CVS employee cut up my card, what to do with the EBC?

[ShiPooOwner]

ummm...my close family member is a manager of a CVS and the majority of people DO abuse these specials. When CVS puts wording in place in the ads to limit quantities, they just do separate purchases. This family member CRINGES when he sees the CVS ads. Just look at THIS budget board...theres a million threads on how to cheat CVS! While I am 100% certain you are honest, many, many people are not and use the phrase "the customer is always right" to justify their cheating & greed...look at the posts that are telling the OP to call corporate or hire a lawyer. For what? Because some cashier at CVS had the balls to cut up their card? Like that is assualt or abuse! Please. Work 1/2 hour in retail and you will begin to question if ANYONE in America is honest...so many people cheat or try to work their way around rules, it is laughable. But I guess my honesty and rule-following is why I am not financially successful, but at least I know I am not a loser who cheats the system.

Well, I do work retail as a matter of fact. I work in two hospital gift shops and will be heading to work at one of them today 2-7 P.M. Once again, I think you and your relative are stereotyping and exaggerating because from my personal experience working as a cashier, 99.9% of our customers are honest and fairminded people. Does shoplifting occur occasionally? Yes! Do some CVS consumers abuse the system? Yes! Don't say it is the majority of the customers and cardholders because if that were the case, I think CVS would end the ECB program and abolish CVS cards nationwide.

 

[Pigeon]

I think CVS should just discontinue these cards. What advantage is it to them for people to come in and get all the free stuff and pay $0 at the register so they can go sell free glucose monitiors and shampoo as yard sales. I never shop any of the sale items at CVS because people will grab all 12 bottles of any advertised product and leave nothing for anyone else. Just because it's allowed doesn't mean it's right. I think it's greedy and selfish.

My guess is that they end up making money overall because of the cards. For every person who gets a few free items and walks out paying nothing, there are going to be more people who go to CVS and buy a bunch of other stuff in addition to the ECB deals that they otherwise wouldn't have purchased. For most grooming and food stuff, CVS is much higher than grocery stores or even other drug stores. In addition, I'm sure a significant number of ECBs never get redeemed.

 

[Callie]

If im right, i believe the cards are property of CVS anyways, so they can do whatever they want with them. If you look at Krogers, Speedway etc they all say the same thing

 

[ekball]

My guess is that they end up making money overall because of the cards.

Exactly. No way would CVS continue this program if it did not benefit their bottom line. Sure, there are people out there who know how to work the system (I use my ECB's as best I can - on items I use - but I would NEVER drive all over the state to work the deals like some people do. Multiple trips, with multiple cards, to multiple CVS's...just plain silly IMO.), but my educated guess is that the ECB program works out to the advantage of CVS, otherwise they'd scrap it.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

ummm...my close family member is a manager of a CVS and the majority of people DO abuse these specials. When CVS puts wording in place in the ads to limit quantities, they just do separate purchases. This family member CRINGES when he sees the CVS ads. Just look at THIS budget board...theres a million threads on how to cheat CVS! While I am 100% certain you are honest, many, many people are not and use the phrase "the customer is always right" to justify their cheating & greed...look at the posts that are telling the OP to call corporate or hire a lawyer. For what? Because some cashier at CVS had the balls to cut up their card? Like that is assualt or abuse! Please. Work 1/2 hour in retail and you will begin to question if ANYONE in America is honest...so many people cheat or try to work their way around rules, it is laughable. But I guess my honesty and rule-following is why I am not financially successful, but at least I know I am not a loser who cheats the system.

Wow - have you ever READ the CVS threads on the Budget Board? There is no cheating involved at all. There are tips on how to best maximize your savings by combining sales and manufacturer's coupons. CVS makes a TON of money on their sale items and coupon redemptions (all subsidized by the manufacturers themselves!) so have no fear that they are losing money. Rite Aid is losing money and they have a simliar "free" items promotion so apparently they aren't doing something right.

