cashiers and price checks....

[ez]

This has happened to me twice recently,(publix supermarket and walmart) has anyone else noticed this trend? Now I have never been a cashier, so I don't know what kind of pressure they're under to keep the line moving. Anyway, long story short, in Publix, I get a 12 pack Jack Daniels coolers free because I guess the girl didn't want to wait to do a price check. In Walmart Fri, I got a Mickey fleece pullover that I think was 17 or 19 bucks for $10 cause the girl didn't want to do a price check. So, has anyone else noticed this, or is anyone a cashier who can explain why employees would do this? In both cases, I am sure it was intentional.

 

[luvdzny]

Wow, I want to come shopping with you!!! I can't speak from a cashier's point of view but I am the pricing manager of a large grocery store. At our store it is policy to call for a price check or send the bagger to go and look on the shelf. If they call for a price check either the store manager, dept. manager or a stocker will check the price. If it is extremely busy and the lines are long they are supposed to ask the customer if they remember the price and use that amount. I have never heard of anyone giving the item for free (but I am sure there are lots of things that go on that I am not aware of ) The cashier is also supposed to write the item down so it can be added to the computer, but I know that is sometimes hard to do when they are busy. Anyway I am sure you enjoyed sitting around in your Mickey pullover and drinking the JD coolers and thinking about the bargain you got

 

[DixieDreamer]

Wow! I have never gotten anything free like that... but I have had them ask me what I "thought" the price was... and then just rang it up at that amount. Lucky for them I am a very honest person and I believe they got the right price each time.

 

[doxdogy]

Same here, I want to go shopping with you. Generally, the cashier will ask me if I remember the price of the item and use that one.

 

[ez]

the cashiers did ask me, but I honestly did not know. The jd drinks I usually by in the six pack, but the only one they had that day was in a 12 pack, and there was no price in the shelf. Now the pullover I knew was close to 20 but, wasn't sure. I didn't want to sell myself short and tell them it was more than it really was. There was about 50 of them on the rack, so it would've taken just a minute to send someone over there. I had searched for a medium, thats the tag I was looking at when I picked up the item.

 

[off2disney]

Just the opposite happens to me. I go in to buy something because it was listed in the sale paper -- and it rings up the regular price. You really have to be on your toes sometimes to catch it. I stop them - tell them it is in the sale paper - man, you would think I was asking the impossible! What, call for a price check? Big sigh...look at the next customer in line, roll the eyes and all but say out loud "SHE"S the one holding up the line!"

My theory is that some of the big chains (K-Mart in particular - it's been reported in news programs before) that this is deliberate. The fact that a few get caught doesn't make up for all the ones that get through (customer didn't know it was on sale, customer didn't catch that it rang up full price, etc) so that is better for their bottom line. With computerized registers, if the sales prices are programmed in the system, then it rings up the sale price. Should be simple, IMO

 

[Jenn Lynn]

When I worked at Kohl's we were told to give the price difference to the customer IF it was not a huge discrepency (like $10.) Otherwise we had to call for a price check. At Kohl's though pretty much everything is around 30% off so it is a safe bet that the customer is right.

 

[Serena]

I'm a cashier and we do have the computerized registers. With us, if there is no tag, we cannot ring it up at all. We have to find another item and make a tag for it.

You would not believe all the people the scams that people pull at my store. It's crazy.

 

[Poohbear123]

At Publix here near my house. We have what is known as 'Publix Promise' if something rings up wrong at the register, the cashier calls the manager over, and he goes to the shelf to check the tag. If the tag is wrong, the customer gets it free.....than I get written up the next day, as it most likely one of my sections that is wrong. So, you BET I make sure my "tags" are correct.

 

[luvdzny]

As Pricing Manager I am responsible for the prices that are entered into our computer (there are 3 of in the department that actually do the price changes. ) It sounds simple to say the prices are programmed into the system and the registers will scan the correct price - but we have to enter those prices into the computer for them to work. We get hundreds of price changes each week, no matter how hard we try, mistakes do happen. Sometimes the info we get is wrong, somethime we make a keypunch error, sometimes the UPC code on the item is wrong, there a lots of possible problems. We have an employee that scans the store to make sure things are correct, we also get audited frequently - believe me we try to get it right! My bonus is actually based on the accuracy of our prices. I do not think that the errors are made on purpose. But we are human and do make mistakes

 

[Poohbear123]

Yes, we are human. Doesn't mean crap to my Store Manager he will STILL write me up! We have price changes twice a week, Sat. and Monday. I HATE those 2 days.....

 

[Manda1219]

The cashier giving things away for free or a good amount under actual cost is sheer laziness!
It's not to difficult (although some find it annoying and I can't see why seeing as how it IS their job!!!-I know, I work in retail in alllll aspects, including cashier/service desk) to do a price check. At my store, we have a computer so if the item is the last one, you can look up with the aid of numbers and info on the tags inside the item, or in some cases just using a description of the item.
Occasionally someone really nice will be waiting a VERY long time for us to find something in the computer, and we will give them a good deal, but if they get nasty-and it's not really our fault they that picked the last item and it doesn't have a ticket! (nor is it their fault, but still!)-but anyway, if they do get nasty, we tend not to mind making them wait.
I hate when people take out their frustrations on cashiers when it's clearly not their fault.
PLEASE, do NOT yell at us because your item does not scan up-as long as the situation is rectified-we honestly do not control this.
Do NOT yell at us because you misread a sign! If a sign says 50% off and underneath it reads "price as marked" do not yell at me that you didn't read that part and are POSITIVE it says "additional 50% off"....etc...!
PLEASE don't expect us to know what 30% of $14.95 is!!! And if every item you buy is 50% off, please do not ask for a price check on every item, as it is not that difficult to figure that $2 is half of $4...
and finally
Do NOT get angry at us because we are not price catalogs. If you pick up a random sweater without a price tag, I can guarantee you that I do not know off the top of my mind how much it costs!!! I can tell you if its on sale, no problem, but I am not a catalog!!!

