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A couple of days ago I had a customer in my line. Several of them in fact, which is what makes this one so particularly sucky that I had to wait a couple of days to tell the story.
Our store is very strict about scanning accuracy. Although it's a chain store, we are a privately owned company, so naturally the guy who owns it is a little weary about losing money because someone wanted to cut corners at the checkout line.
Of course not everyone on the floor thinks about us poor cashiers and sometimes they tell a customer that a product is the same price as another one. As was the case with a carpet that didn't have a barcode, which they sent with another carpet that was only 12.99 but did have a barcode.
Here's the problem. The original carpet, the one the customer wanted, had enough of the original tag on it that I could see it was a different size and therefore a differnet item. So I had to have the FES call someone up to to a sku check.
SC: But they said it (meaning the tagless rug) was the same price as this. (The 12.99)
Me: I'm sorry, ma'am, but this rug is a differnet size, so it's a different sku.
Rinse, lather, and repeat. English was very obviously not the woman's first language, but she could speak it clearly enough to argue that the rug was the same price. So I stood my ground.
It took ten minutes for an employee to come to the register. C is a short man and in his sixties. His main job is to handle put backs and to keep the store straightened out. So I knew he was going to have trouble carrying the rug to the front of the store when I told him what I needed.
At this time there's a line. Even with the other cashiers, the store is busy enough that I have a fair line of customers. Fortunately they're usually pretty understanding as the regulars know the drill about price accuracy.
SC: But the rug is the same price. She (random employee) told me it was the same price.
Me: (As diplomatically as possible, I point to the part of the tag on the rug she wants where you can see it's a different size.) No ma'am, it is a different rug and so it's a different barcode and it's also going to be a different price. I can't give you this rug at 12.99 unless I scan it and it turns out to be that price.
Let me just save you the suspense. The rug she wanted was actually 24.99. But what happened next was the cherry on the cake.
Because C was taking a while to find the rug, (Keeping mind I knew he might have a hard time with it) the customer went back to help him. Fine. Only a few minutes later, C comes up carrying the carpet with seemingly little issue. My bad for misjudging him based on his age an dsize, but still, now I have the carpet and no customer. And I can't end the sale or override it and it's actually more of a hassle to have the FES do so without knowing where the customer is. (Hold off on the suggestions, please. Trust me, I've thought of them all and this store simply doesn't work in a way that would make anything easier on my end.)
Another five minutes later the customer saunters past the line of people who were waiting for her with a coffee maker and asks me to check the price. She decided it was too much and didn't buy it. She was happy with the carpet though.
The worse part of it all is she didn't even apologize, nor did she even look like she was in anyway sorry for making people wait. I mean, yeah, the store policy doesn't make it easier. I should have been able to end her sale and ring out the patiently waiting customers but what can I do? I have to work with what I'm given.
Seriously, I wish she had bought the coffee maker. Because then I'd be imagining scalding hot coffee falling into her lap...
Our store is very strict about scanning accuracy. Although it's a chain store, we are a privately owned company, so naturally the guy who owns it is a little weary about losing money because someone wanted to cut corners at the checkout line.
Of course not everyone on the floor thinks about us poor cashiers and sometimes they tell a customer that a product is the same price as another one. As was the case with a carpet that didn't have a barcode, which they sent with another carpet that was only 12.99 but did have a barcode.
Here's the problem. The original carpet, the one the customer wanted, had enough of the original tag on it that I could see it was a different size and therefore a differnet item. So I had to have the FES call someone up to to a sku check.
SC: But they said it (meaning the tagless rug) was the same price as this. (The 12.99)
Me: I'm sorry, ma'am, but this rug is a differnet size, so it's a different sku.
Rinse, lather, and repeat. English was very obviously not the woman's first language, but she could speak it clearly enough to argue that the rug was the same price. So I stood my ground.
It took ten minutes for an employee to come to the register. C is a short man and in his sixties. His main job is to handle put backs and to keep the store straightened out. So I knew he was going to have trouble carrying the rug to the front of the store when I told him what I needed.
At this time there's a line. Even with the other cashiers, the store is busy enough that I have a fair line of customers. Fortunately they're usually pretty understanding as the regulars know the drill about price accuracy.
SC: But the rug is the same price. She (random employee) told me it was the same price.
Me: (As diplomatically as possible, I point to the part of the tag on the rug she wants where you can see it's a different size.) No ma'am, it is a different rug and so it's a different barcode and it's also going to be a different price. I can't give you this rug at 12.99 unless I scan it and it turns out to be that price.
Let me just save you the suspense. The rug she wanted was actually 24.99. But what happened next was the cherry on the cake.
Because C was taking a while to find the rug, (Keeping mind I knew he might have a hard time with it) the customer went back to help him. Fine. Only a few minutes later, C comes up carrying the carpet with seemingly little issue. My bad for misjudging him based on his age an dsize, but still, now I have the carpet and no customer. And I can't end the sale or override it and it's actually more of a hassle to have the FES do so without knowing where the customer is. (Hold off on the suggestions, please. Trust me, I've thought of them all and this store simply doesn't work in a way that would make anything easier on my end.)
Another five minutes later the customer saunters past the line of people who were waiting for her with a coffee maker and asks me to check the price. She decided it was too much and didn't buy it. She was happy with the carpet though.
The worse part of it all is she didn't even apologize, nor did she even look like she was in anyway sorry for making people wait. I mean, yeah, the store policy doesn't make it easier. I should have been able to end her sale and ring out the patiently waiting customers but what can I do? I have to work with what I'm given.
Seriously, I wish she had bought the coffee maker. Because then I'd be imagining scalding hot coffee falling into her lap...
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