I Don't Get Stores Sometimes...

[AKL_Megs]

Oh no.

So every person who "claims" an item is on sale should get the price? That store will not stay in business for very long.

Since it was only 42 cents why did you let him hold up the line. Why not just pay the price?

I was just fed up at that point. I could have paid it, yes, but I knew I was headed to Walmart, and I knew they would be cheaper (around $0.89) there.

Well, respectfully, you questioned the price. With upwards of 10,000 different items in the typical supermarket, and with sale prices changing every week, it's unreasonable to expect any employee to instantly 'know' (i.e. remember) the price of any given item. Checking prices whenever there's a question is standard procedure unless the customer declines. NOT coming back with the sale item - especially given that any person checking a price doesn't actually know how many of the item the customer has - is also standard procedure. No, just because they can see four cans (if they're even visible) doesn't mean that's all the customer chose. So then the employee has to go BACK for however many more of the item the customer was ultimately planning to purchase.

Entirely inefficient.

Eh, I guess I see your point. He DID, however, ask me how many I had, and I only had two... the two he "held hostage". I really think he took down the "mistake" sign and that was that. He came back rather smug ashe said that the sign "was rather confusing".

 

[OceanAnnie]

OK, what would people of done in my situation?
Last night I was at Walgreens buying batteries. There was a sign on the Duracell ones saying $5.79, buy one, get one free. I took my 2 packages up to the register and the cashier started ringing them up. He said there was a problem and went over and looked at the battery display. Tells me that it's actually the Walgreens brand that is on sale and is that all right. I told him no, it wasn't all right since the sign was on the Duracell ones. It wasn't my fault the sign had been misplaced. He called the manager who looked and things and told me,'it's in bold writing on the tag that it's the Walgreens brand.' I told him that customers don't always read the small print on the sign. They expect the sign to be on the right merchandise and buy according to that. He seemed rather amazed I would say that. We went back and forth a few times. He ends up saying to me, 'we're giving you the sale price, what more do you want?' They ended up ringing them up at 5.99 for the first pack and .01 for the second pack.
So, would you have accepted the Walgreens brand or insisted the sell you the Duracell brand at the sale price?

I probably would've just gotten the one package of Duracell. I like them best. Since the name of the product was on the sale tag, I would've abided by that.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yeah, what OceanAnnie said on the batteries (and based on my 'eh'xperience with the Walgreens brand ) - especially where, as informed consumers, we all should know about fine print.

Also, it's possible the post thing for the sale sign wouldn't stay in the display where it would have made the most sense, but the holes or other connection near the Duracells worked. As long as they weren't on completely separate sides of the display, it's reasonable.

 

[dicar123]

I work for a "quick service" restaurant that is generally well known for it's excellent customer service, and all around helpfulness. You would NOT believe the number of people who take advantage of that.

If we mess up your order and you are still in the store, or come inside after going through the drive-thru, we will apologize and fix the order. If you appear really annoyed, we'll also give you coupons for free food. We don't even try to verify the claim. If you're trying to scam us for free fries and you're successful and tell your friends and ALL of you come back and try to scam us for free fries, you're probably still buying entrees.

If you have left the store and call later, we will take your name and address and send you a written apology along with free coupons to replace whatever item (s) was missed. We do that so that we have a record of the people who frequently complain.

Anyone who cares to act annoyed or insistent will get what they want. If people are lying to me, and I am nice and do what they want, I hope they at least feel a little bit guilty about it.

 

[MM27]

I would hold the line up for a price check because in the supermarket I go to they will give you the item free if it scans wrong. I always check prices carefully and read the description on the pricetag that is posted on the shelf because I know that many times the items are close to one another and it looks as if the item I am looking at is on sale when in fact it's not. If I was in fact to blame, I would apologize if I was wrong. I would not expect them to give me the sale price if I was in the wrong.

 

[NewDCLGuy]

Again, it shouldn't be expected, but this was a missed opportunity to build a relationship with a consumer...