(sorry for the rant, I just got off work)

 

[Serena]

Manda, I hear ya.

 

[Manda1219]

 

[TIGGERSMOM]

Manda - I do hear you but on the other hand.
DO NOT give me attitude because an employee put the sign on the wrong rack - if it says 50%, I want 50%.
DO NOT give me attitude when I want to speak to the manager.
DO NOT tell me to get out of a long line and get into another at the service desk because there is nobody to check the price.
DO NOT roll your eyes when I tell you it rang up wrong.
DO NOT sigh when I ask you to have someone check because it is ringing up wrong.
DO NOT tell me you aren't paid enough to deal with difficult customers - don't like it - there's the door.

I just got home from Wal Mart and am so tired of customer no service.

On the lighter side I was a cashier at a drug store when I was in college and did a price check over the PA system.

"Price check on Trojans - 3 pack - Lubricated?"

Wouldn't you have loved to that teenager with a long line behind him.

 

[DocRafiki]

PLEASE, do NOT yell at us because your item does not scan up-as long as the situation is rectified-we honestly do not control this.

I think that general sentiment can be applied to any business. Mistakes are made every second of every day, and yet mistakes are completely unacceptable to some people, as if they live in some state of absolute perfection.

I've never gotten anything for free. I usually wind up running back to do the price check myself, while feeling guilty for holding up the line. Then I wonder why I'm such a pushover when I'm the customer, because I'm quite the opposite at my own job. Oh well, at least I don't ruin somebody else's day by getting nasty for no reason.

 

[Ellester]

I try to make a point to always be polite to the cashiers. I know it is not their fault if a price rings up wrong. I have gotten things free from time to time, even though I feel guilty about it. One cashier in particular at my local grocery (an older gentleman) will rarely call for a price check, or even ring it up at the price I tell him it is, he'll send it on down the conveyor without ringing it up. I've avoided him lately because I feel guilty, but I don't want to get him in trouble either! I always try to have the weekly ad with me so I can show them the sale price. The grocery where we used to live also had one of those "if it rings wrong, it's free" policies. I made it a game and almost got something free every week!

One time my mom and I bought a bunch of produce from the grocery and something was majorly messed up with the register. We had like three bags of veggies and the total was over $80! We really didn't pay attention until the total came up, then we saw that the scale was crazy and charged us something like 75 pounds for three tomatoes, 50 pounds for 6 zuchinni, stuff like that! It was pretty funny, since it was so obvious. The manager quickly closed that register and rang us up on another one.

I do agree that Walmart is very bad about not having the right prices. I often write the posted prices on my list to double check my reciept before I leave the store!

 

[Manda1219]

TIGGERSMOM, I couldn't agree with you more!!! There should be some sort of contract between cashiers and customers!
I must add to my list though, Do NOT tell me my computer has added wrong if you are the same person who 15 seconds ago could not tell me what 50% off of $10 is!!!

I do see it from both angles though. I hate when a cashier acts if them having to actually do their own job is an inconvenience. However, if the customer is making unusual and/or unrealistic demands, and giving an EXTREME attitude, don't expect that the cashier is going to smile through it (although I do tend to smile through it and be overly polite, it seems to irritate those nasty customers even more, because they feel they're not getting to me). But I do believe that if the cashier is in the wrong, or gets an attitude for no reason, the customer has every right to be annoyed, and SHOULD report it to the manager. Bad customer relations cause customers to not come back. If you feel as though something is wrong, and the cashier will not rectify the situation, don't hesitate to ask for a manager. Half the time, the cashier will give you what is right, and the other half, the manager will. But don't expect to get a $40 sweater for $10 because there was some lint on the sleeve!
So in conclusion: (haha I feel like I'm writing a term paper)
Cashiers: Drop the attitude, the customer is always right (unless they are slightly insane and/or throwing things)
Customers: Understand that the cashier is not responsible for incorrect signage (but can, SHOULD, and is supposed to give you whatever the sign advertises), but if they get nasty, speak to someone in charge.

 

[Manda1219]

Originally posted by DocRafiki
I usually wind up running back to do the price check myself, while feeling guilty for holding up the line. Then I wonder why I'm such a pushover when I'm the customer, because I'm quite the opposite at my own job. Oh well, at least I don't ruin somebody else's day by getting nasty for no reason.

Oh and one more thing: Do NOT feel guilty for holding up the line. 9 out of 10, you know better than we do where you got the item from. We may spend 5 minutes searching for the item, while the customer knows exactly where it came from! I love customers like you!!!

 

[DocRafiki]

the customer is always right

oh no, don't say that! that saying makes me cringe!

luckily, i think that way of thinking is going out of favor, what with all the customers trying to pull one over on the stores. even disney taught that the customer is NOT always right, as far back as a decade (eek!) ago.