So, I was innocently browsing the community, catching up on the hilarity and remember the few times I've worked in retail when I read a WIC-related post. I had an experience with WIC once (well, more than once, but none of it memorable) and it was more "Are you serious?" than infuriating. I joined just to post this, but its not epic in any form. I just love this site and wanted to contribute
Backstory, ahoy! This was my first retail job, but I was not naive. I knew what I was getting myself in for, and in fact, it wasnt as bad as I expected. Up until this point, I had worked in offices doing misc. clerical work so i've met a few assclowns in my day. Why everyone thinks they can treat a receptionist like shit is beyond me. Anyways, I was an almighty cashier and damn it, i had a little fun doing it. I was fast, efficient and I followed the rules. Anyone else scared of intercomming? I would do anything not to pick up that phone.
Anyways, its a sunny day in Kansas. Birds are chirping, my check is beeping happily, i'm having an all around alright day. A lady walks up with a wic check and (after totaling) 300$ in infamil. To this day, I don't even know if you can GET that much infamil on one check. I'd swear she only had ONE but I could be wrong, its been about a year and a half since this happened. Obviously all this is paraphrased.
Me: Because my entire shift goal is to get you home ASAP.
because what the hell, lady? you suck.
(i start scanning her infamil and then i see her pull out The Purple Pamphlet, oh poopoo now I have to call a manager) Wic? Can I see your ID? (as required by LAW.)
I don't have my ID.
I need your ID to process WIC
OMG I HAVE A BABY IN THE CAR (in kansas, at noon, in summer?) JUST RUN IT
I'm sorry but I'm required to have ID
ITS NOT EVEN MY CHECK (what?!) ITS MY DAUGHTERS IM BUYING IT FOR HER BABY
Your daughter will have to come in with her ID and buy it. Im sorry.
I page the manager for this lady because shes FREAKING out. Theres a whole bunch of blah blah that I dont remember but because i'm a drat moron I try to explain in the simplest way why we wont accept it besides ITS AGAINST THE LAW. I realize now that I was inadvertantly calling her a potential thief.
Ma'am it'd be the same as if someone in here had your credit card after stealing your purse claiming to be your daughter/son/you. You wouldn't want us to let them run it.
(without skipping a beat) NO ONE WOULD EVER STEAL MY PURSE.
Ok. What? Granted, we don't live in south compton but really lady? NO ONE EVER? I get it, we're in an affluent, white neighborhood in kansas but identity theft STILL HAPPENS. If this had been the end of it, I would have been cool. You know, sorry I couldn't help. Send your daughter in to pay for her free infamil. But no, my supervisor comes over. I explain the situation.
The situation, in case somehow I have been unclear:
1) She has no ID. As I was told by the manager, we are to NEVER ACCEPT WIC WITHOUT ID.
2) #1 is irrelevant because she ADMITTED it's not her WIC check. Call bullshit, because i'm not sure about this, but that sounds a lot like FRAUD.
3) She admitted to leaving a baby in a car in Kansas, in the summer, at noon. She should be leaving the store IMMEDIATELY anyway, IMO.
My manager proceeds to tell me, in front of fraudosaurus here, that she would have just accepted the check.
WHAT?
I get paid EIGHT dollars an hour. EIGHT. Not eighty. Not eighty million. EIGHT. I'm not going to get in a ton of trouble with the store and the law for the four dollars i made while helping this lady.
You could cut the smug with a knife. The lady got her infamil and I stood there. My supervisor ran the order through, took the fraudulent wic check and put it in my till. I quit three days later after realizing I didn't want to work for a company that supported illegal activity and getting offered another job that paid more and didn't require me to deal with anyone other than my boss ever.
I'd kill for a job doing anything at the moment. I still wouldn't do anything illegal on the job for the sake of 8 dollars though.
Edit:
BUT WAIT! THERES MORE!
I'm damn short (5'2") and relatively big boned. I was around 140lbs at the time (high end of normal for my height). You know where this is going don't you?
Me: Cashier of happy and sunshine!
OL: Old lady who apparently skipped years and years of manners lessons.
Me: *happily checking. check. check. check.*
OL: How far along are you?
Me: Im sorry??
OL: When are you due?