You own a store. A customer walks up to you and says, "I know the price of the item is $1.19. But I only want to pay $0.98. If you don't let me pay $0.98, I'm going to walk out and never shop here again."

What do you do?

Me? I let the customer walk. You don't make money off every customer. Just a hunch, but someone willing to tie up a cashier, manager and whoever was behind them in line for several minutes over $0.20 is not somebody you are going to make a lot of money off.

 

[Caropooh]

Yeah, what OceanAnnie said on the batteries (and based on my 'eh'xperience with the Walgreens brand ) - especially where, as informed consumers, we all should know about fine print.

Also, it's possible the post thing for the sale sign wouldn't stay in the display where it would have made the most sense, but the holes or other connection near the Duracells worked. As long as they weren't on completely separate sides of the display, it's reasonable.

They were on the regular wall rack with the pegs sticking out from the walls. The sign/tag was on the peg holding the batteries and price tag for the duracell ones. The Walgreens brand peg was over at least 3 or 4 pegs.

 

[NewDCLGuy]

OK, what would people of done in my situation?
Last night I was at Walgreens buying batteries. There was a sign on the Duracell ones saying $5.79, buy one, get one free. I took my 2 packages up to the register and the cashier started ringing them up. He said there was a problem and went over and looked at the battery display. Tells me that it's actually the Walgreens brand that is on sale and is that all right. I told him no, it wasn't all right since the sign was on the Duracell ones.

This is just me, but I expect stores to treat me fairly, and I try and treat them fairly in return. If the price of the Duracell batteries is $5.79 each, I'll either pay that, or not buy them. If the store makes a mistake, I don't expect to get free batteries out of it.

 

[Tinkerbell58]

I went to WalMart today. (That's my mistake.) I had a BOGO coupon for Purex laundry detergent. The cashier scanned the free coupon twice and tells me I have to go to Customer Service to pay WalMart the difference of $4. So, I had to stand in line at Customer Service to pay WalMart back. The Customer Service person thanked me for being honest.

You know, if I didn't pay WalMart their $4, karma would have bit me in the butt.

 

[maxiesmom]

So every person who "claims" an item is on sale should get the price? That store will not stay in business for very long.

Since it was only 42 cents why did you let him hold up the line. Why not just pay the price?

Because it is "only 42 cents" when it is the store's 42 cents. If it is the customer's 42 cents, then it is a big deal.

And telling a customer the sign is misleading is a way to make the customer feel better about the confusion. It is much nicer than saying the cusomter just doesn't know how to read! That wouldn't go over very well!

 

[Sparx]

Because it is "only 42 cents" when it is the store's 42 cents. If it is the customer's 42 cents, then it is a big deal.

And telling a customer the sign is misleading is a way to make the customer feel better about the confusion. It is much nicer than saying the cusomter just doesn't know how to read! That wouldn't go over very well!

exactly.

 

[RF536]

I have to say Meijer is terrible about their sale signs being incorrect or misleading. I have on several occasions actually gone back on taken the sign off the shelf to show the cashier after they told me I read the sign wrong. One time the manager had even told me that I read the sign wrong, the sign read "All women's shoes 30% off." I decided to buy tennis shoes that day based on the sign, the manager tried to tell me that the sale did not include athletic shoes. He had nothing to say when I brought the sign up and said, "Show me where the signs says the sale does not include athletic shoes."

 

[maxiesmom]

I have to say Meijer is terrible about their sale signs being incorrect or misleading. I have on several occasions actually gone back on taken the sign off the shelf to show the cashier after they told me I read the sign wrong. One time the manager had even told me that I read the sign wrong, the sign read "All women's shoes 30% off." I decided to buy tennis shoes that day based on the sign, the manager tried to tell me that the sale did not include athletic shoes. He had nothing to say when I brought the sign up and said, "Show me where the signs says the sale does not include athletic shoes."

