Exchanging at a store... can anyone justify this?!

[nkereina]

Last week, I purchased two cansiters of protein powder at GNC during their buy one get one 50% off sale. I went in today to exchange one of the canisters for another flavor - same price, same size (their policy allows exchanges once its opened). I was asked to pay $7, when I thought this was an even exchange. I was told that since I'm returning one item (not both) from the buy one get one 50% off sale, their register automatically adds the two prices together and divides it by 2 to evenly distribute the price difference between the two products purchased since the register doesn't know which product I'm returning. But in my mind, it was an even exchange and I now just paid $7 MORE for the exact same thing I had previously purchased. When I left the store, I called their 1-800 number and was given the same response. Has anyone heard of such a thing? Is there some kind of math I'm missing that makes this all even out?!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Last week, I purchased two cansiters of protein powder at GNC during their buy one get one 50% off sale. I went in today to exchange one of the canisters for another flavor - same price, same size (their policy allows exchanges once its opened). I was asked to pay $7, when I thought this was an even exchange. I was told that since I'm returning one item (not both) from the buy one get one 50% off sale, their register automatically adds the two prices together and divides it by 2 to evenly distribute the price difference between the two products purchased since the register doesn't know which product I'm returning. But in my mind, it was an even exchange and I now just paid $7 MORE for the exact same thing I had previously purchased. When I left the store, I called their 1-800 number and was given the same response. Has anyone heard of such a thing? Is there some kind of math I'm missing that makes this all even out?!

Did you have the receipt? If not the exchange was for the price they are now that the promo had ended so it sounds like you paid the difference.

 

[SLP958]

Unless you have the receipt most stores do make you pay full price after a sale is over.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I find now that at the stores I shop at actually divide the price up on the original receipt. So if I buy two shirts at Buy One Get One Free, the receipt will show a discount of 50% on each item, not one full price and the other free. Then if I return one of the shirts, I am credited half the regular price.

So it makes sense to me.

TP

 

[nkereina]

I did have the original receipt. I've also seen receipts where when it's BOGO, they divide the cost up amongst the other items in the transaction. But if you come in to do an even exchange with the receipt, I've never seen it where you're penalized for buying the items on sale and now forced to pay the difference And FWIW, the BOGO 50% off sale is still going on!!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I did have the original receipt. I've also seen receipts where when it's BOGO, they divide the cost up amongst the other items in the transaction. But if you come in to do an even exchange with the receipt, I've never seen it where you're penalized for buying the items on sale and now forced to pay the difference And FWIW, the BOGO 50% off sale is still going on!!

You should have gotten it as an even trade then.

 

[SirDuff]

It sounds like the system doesn't actually do an exchange (the store I worked at didn't either). It did a return and then a new purchase.

1) Return - Since the offer was "Buy 1, get one 50% off" it makes sense that you wouldn't get the full price back. You'd get either 50% (leaving you paying full price for the first, as you would have done had you only bought one) or 75% (splitting the 50% off savings over both containers, giving you 25% off each). If we pretend the containers were $10, you'd have paid $15 for them both. When you returned one your refund would be $5 or $7.50 It looks like they were generous and gave you the 25% discount on the remaining canister, so you got a $7.50 refund.

2) New purchase - Since you are only purchasing one canister, you are charged the full price which is $10. Since you're refund was $7.50, you now owe $2.50.

Our system would have done the same thing (though it would have only refunded you $5). However, most likely we'd have done an override so that you didn't owe money as it was an exchange (and you still bought two containers). I know that some stores (clearly this one) wouldn't do that though.

 

[goodeats]

I can't handle stupid policies like this anymore. It's why I stopped shopping at Kohl's altogether.

 

[Art 1]

Should of returned both. The stuff really doesn't work.

 

[JanaDee]

I find now that at the stores I shop at actually divide the price up on the original receipt. So if I buy two shirts at Buy One Get One Free, the receipt will show a discount of 50% on each item, not one full price and the other free. Then if I return one of the shirts, I am credited half the regular price.

So it makes sense to me.

TP

Yup, that is how the BOGO sales work. You're paying 50% for each item.

 

[nkereina]

Thanks for all the responses!

It sounds like the system doesn't actually do an exchange (the store I worked at didn't either). It did a return and then a new purchase.

1) Return - Since the offer was "Buy 1, get one 50% off" it makes sense that you wouldn't get the full price back. You'd get either 50% (leaving you paying full price for the first, as you would have done had you only bought one) or 75% (splitting the 50% off savings over both containers, giving you 25% off each). If we pretend the containers were $10, you'd have paid $15 for them both. When you returned one your refund would be $5 or $7.50 It looks like they were generous and gave you the 25% discount on the remaining canister, so you got a $7.50 refund.

2) New purchase - Since you are only purchasing one canister, you are charged the full price which is $10. Since you're refund was $7.50, you now owe $2.50.

Our system would have done the same thing (though it would have only refunded you $5). However, most likely we'd have done an override so that you didn't owe money as it was an exchange (and you still bought two containers). I know that some stores (clearly this one) wouldn't do that though.

