But You Already Have Coupons

[SourRobot]

Today was a bad day. It didn't start out that way, but by about 2pm I was fed up. I had three problem customers in a row. I'll tell you about the second and third customers. Before I get to the story, let me just say that if you bring in a coupon that requires using the store card and you don't want to use the store card, then you're on your own. Yesterday I had a lady bring in a coupon, but closed down her store card a few weeks ago, but still wanted to use the coupon! I called the manager after saying no a few times, only to be told that no, the lady would not be able to use the coupon. Okay, onto these.

Customer 2
Lady wants to buy a bunch of jeans. Her two daughter are there with her. She wanted me to ring up everything so that she could check to see which coupon she wanted to use. No problem. Did it all, she used a coupon. I saw her sliding her non-store credit card and I told her that she had to use the store card with her coupon. So she took it back and started reading it, because apparently she didn't believe me (really?).

Lady:"Where does it say that?"
I pointed it out to her, third sentence on the coupon.
L:"I don't want to use my store card.
Me:"Well, you can't use anything else if you're using that coupon. Everything's greyed out anyway, so I couldn't choose anything else.
L: Don't you have any coupons back there for the customer to use? (I HATE THIS QUESTION!)
M:No. If you want you can use your card and then pay it off afterward, so that that you get the discount and don't have a bill.
L: My daughter works at the store out of town, and she gets coupons that she uses for customers. This company is slick.

Uh, no the company isn't if they mentioned right on the front of the coupon that you have to use your store card.

I was going to explain to her that whatever she gets in the mail is because she's been using her card, and that those are her personal coupons. The fact that she was using it for customers was just to be nice, but we're really not supposed to do that. Besides, I don't even use my card, so I had nothing to give her. All these things I was going to explain to her (except for that last part), but I knew it would be a waste of breath, so I just remained silent. So she bought her crap and left.

A few minutes later she came back and said this to my coworker:
L: I just went to another salesperson and asked her for a coupon and she gave it to me! I want to return these and then buy them and use this coupon on them.

So she continued to basically complain about me while I was right there, fixing the stuff that I got out of the fitting rooms, whining about how it was ridiculous, and that she was able to get coupons from someone else. My coworker even explained to her that we weren't supposed to do that, and the lady whined that we should have gotten some from the office, because she knows that they always have extras (which is not always true, those things go by pretty quickly). I was so angry that I wanted to say something to her, but I was speechless. My heart was pounding and I started shaking, and I refused to turn around while she was there. I started putting clothes away, and didn't look in her direction while she continued to complain to the guy.


Customer 3
Lady 3 comes to me, holding her coupon.
L3: That lady at that department (the other area where I work) just signed my coupon for the sixth, and it's the eleventh! This is crazy! She's crazy! Can you change this?
I saw the coupon and immediately thought that she was lying, but instead I called over to that department.
Me: Hey, you just rang up a customer who was over there, and she told me that you marked her coupon for the sixth?
CW: I didn't do that.
Me: You didn't write anything on this? Do you remember seeing a date on it? (I already believed her, I was just pretending to care about the customer)
CW: All I did was scan it. To be honest, I didn't even look at the bottom, I just scanned it and gave it right back to her.
Me: Ok.
I explained that to the customer, and of course she wasn't having that, so I went over to my CW and showed it to her. She took one look at it and said, "I did not write that."
L3: Yes you did, why you lying? You put the sixth on my coupon!
CW: I never signed that.
L3: Get me your manager!

Luckily, my manager was nearby, so I went to her. She just took a look at it and crossed out the old date on it, put today's date with her initials and gave it back.
I had planned on doing that earlier, but after her badmouthing my coworker, I thought, forget it! Maybe if she'd have been nicer, things would have been different. Later, CW told me that she knew she didn't sign it because she used to do it but stopped after a while because customers would give her problems if she did it. The customer that she had been ringing up at the time even said she believed CW, because she just used her coupon and CW didn't sign that.

[paxillated]

Another frickin' spineless manager.

[sstabeler]

to be fair, on customer 3 , it sounds like the signed coupons have been used already, in which case, what does it matter what date is on them? so to me the manager was preventing an argument over something stupid, even if the customer was an SC. Since the CW didn't apparently get into trouble... ( of course, it's still ridiculous that the customer kicked up a fuss)

[Raveni]

At Department Store, there were coupons that were "one day" coupons. You could use it as many times as you wanted that day, so the first person to take it would date it.