Exactly. No way would CVS continue this program if it did not benefit their bottom line. Sure, there are people out there who know how to work the system (I use my ECB's as best I can - on items I use - but I would NEVER drive all over the state to work the deals like some people do. Multiple trips, with multiple cards, to multiple CVS's...just plain silly IMO.), but my educated guess is that the ECB program works out to the advantage of CVS, otherwise they'd scrap it.

Bingo! It is all about the profit.

 

[CajunDixie]

ummm...my close family member is a manager of a CVS and the majority of people DO abuse these specials. When CVS puts wording in place in the ads to limit quantities, they just do separate purchases. This family member CRINGES when he sees the CVS ads. Just look at THIS budget board...theres a million threads on how to cheat CVS! While I am 100% certain you are honest, many, many people are not and use the phrase "the customer is always right" to justify their cheating & greed...look at the posts that are telling the OP to call corporate or hire a lawyer. For what? Because some cashier at CVS had the balls to cut up their card? Like that is assualt or abuse! Please. Work 1/2 hour in retail and you will begin to question if ANYONE in America is honest...so many people cheat or try to work their way around rules, it is laughable. But I guess my honesty and rule-following is why I am not financially successful, but at least I know I am not a loser who cheats the system.

Exactly spell out how this board has a million threads on how to cheat CVS. Your close family member must be a very uneducated manager to not understand how sales, loss leaders, and coupons work. If CVS did not have sales, did not accept coupons and did not have the ECB system no one would shop there as their regular prices are higher than Walmart here.

My guess is that they end up making money overall because of the cards. For every person who gets a few free items and walks out paying nothing, there are going to be more people who go to CVS and buy a bunch of other stuff in addition to the ECB deals that they otherwise wouldn't have purchased. For most grooming and food stuff, CVS is much higher than grocery stores or even other drug stores. In addition, I'm sure a significant number of ECBs never get redeemed.

Exactly!! I know my boss tosses all his receipts/ECBs/coupons

If im right, i believe the cards are property of CVS anyways, so they can do whatever they want with them. If you look at Krogers, Speedway etc they all say the same thing

Sorry but she had no right to take the OPs keys regardless of what else was on the keyring. My card does NOT say property of CVS. Just because an uneducated, over zealous cashier has a problem with how CVS runs their business this customer now has the hassle of replacing those cards.

If you want to get technical CVS cheats many of us when they do not give us the full amount of a mfg coupon off of our purchase yet they are reimbursed the full amount of the coupon plus many give an eight cent handling charge also.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

My guess is that they end up making money overall because of the cards. For every person who gets a few free items and walks out paying nothing, there are going to be more people who go to CVS and buy a bunch of other stuff in addition to the ECB deals that they otherwise wouldn't have purchased. For most grooming and food stuff, CVS is much higher than grocery stores or even other drug stores. In addition, I'm sure a significant number of ECBs never get redeemed.

I agree with this. I never used to shop CVS until I learned about the ECBs. CVS, at least here, is a good 30% higher in price. Now I do a lot of my shopping there...after the good deals. If CVS had a problem with using a coupon and ECBs and then giving you ECB in return then they would discontinue the practice.

 

[kaytieeldr]

sounds like your store hates the ECB deals as is.

Sometimes ECB deals are really great and I'm sure the stores don't always like it.

I'm not sure why anybody would think this. Store sales are based on actual sales - not, in the case of CVS, actual sales minus ECB discounts/freebies. Unless maybe you're thinking the stores dislike the ECB deals because some customer abuse it...

I never shop any of the sale items at CVS because people will grab all 12 bottles of any advertised product and leave nothing for anyone else. Just because it's allowed doesn't mean it's right

leaving the store employees to deal with/placate the customer who arrive only a few hours after the store opens, only to find the item gone.

 

[kaytieeldr]

They WERE in the wrong providing you with a horrible and possible humiliating experience.

Respectfully, : It's an (okay, two) Extra Care Bucks card. Awkward, maybe; 'humiliating only to the most sensitive, if anyone.

It seems odd. 3 just does not seem like alot of cards.