Me: (brain to mouth filter FAILED) I'm not pregnant ma'am, i'm just fat. *check check check*
Oddly, she didn't look at me or say another word.
Backstory, ahoy! This was my first retail job, but I was not naive. I knew what I was getting myself in for, and in fact, it wasnt as bad as I expected. Up until this point, I had worked in offices doing misc. clerical work so i've met a few assclowns in my day. Why everyone thinks they can treat a receptionist like shit is beyond me. Anyways, I was an almighty cashier and damn it, i had a little fun doing it. I was fast, efficient and I followed the rules. Anyone else scared of intercomming? I would do anything not to pick up that phone.
Anyways, its a sunny day in Kansas. Birds are chirping, my check is beeping happily, i'm having an all around alright day. A lady walks up with a wic check and (after totaling) 300$ in infamil. To this day, I don't even know if you can GET that much infamil on one check. I'd swear she only had ONE but I could be wrong, its been about a year and a half since this happened. Obviously all this is paraphrased.
Me: Because my entire shift goal is to get you home ASAP.
because what the hell, lady? you suck.
(i start scanning her infamil and then i see her pull out The Purple Pamphlet, oh poopoo now I have to call a manager) Wic? Can I see your ID? (as required by LAW.)
I don't have my ID.
I need your ID to process WIC
OMG I HAVE A BABY IN THE CAR (in kansas, at noon, in summer?) JUST RUN IT
I'm sorry but I'm required to have ID
ITS NOT EVEN MY CHECK (what?!) ITS MY DAUGHTERS IM BUYING IT FOR HER BABY
Your daughter will have to come in with her ID and buy it. Im sorry.
I page the manager for this lady because shes FREAKING out. Theres a whole bunch of blah blah that I dont remember but because i'm a drat moron I try to explain in the simplest way why we wont accept it besides ITS AGAINST THE LAW. I realize now that I was inadvertantly calling her a potential thief.
Ma'am it'd be the same as if someone in here had your credit card after stealing your purse claiming to be your daughter/son/you. You wouldn't want us to let them run it.
(without skipping a beat) NO ONE WOULD EVER STEAL MY PURSE.
Ok. What? Granted, we don't live in south compton but really lady? NO ONE EVER? I get it, we're in an affluent, white neighborhood in kansas but identity theft STILL HAPPENS. If this had been the end of it, I would have been cool. You know, sorry I couldn't help. Send your daughter in to pay for her free infamil. But no, my supervisor comes over. I explain the situation.
The situation, in case somehow I have been unclear:
1) She has no ID. As I was told by the manager, we are to NEVER ACCEPT WIC WITHOUT ID.
2) #1 is irrelevant because she ADMITTED it's not her WIC check. Call bullshit, because i'm not sure about this, but that sounds a lot like FRAUD.
3) She admitted to leaving a baby in a car in Kansas, in the summer, at noon. She should be leaving the store IMMEDIATELY anyway, IMO.
My manager proceeds to tell me, in front of fraudosaurus here, that she would have just accepted the check.
WHAT?
I get paid EIGHT dollars an hour. EIGHT. Not eighty. Not eighty million. EIGHT. I'm not going to get in a ton of trouble with the store and the law for the four dollars i made while helping this lady.
You could cut the smug with a knife. The lady got her infamil and I stood there. My supervisor ran the order through, took the fraudulent wic check and put it in my till. I quit three days later after realizing I didn't want to work for a company that supported illegal activity and getting offered another job that paid more and didn't require me to deal with anyone other than my boss ever.
I'd kill for a job doing anything at the moment. I still wouldn't do anything illegal on the job for the sake of 8 dollars though.
Edit:
BUT WAIT! THERES MORE!
I'm damn short (5'2") and relatively big boned. I was around 140lbs at the time (high end of normal for my height). You know where this is going don't you?
Me: Cashier of happy and sunshine!
OL: Old lady who apparently skipped years and years of manners lessons.
Me: *happily checking. check. check. check.*
OL: How far along are you?
Me: Im sorry??
OL: When are you due?
Me: (brain to mouth filter FAILED) I'm not pregnant ma'am, i'm just fat. *check check check*
Oddly, she didn't look at me or say another word.
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