Also, at same store, we made MORE than enough money off of everything, even if it was on sale, with coupons, etc. If SourRobot woul have done it if the SC hadn't lied, any manager would have felt having to wait for them to give approval enough karma.

[SourRobot]

to be fair, on customer 3 , it sounds like the signed coupons have been used already, in which case, what does it matter what date is on them? so to me the manager was preventing an argument over something stupid, even if the customer was an SC. Since the CW didn't apparently get into trouble... ( of course, it's still ridiculous that the customer kicked up a fuss)

I agree that the manager was preventing a petty fight from happening, but once those coupons are used they have to be marked the current date, and are good for just that day. Now, if that lady really thought it through, she should have confronted the employee who she claimed screwed up, then called for a manager instead of going all the way over and getting me involved.

Another frickin' spineless manager.

Sort of, but I figured she would do it anyway just to keep the peace. I was really just dragging it out.

At Department Store, there were coupons that were "one day" coupons. You could use it as many times as you wanted that day, so the first person to take it would date it.

Also, at same store, we made MORE than enough money off of everything, even if it was on sale, with coupons, etc. If SourRobot woul have done it if the SC hadn't lied, any manager would have felt having to wait for them to give approval enough karma.

Yeah, I'd even considered changing the date on the coupon, as it really wasn't a big deal and I was not in the mood for any more confrontations. When she started insulting my coworker, forget it, no quick resolution for that lady.

By the way, I was right to trust my coworker. After going back to that wrap stand, I noticed that there was one pen there, containing black ink. The coupon had been marked with blue ink.

[Not Lillith]

I hate coupons.

Mostly because too many people think that coupons are retroactive and bring in a stack of 3 months of receipts and complain because "Look at all this crap I bought and how much I've spent. AND NOW you send me a 10 percent off coupon? I DEMAND that you refund me everything I've purchased in the past and then ring me up again for all of it but with the coupon!!!"

despite the fact that the coupon clearly states: Can Not Be Applied to Previous Purchases.

[violiavampyr]

I preferred -store that hasxmas parade- register system over the J, c, and p. while the latter has coupons that only card holders get and are only supposed to use them with their card as well, the system will allow any form of payment.

[Catwoman2965]

I hate coupons as well. And I also get those who want to return and re-ring it all. And my store management and corporate is wishy washy. we have some managers who will say no, we can't do it. and that's that. and others who suck up and want to make everyone happy, so they'll do it. I will sometimes, IF the customer is nice, I know they shop there regularly, and so on. But if you're nasty, and give me a hard time, nope, you get nothing.

My company sends out coupons, but then puts a code in the register so we don't have to scan them or anything (our POS is so old i don't know what they can even scan them). But then have these dumb rules that customers MUST have the coupon, even though we don't scan them. I ignore and as long as no one is breathing down my neck, I give it to everyone.

I had one customer though, who kept asking if we had any coupons "behind the counter" we could use. I told her, even if i DId, the CODE is no longer in the system, so I wouldn't be able to give her whatever was ON the expired coupon. Yet she kept asking. Drove me nuts.

[EricKei]

Yet she kept asking. Drove me nuts.

SC: SO, might you have any *special* coupons back there? Wink wink nudge nudge....

[Raveni]

SC: SO, might you have any *special* coupons back there? Wink wink nudge nudge....

"For you? I'll give you the special deal today WITHOUT any coupons. It's called Buy One, Get TFO."

[SkullBash]

At the retail company I worked for, I mostly hated our coupons for all the exclusions on them that often led to confrontations. Our coupons would basically exclude anything that was on sale, open box, or part of a package, etc. This would be fine if not for the fact that you would be very hard pressed to find ANYTHING worthwhile in the store that was not in any of the excluded categories. I understood that the company wanted to avoid customers double-dipping (especially on low-margin items), but it really got old fast when customers would walk because the coupon was invalid for their purchase-- even if, for example, the package deal was better than what they would save with the coupon. However, because they couldn't use the coupon, too, they would either walk, or argue for a manager who give like a wet noodle and inevitably provide an override. Honestly, though, I completely understood and sympathized with the customers who were sucky over them.

Seriously, fuck coupons.

[EricKei]

"For you? I'll give you the special deal today WITHOUT any coupons. It's called Buy One, Get TFO."

SC: Ooooo! Oh my yes, I'd love a TFO! Classic cars are all the rage these days!