But when the limit is one ECB card per person (despite the system occasionally missing duplication, as in a post above), three IS a lot of cards.

call a lawyer. they can't just grab your personal belongings like that.

Oh, come on. A lawyer? Isn't that maybe just the tiniest bit of overreaction?

The rule is one per adult in the household- there is NO RULE saying you can't have extra cards on your keychain!

But there's common sense. If each person is only allowed to have one Extra Care account, it follows that, reasonably, each person with an ECB account would be expected to have one card.

There is no law against that and to take your personal belongings and cut up things off your keyfob is ridiculous.

Well, but stores don't make laws; they have/make rules regarding programs such as CVS's Extra Care

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'm not advocating calling a lawyer, but a lawyer could make a case for anything... It could be pain and suffering for embarrassment.

But it does not appear the OP suffered embarrassment (this thread alone - and one would assume there would be at least one CVS associate on the DIS) would be strong evidence for the defendant that if anything, she's angry - not embarrassed.

I almost totally disagree with what you are saying. As a loyal CVS customer and cardholder, I must be blind because I have never seen any customers march to the shelves and grab 12 bottles of anything. Yes, they probably exist, but out of all the CVS cardholders, they probably number 1%.

But you wouldn't see it. If there is a limit of four per customer, a customer with three different ECB cards would be more likely to go through the line three separate times, using a different card each time - than to march up to the counter with twelve bottles at one time and attempt/expect the cashier to process the three separate sales.

I would have been REALLY ticked if someone took my keys and cut something off of them. They should have just asked for them, then you could have explained that they were not yours.

Taking the keys, sure. Since CVS can scan the barcode while the customer holds the card (vs. he supermarket, where often the scanner is stationary and not within reach of the customer), there was no actual reason for the cashier to remove the keys from the OP's possession.

But the Extra Care cards belong to CVS. They should have ASKED for the other cards; possibly even refused to accept any ECB card from the OP.

That CVS had no right to take her keys from her and cut up her cards.

Again, agreed - store employees had no right to remove the OP's keys from her possession by any kind of force. But the cards are, ultimately, CVS's to do with as they choose.

WOW..I feel bad for you. I worked in retail for 9 years and only had a couple of bad experiences.

Well, I do work retail as a matter of fact. I work in two hospital gift shops and will be heading to work at one of them today 2-7 P.M. Once again, I think you and your relative are stereotyping and exaggerating because from my personal experience working as a cashier, 99.9% of our customers are honest and fairminded people

Respectfully, it doesn't appear either of the quoted posters works/worked for CVS, and therefore would likely have no ECB experience from the retailer's point of view.

If you want to get technical CVS cheats many of us when they do not give us the full amount of a mfg coupon off of our purchase yet they are reimbursed the full amount of the coupon plus many give an eight cent handling charge also.

When does that happen? The only reasonable time would be when the coupon is worth more than the item - for example, a dollar-off coupon where the item costs the customer only ninety-nine cents. If that's what you mean, it's not limited to CVS - no retailer will give you money back. Coupons have no cash value. If the manufacturer reimburses the retailer more than the item price, that's a bonus for the retailer. It really doesn't happen all that often - plus, companies reserve the right to audit any retailer whom they suspect of coupon fraud. Any fraud.

 

[Kycha]

When does that happen? The only reasonable time would be when the coupon is worth more than the item - for example, a dollar-off coupon where the item costs the customer only ninety-nine cents. If that's what you mean, it's not limited to CVS - no retailer will give you money back. Coupons have no cash value. If the manufacturer reimburses the retailer more than the item price, that's a bonus for the retailer. It really doesn't happen all that often - plus, companies reserve the right to audit any retailer whom they suspect of coupon fraud. Any fraud.

For people like me, who uses a fair amount of coupons, it happens a lot. And there are some retailers that will give you the full value of the coupon regardless of the cost of the item. My local Walmart does this as well as a couple of local grocery stores.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

When does that happen? The only reasonable time would be when the coupon is worth more than the item - for example, a dollar-off coupon where the item costs the customer only ninety-nine cents. If that's what you mean, it's not limited to CVS - no retailer will give you money back. Coupons have no cash value.

