stores.
~ Of the ones that weren't for other stores, half of those were for brands that we don't carry. They'd bought something similar, but not identical.
SC demands to know why I'm not scanning the coupons.
J2K: Because, sir, a lot of these are coupons that we can't take.
SC: Why not?
J2K: Because THESE *points to one stack* are expired--
SC: The cashier took them last time.
Right. And maybe last time they weren't expired yet, or if they were, the cashier was an idiot or something.
J2K: Well, it might be one thing if they were a day expired, but most of those expired more than a week ago. And THESE *points to another stack* are for [competitor], [grocery store], or [another grocery store], and so we can't take them--
SC: No they're not.
J2K: Look here, sir, you can see the [grocery store] logo on this one, and this one, and this one says [competitor] here. And THESE *points to last stack* are for items you didn't get.
SC: Yes, I did, look!
J2K: Sir, that's [different brand], not [coupon's brand]. I can't take it.
I go back to sorting through the rest of the wad of coupons, and still separating them into separate stacks, and now SC is getting pissed off because his attempt at scamming us out of all this money isn't working.
SC: JUST TAKE THEM!
J2K: I'm sorry, sir, I can't do that. I CAN take THESE coupons *point to stack of valid coupons* but not the rest. You can go over to the service desk after I've rung you up if you'd like to talk to a manager.
SC and his wife grumble as I scan the valid coupons, and I point to the expired stack.
J2K: Did you want me to throw those away for you?
SC: Why?
J2K: Well, they're expired.
SC: No. Give them back.
So I do. If they want to throw them out, fine, if they want to try to scam someone else, fine. I just want this jackass out of my line now. So he pays for his stuff, grabs his invalid coupons, and marches over to the service desk. Leaves his cart at my register, too. I just wheel it over next to the desk, and go back to my line.
SC did try to complain, of course, but didn't get anywhere. So he ended up RETURNING EVERYTHING and walking out.
Far too often, I'll get people who would rather not buy anything than not get EVERY coupon they hand me taken off.
Seriously. They'll have a full cartload of stuff, and hand me a bunch of coupons, and just because a single $1 coupon is invalid, they'll walk out the door.
I just put on a smile, bottle up the irritation, and save it up to unleash on some nice violent video game when I get home.
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