Questions for thos retailers

[Chanlin]

This is one that remember I've always wanted to ask, but no one I know works in retail that has similar sales.

When I was working the help desk for a locally based retailer we had a series of calls (which is really sad I think) from the employees wanting to know about how do do partial refunds in the system. What was actually happening was this.

For reference this retailer sells food items, crackers, cheeses, meats etc.

Customers purchased an item one day. Came back several days later because they saw the items they had purchased were on sale now (not when they purchased them) and asked to get money back to bring what they paid down to the sale price.

#1: What on earth posses people to think this is possible.

#2: As an employee why would you even call to ask, the answer here seems obvious to me.

#3: Of those who work retail, do your stores actually do this, or have you ever heard of it being done?

[Cyanocobalamin]

Some stores may do this as a customer satisfaction issue.

At my store it is easy to do.... either do an exchange (one transaction) or do a return, then re-sell (two transactions).

Price adjustments must be made within the normal return/exchange period. And a cashier may ask a supervisor for approval if they are not sure it is really OK to do so, especially with electronic stuff and large refund amounts.

It's not something we blatantly advertise, so if a customer asks, we'll take care of it.

[Worker-Intellectual]

My old store did it, within 14 days and not clearance or door crasher or anything like that.

[Chanlin]

Ok, I must just live in my own little world then because I would never think to even ask for something like that. I just think to myself, well that sucks, and then go on with my life.

I could see doing this for something like car parts, or expensive electronics, but not food.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Some stores may do this as a customer satisfaction issue.

At my store it is easy to do.... either do an exchange (one transaction) or do a return, then re-sell (two transactions).

Price adjustments must be made within the normal return/exchange period. And a cashier may ask a supervisor for approval if they are not sure it is really OK to do so, especially with electronic stuff and large refund amounts.

It's not something we blatantly advertise, so if a customer asks, we'll take care of it.

We did that too. Generally for people who forgot their discount card when they originally purchased the item; we'll tell them to just bring it back with their receipt (yes, they have to bring the items back in) and we'll do it as an exchange. Sometimes if something went bestseller the next day or something, we'll do it too, but generally, most things don't go "on sale" in the bookstore, like say, at a grocery store where things go on and off sale all the time. There's no official policy that I know of in the case of my bestseller example, but generally we'll do a price adjust if they come back within a week (or 2 if it is still on the list).

[Chanlin]

Ok I can see that too in the case where you forgot your discount card with a purchase.

What really boggled my mind with this retailer was that they sell food and often times the customer would already have eaten what they purchased but still come back to try and get a sale price.