Actually this is not true. The military commissary is required BY LAW to accept coupons for the full face value no matter what the cost of the item. It's called overage and smart commissary shoppers like myself use this to our advantage to help offset the cost of groceries we do not have coupons for like meat and produce. The commissary is reimbursed the full face value of the coupon plus the handling fee so they MUST credit the full price to the customer.

The registers at CVS usually beep if there is overage and they adjust down the coupon value to equal the price of the item. Sometimes CRTs (cash register tape coupons) combined with a manufacturer's coupon results in overage but those do not usually beep and are allowed. CVS will get credit for both from the manufacturer so it is a win/win for the store and the customer in that case.

 

[spider0215]

Ok I work in customer service and use to work retail customer service. I am appaulled that they would take your keys and walk off. Of course they would've had to prye them from my cold dead fingers. No matter what the policy as far as how many cards you can have this was improper customer service behavior. I think you should definately notify their district office.

 

[maggiew]

Just look at THIS budget board...theres a million threads on how to cheat CVS! While I am 100% certain you are honest, many, many people are not and use the phrase "the customer is always right" to justify their cheating & greed....

You obviously do not read the CVS threads. They are not about how to cheat CVS. They are about matching up coupons with CVS sales and ECB deals. I am offended by your suggesting I cheat CVS by being a smart shopper.

By the way, I only do one deal for each special (or whatever the limit may be - like this week the Softsoap Ensembles is Limit 3).

CVS knows what they are doing.

I can't believe this thread is still going.

Maggie

 

[octoberprincess]

I can't believe this thread is still going.

Maggie

I'm also shocked at how long this thread is!

 

[jgates]

Well I haven't gone through all 7 pages of this thread yet, but I checked the CVS site and I sure cannot find anything about one per household in the FAQs.

 

[allison443]

I'm also shocked at how long this thread is!

I can't believe the OP hasn't given an update......

 

[Kycha]

Thank you for listening to me venting and thank you for the support.

I did call corporate as suggested and filed a complaint. The lady who answered the phone was very helpful and told me that she will have the district manager to call me back. She also helped me to consolidate all my CVS cards together through the ExtraCare rep. The funny thing was, not until they started to help consolidate our account, I found out that DH had another card under his name. The only time that card was used was April last year when he apply for the card.

I can't believe the OP hasn't given an update......

I wasn't sure if you saw this, the last update that the op posted.

 

[PebblesMom]

I think the key part of this is the ECB's, and not how many cards a person or household have, it is how the offers are being used. If crest toothpaste is on sale and there is a limit of 3, then I should only get 3. If I have 3 cards that does not mean I have the right to get 9. When I first started getting the extra bucks I would never have any luck after Monday, because CVS never set limits, so 10 customers would be happy and walk away with 15 bottles each of soft soap body wash (I was in line behind a mother and her 3 daughters doing this), and the next 150 customers would be complaining to the manager, corporate, and the cashiers that they were always out (body wash does not grow on trees, so there is not a limitless amount of it). CVS then decided to set limits, so now when a limit is reached on your card the computer cuts you off. I can go in on Wednesday and get my 1 or 2 offers and not have to worry they are out. Like any rule, SOME people try to find a way around it, and with this one the most obvious way is to get more cards to get around the limits that have been set. I think the employee should never have cut up the card, but I don't think it would have been unreasonable for her to not accept any of the cards unless the other two were surrendered.

 

[JackJack08]

I am reading this and chuckling! Number one I have worked in a sales position forever......if anyone ever grabbed my keys and took something off of my keychain....it wouldn't be pretty. NEVER is this acceptable.
Number two I don't even go to CVS but come on, even if this woman had three cards who cares?? If she has the time and will to try and get so much free "stuff" than so be it. (Not that you do--no offense in any way!) Is it really that big a deal?? I mean, if you can keep track of all of that.....maybe you deserve it. And don't tell me, some of you that responded so harshly don't have mutiple cards.
O.k. flame away..............