This makes sense. I'm guessing the cashier didn't know enough to think about overriding it and I was caught off guard so I couldn't have thought it through. I can't be the first person to question this in their store though - seems crazy!

Should of returned both. The stuff really doesn't work.

LOL. All a matter of opinion.

 

[bcla]

Sounds about right to me. I've gotten stuff with all sorts of BOGO discounts, and the sales terminals process discount breakdowns in assorted ways.

It would be up to the manager to just let it slide. I've asked before for similar 1:1 exchanges, and I've encountered managers who said that all transactions were limited to registered transactions, while others said here you go with an even exchange that wasn't registered.

 

[SLP958]

I did have the original receipt. I've also seen receipts where when it's BOGO, they divide the cost up amongst the other items in the transaction. But if you come in to do an even exchange with the receipt, I've never seen it where you're penalized for buying the items on sale and now forced to pay the difference And FWIW, the BOGO 50% off sale is still going on!!

I agree that makes no sense.

 

[bcla]

I agree that makes no sense.

Makes sense to me. I bought in iPad mini at Target with a special promotion where they would give a $50 Target gift card if it was purchased at regular price. This sort of gets around Apple's policy on its authorized retailers not giving discounts. However, the store I got it from didn't have it in white and it was getting close to closing time on a Saturday, when the weekly ad deals expire. The employee recommended that I just buy it in black and then try exchanging it at another store (with the white version) the next day.

I did that, but when I got there, the sales terminal wouldn't let the employee perform an exchange without a payment of $50 to cover the cost of the gift card. That was the condition for exchange since I got it with the special deal. Also - a straight up wink, wink exchange probably wouldn't have worked because I understand that many electronic items have to be activated via a sale.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Last week, I purchased two cansiters of protein powder at GNC during their buy one get one 50% off sale. I went in today to exchange one of the canisters for another flavor - same price, same size (their policy allows exchanges once its opened). I was asked to pay $7, when I thought this was an even exchange. I was told that since I'm returning one item (not both) from the buy one get one 50% off sale, their register automatically adds the two prices together and divides it by 2 to evenly distribute the price difference between the two products purchased since the register doesn't know which product I'm returning. But in my mind, it was an even exchange and I now just paid $7 MORE for the exact same thing I had previously purchased. When I left the store, I called their 1-800 number and was given the same response. Has anyone heard of such a thing? Is there some kind of math I'm missing that makes this all even out?!

They should have done an override.

They processed it as though you were returning it and they should not have done so unless they clearly state in the policy. An even exchange should be net zero. The only time I have not been granted full price on a return is when I am only returning ONE item for a refund. That is automatically the discounted item in such a situation.


As far as the target gift card offer--that is different. However it should still have been an even exchange.

Any retailer has the ability to override. They are playing dumb to get more of your money. This is when you ask for a manager as regular cashiers rarely have the ability to override the system.

 

[SirDuff]

This makes sense. I'm guessing the cashier didn't know enough to think about overriding it and I was caught off guard so I couldn't have thought it through. I can't be the first person to question this in their store though - seems crazy!

It isn't necessarily that the cashier didn't know enough to override it. Given that you called head office and they agreed with the process, it may just be there policy.

If they call it an "exchange", I don't think that it *should* be the policy (my store did call it can exchange and, thus, we were able to override), but that doesn't mean that it isn't.

 

[Cupcakey78]

At my store, that wouldnt be considered an even exchange. While you are getting the same product, it is a different flavor, which has a different UPC or SKU. Therefore the register wouldn't recognize it as an even exchange (due to inventory issues.)

I would have processed the return, and when you went to purchase the different flavor, I would had adjusted the price so it would come out the same price.

 

[declansdad]

Should of returned both. The stuff really doesn't work.

There are some good reasons for using protein powders to supplement your diet if you are involved in some type of athletic activity or moving to a vegan diet. The problem is people tend to use more than they need. It is then broken down for energy and could be hard on your kidneys.

So it is possible for it to work.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Should of returned both. The stuff really doesn't work.

Totally agree. Everyone that I know that has used Protein powder have actually bulked up and had to stop taking it.

 

[Missy1961]

At my store, that wouldnt be considered an even exchange. While you are getting the same product, it is a different flavor, which has a different UPC or SKU. Therefore the register wouldn't recognize it as an even exchange (due to inventory issues.)

I would have processed the return, and when you went to purchase the different flavor, I would had adjusted the price so it would come out the same price.

I think that's it. For bookkeeping purposes, it isn't an even exchange. The store could fix that as others have mentioned, but for some reason it seems to be store policy to not. Honestly, I'd be so annoyed I'd take all the stuff back.

Sometimes I think this sort of stuff happens because stores have been burned by past refund happy customers. I sometimes read the budget board here and every so often, a thread will pop up with someone trying to get around some kind of deal like a BOGO deal. (I don't think the OP was doing that at all. It sounds to me like a totally legit refund/exchange) I remember a person once planned to buy all sorts of things he/she didn't want to get to the minimum amount for free shipping, then they were going to take all the extra stuff back to a store.