Fuel station fun

[CarcinogenCrunchies]

A customer comes in and says she wants to buy a $5 lottery ticket, and she wants $10 in cash. I naturally assume, since she wants cash back, that the card in her hand is a debit card. I print out the ticket, she swipes the card and just stares at the reader. I always wait to see a customer enter their PIN before I authorize the transaction on lotto purchases, for exactly this reason. I explain to the customer that she'll have to enter her PIN, since you can't buy lottery tickets on credit, and you can't get cash back, either. She replies that there is no number. I ask to see the card, and it's a credit card. I now have a new job for the evening: Trying to sell a preprinted $5 lottery ticket before the number is drawn that night.

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Customer comes in to pay for gasoline. "Can I put my credit card through here?"
It would be a good idea, since that's the credit card machine. I can only think of one other place to swipe it, and I'm pretty sure that's not compatible with our registers.

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Kid wants a pack of cigarettes. Of course I ask for ID, and he pulls out a slip of paper that says something like "Temporary Driver Permit." I tell him I can't accept it, because it doesn't have a photo on it. I also point out to him the second line, which reads, "NOT A VALID FORM OF IDENTIFICATION."

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Another night, another kid wanting cigarettes. I ask for ID and he pulls out a copy of a traffic ticket. I tell him we need photo ID. He protests that he gets them here all the time. I ask my co-worker if he recognizes the guy. Negative. Sorry, dude. Well, not that sorry.

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A man comes in to pay for gasoline, and does so. Then, after the transaction is complete...

OM: Did you give me my discount?
Me: I didn't notice a grocery receipt, and you didn't say anything, so I'm sorry, I didn't.
OM: I shouldn't need to do anything, I only spend several hundred dollars a month in your store.
Me: I'm really sorry, but I can't possibly recognize every person who shops here and how much they spend. Here's your receipt from this transaction. You can use it next time.

Really, if you spend hundreds of dollars at the grocery store each month, I've got a couple questions. First, are you running a soup kitchen or something? How much does your family eat, anyway? Second, that much shopping should yield at least a couple receipts. Is it so tough to hang onto one?

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At least once or twice per fuel station shift, I get the dreaded "Insufficient Funds" message when a customer swipes a debit card. Few and far between are the ones who will take out another card or pay with cash. Generally I hear, "I just checked it, and there's money there!" Many of them will go over to the ATM to check their balance, then return and show me the printout. "See? I have enough!" I have to tell them that it doesn't matter what the printout says; if our system won't accept it, it just won't. No, WE are not in the wrong, and we don't owe you anything. You'll have to take it up with your bank. Fortunately, I have not yet had this problem with anyone who had already filled up their tank with gasoline (knock on wood).

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SC: Can I get a carton of Brand Light 100s?
Me: (checks the cig stock) I'm sorry, we only have Brand Light regular.
SC: You don't got any 100s?

Actually, we do, but what kind of business would we be running here if we actually sold you what you wanted? If you hadn't asked again, I would've kept those cigarettes on a shelf in the back room forever, spending my breaks gazing at them and laughing maniacally.

[fireheart]

In regards to the story with the idiot and the fuel vouchers, I'm on the other end of it: that is, people who split their shopping consistently so they can get several fuel vouchers.

1) It is extremely greedy.
2) Groceries, fuel etc. all go up to compensate.
3) The vouchers last a month, so unless you fill your car everyday, more than twice a week, or everybody in your family drives and never buys from our company (we offer them through more than one way), then there is no reason for you to have multiples.
4) You are not "hurting" the company. YOu are hurting yourselves. See #2.

And as for the insufficient funds idiots, I guess that most of them aren't familiar with the time it takes to clear a check :eyeroll:

[alcaholjunkie]

...Many of them will go over to the ATM to check their balance, then return and show me the printout. "See? I have enough!"...

And they didn't bother getting money out of it while there?! o.0 (yeah, probly hoping too much for some people to use common sense though. ^_^)

[wolfie]

In regards to the story with the idiot and the fuel vouchers, I'm on the other end of it: that is, people who split their shopping consistently so they can get several fuel vouchers.

For a while last year, I'd put in a certain amount of fuel, then start a new transaction for the remainder, in order to get 3 drink/shower coupons instead of 2. In my defense, however:

- This was when fuel prices were well over $1/litre, and the TCH card had a maximum of $1000/transaction.
- I knew that it would take over $1000 of fuel to fill up, so it would be split across 2 transactions anyway.
- I knew that if I filled until it stopped, then started the second transaction, the split point would be well over 600 litres (minimum for 2 coupons/transaction) on the first transaction, but under 200 litres (minimum for 1 coupon/transaction) on the second.