What is it with Michigan Meijers? The one closest to me is horrible about leaving old signs up, and will not honor that price, no matter what the item.

Last winter I was shopping with a friend of mine, and she purchased some sleds that didn't ring up what they were marked. The store manager told us they were marked wrong, and he wouldn't honor that price. Unfortunately for him, Michigan has a scan law that penalizes the store when things ring up more than they are marked. Because of the way the system is set up, he had no choice but to give us the sleds for what they were marked, and the scan law penalty too. But he made sure to tell us that he was loosing money by doing so.

 

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

its a slow night, so im laughing at all of this.......ha. I also would not expect anything free if i read the sign wrong. I also would not drive to another store to shop and save the .42 or whatever it was in the first place. I find waitin g in line alot of people dont read the sign. And also people move signs, thats also why they are mixed up. I would of bought the one pack of batteries . Would not expect free batteries. .........its a dif. world than when we grew up..........haha.

 

[Disnut49117]

The store manager told us they were marked wrong, and he wouldn't honor that price. Unfortunately for him, Michigan has a scan law that penalizes the store when things ring up more than they are marked. Because of the way the system is set up, he had no choice but to give us the sleds for what they were marked, and the scan law penalty too. But he made sure to tell us that he was loosing money by doing so.

At least you were in Michigan, Indiana does not put prices on the item, so when you get to the counter you can't always remember what the price was supposed to be. I guess that is one good thing about Michigan.

 

[DarthKTrava]

Hmm...I didn't have this experience at Target this past week. They had a sign up that said if you bought 5 participating Kellogg's products you got a
$5.00 gift card. So I was buying 5 boxes of poptarts. It didn't ring up that way even though the sign clearly said that was the deal. So, I paid regular price and walked those 5 boxes over to the return station and got my money back.

Not sure if the sign was from the week before or what but it WAS there when I was shopping.

That's when you take that sign up and point it out to them. I did that for one that Best Buy had left on the shelf for a computer video card. I got the sale price because they were the ones being sloppy. Similar thing for a movie at a different time.

And if one is unsure of prices, some places have scanners all around the store to check prices before getting to the register (doesn't apply to grocery stores).

 

[BRDof3]

 

[Elmo9607]

Heh heh...after working as a cashier for 3 years (which is a LONG time for people my age to be a cashier...darn having to work through college! )

I can honestly say that it is a no-win situation sometimes for everyone. The customer will yell at the cashier for something that they have no control over (prices, for example), cause a scene, get embarassed, and annoy other customers. The cashier will then get frustrated and irritated, have to deal with said grouchy customer AND a line up of customers who are now grumpy because they have been held up, and have to appear happy, patient, and eager to help and please.

Repeat about 3 times an hour for 8 hours and you have an idea of what it's like to work retail.

I could go on...but this is enough for tonight...I have to work in the morning!

 

[LindaG4458]

Having worked in retail I ordinarily don't raise fuss in a store unless I KNOW that I'm right and the store is wrong. In the case of the beans I would have paid the correct price, especially for only 42 cents.

I did raise a fuss in a store once when I wanted to make an exchange. I had gone to one of the outlet stores (which is no longer there) in Conway NH, tried on a skirt, then bought three of the same style and size in different colors. One size was marked incorrectly (which I had to prove to them by actually comparing garments) so I tried to return it for exchange two days later after the sale was over (all tags were still on the skirt). There were no more of the correct size and color in the store. I said that was OK I would take a pair of slacks that had been the same price both originally and on sale. They said no because they did not have a system to accept the skirt back and take the slacks out of inventory for the old sale price. I told them I didn't care if they had a system or not, I just wanted an even exchange. Things got nasty. Everyone in the store came to watch. After a long heated discussion I got the slacks at no additional cost as I should have in the beginning.

If I had done something wrong or if the skirt had been marked correctly and I had decided that I didn't like it it would have been a different story. I either would have kept the skirt and donated it to a thrift shop or dieted to get it to fit (unlikely). It would have been my problem.