By stopping at a bit over 600 litres, that would leave over 200 litres of space for the next transaction. I figured that if they wouldn't let me fill it up in one transaction (another fuel card, for a different chain, had its limit in litres, so high prices wouldn't cause this problem), I may as well choose the split point for my benefit rather than letting the pump choose it.

[mandaliz8704]

I spend probably $500/mo at the grocery store... maybe a little more. Totally within reason for a family of 5.

[XCashier]

A customer comes in and says she wants to buy a $5 lottery ticket, and she wants $10 in cash. I naturally assume, since she wants cash back, that the card in her hand is a debit card. I print out the ticket, she swipes the card and just stares at the reader. I always wait to see a customer enter their PIN before I authorize the transaction on lotto purchases, for exactly this reason. I explain to the customer that she'll have to enter her PIN, since you can't buy lottery tickets on credit, and you can't get cash back, either. She replies that there is no number. I ask to see the card, and it's a credit card. I now have a new job for the evening: Trying to sell a preprinted $5 lottery ticket before the number is drawn that night.

Unfortunately, that's why you have to ask "Debit or credit?" before every card transaction. Many customers won't think for themselves, you have to do their thinking for them.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Really, if you spend hundreds of dollars at the grocery store each month, I've got a couple questions. First, are you running a soup kitchen or something? How much does your family eat, anyway? Second, that much shopping should yield at least a couple receipts. Is it so tough to hang onto one?

Third, if you're here so often, why don't you know the rules by now?

[rvdammit]

Third, if you're here so often, why don't you know the rules by now?

SC Response: I'm speshul, the rules don't apply to me so I don't need to know them

[MrSmiley]

Unfortunately, that's why you have to ask "Debit or credit?" before every card transaction. Many customers won't think for themselves, you have to do their thinking for them.

Our credit card system works through the computers, that is there's a swipe card machine that's attached to the POS cash register computer (attached via serial port I believe, though I could be wrong). However because these don't process debit, we ALSO have a standard PIN pad. The PIN pad not only accepts debit but also the same credit cards our computer does. While this is handy as a backup system, the people who do the paperwork & financials are a LOT happier if the transaction goes through on the computer rather than the PIN pad.

So... at least once every few weeks I get someone who says "I'll pay this on debit", hand me a credit card, I'll swipe it believing them (or because I'm trying to be fast... which helps customer relations a lot :P) only to find it's a CC receipt that's gone through. These machines have no confirmation either (besides the PIN)... one swipe and away they go. Can't cancel the transaction unless it's denied from the other end

This isn't really so bad, but I have to leave 3 notes, choose a separate MANUAL option in the computer at least twice and stuff & seal the receipt inside it's own envelope (well technically the envelope is for all MANUAL transactions, but as I say... it doesn't happen too often). About an extra 5 minutes of work for the 5 seconds I didn't check it.

[LadyAndreca]

When I was a kid, my parents were spending $250 every two weeks on groceries for 7 people...and this was at the military commissary, being coupon fiends, taking advantage of caselot sales, making food from scratch rather than buying preprepared, and in general squeezing every penny they could out of their shopping. (I admit to having been the 12-year-old sent through another line to get around the 'one per customer' restrictions.) So I can easily believe 'several hundred a month' spent on food.

HOWEVER, they'd also be VERY sure to have whatever coupon/reciept/paper they needed to get a gas discount, because they couldn't afford not to!

[Tito]

I now have a new job for the evening: Trying to sell a preprinted $5 lottery ticket before the number is drawn that night.

I used to sell lottery tickets when I was in the courtesy booth at my former retail hell, and I used to hate the fact that they would not let you cancel lottery tickets once you print them. I mean, it's easy enough to make a mistake! You either have to sell it, or you'll be short that amount.

Selling lottery tickets is definitely one thing that I DO NOT miss!

Fortunately, I have not yet had this problem with anyone who had already filled up their tank with gasoline (knock on wood).

Shhhhhh!!!! Don't say that too loudly! You'll jinx yourself!

[CarcinogenCrunchies]

The big spender was an older (yet not quite elderly) man driving a "grandpa car," so I guess I assumed it was just him and maybe his wife eating hundreds of dollars in groceries.