Rejected at the grocery store

[LeslieG]

I got a new smartphone and scanned all my frequent shopper cards using Cardstar. Imagine my surprise when I get to the grocery store and the cashier tells me they're not allowed to scan cards from a smartphone. I asked her why, and she couldn't tell me. I can't understand why either. Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas what the reason would be?

 

[shine87]

in places I have worked in the past, the coupons have to be filed with daily paper work to make sure the cashier isnt just giving away random discounts or using 1 time use coupons over and over. The grocery store probably has a similar policy

 

[brymolmom]

I got a new smartphone and scanned all my frequent shopper cards using Cardstar. Imagine my surprise when I get to the grocery store and the cashier tells me they're not allowed to scan cards from a smartphone. I asked her why, and she couldn't tell me. I can't understand why either. Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas what the reason would be?

Well, I'm no expert and honestly I have never seen Cardstar but I work for a grocery store in their Information Technology department. My gut instinct is that it is either that 1) these can be easily/more easily forged this way or 2) your store is leery of having someone else have your card number and other information (name, address) for fear of them giving this information out to others or 3) maybe the POS system doesn't accurately capture numbers this way and be able to process it through all the other systems accordingly.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

in places I have worked in the past, the coupons have to be filed with daily paper work to make sure the cashier isnt just giving away random discounts or using 1 time use coupons over and over. The grocery store probably has a similar policy

The OP was talking about loyalty cards not one time use coupons.

OP, I've been told that due to "liability" they aren't allowed. The few places I can use it, they won't hold my phone. It's interesting for sure.

 

[brymolmom]

The OP was talking about loyalty cards not one time use coupons.

OP, I've been told that due to "liability" they aren't allowed. The few places I can use it, they won't hold my phone. It's interesting for sure.

Oh wow - the cashier actually has to hold the phone to do this? This is definitely the reason. No way should a cashier be allowed to hold someone else's smartphone - do you know how many people would call the company and say their phone won't work anymore since cashier handled it roughly? I can totally see this being the issue unless the customer can still hold it herself and the cashier scan it with a gun.

 

[LeslieG]

I think I will try again at the self check out and see what happens.

 

[maggiew]

The cashier does not need to hold your phone for them to scan it. I just hold it up and they shoot the little gun thing towards it.

I've successfully used it at CVS but haven't tried anywhere else.

Maggie

 

[shine87]

The OP was talking about loyalty cards not one time use coupons.

OP, I've been told that due to "liability" they aren't allowed. The few places I can use it, they won't hold my phone. It's interesting for sure.

oops thats what i get for reading it quickly on my smart phone

 

[vicki_c]

Don't get too excited anyway, I have yet to get Cardstar to work on my iPhone anywhere I tried it. I quit.

However, my Starbucks app works great. They won't take it at the drive-through though only at the counter. I didn't ask, but I assume it's for the same reason - they don't want to take your phone from you across the window at the drive through and possibly drop it. At the counter though, they do take it out of your hand and scan it. Although most of the time I just hold it up.

 

[mcorbo]

Oh wow - the cashier actually has to hold the phone to do this? This is definitely the reason. No way should a cashier be allowed to hold someone else's smartphone - do you know how many people would call the company and say their phone won't work anymore since cashier handled it roughly? I can totally see this being the issue unless the customer can still hold it herself and the cashier scan it with a gun.

Starbucks has a pay application for smartphones,they are not allowed to handle your phone either, but they will hold out the scanner so you can scan your phone screen.

 

[beaucoup]

I've had more people tell me that it just didn't work (unable to read scan) than those it has worked for. I haven't bothered trying because of this.

 

[Duckyiam71]

Don't get too excited anyway, I have yet to get Cardstar to work on my iPhone anywhere I tried it. I quit.

However, my Starbucks app works great. They won't take it at the drive-through though only at the counter. I didn't ask, but I assume it's for the same reason - they don't want to take your phone from you across the window at the drive through and possibly drop it. At the counter though, they do take it out of your hand and scan it. Although most of the time I just hold it up.

Strange. I work at Starbucks and all the info we were given told us NOT to touch the phone at all. That is why we can not take it through drive thru. In the cafe, We just turn the scanner and the customer does it all. It is a liability because if we should drop it, we are responsible. But in the OP case, I have no idea why they would swipe a loyalty card. Interesting.

 

[vicki_c]

Strange. I work at Starbucks and all the info we were given told us NOT to touch the phone at all. That is why we can not take it through drive thru. In the cafe, We just turn the scanner and the customer does it all. It is a liability because if we should drop it, we are responsible. But in the OP case, I have no idea why they would swipe a loyalty card. Interesting.

I think the cashier has only taken the phone from me once or twice so maybe those were just off instances.

 

[starwood]

I have keyring on my droid and tried it at the self scan at stop and shop and it wouldn't read the phone. I haven't tried it any place else but it would be great if these places could get their scanners to read the phone.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

The store I work in does not use hand held scanners at the cash registers... we've had a few customers try to use their card on their smartphone, but our scanners just can't read the screen.
It's a great idea, if our registers can be fixed to work with it, those cards are always getting lost, and customers sign up so many times that they never know which card they are builing up points on and which they are not.

 

[Kies99]

I think I will try again at the self check out and see what happens.

Definitely try this.

While not card related, we have a grocery store where the clerks won't accept printed coupons from the internet. However the scanners at the self check-out lanes do accept them.

 

[NMW]

I think this is an example of something that sounds like a great idea, but just doesn't work in the real world. I deleted the app from my iPhone. It just doesn't work anywhere I tried it.

 

[BSil]

You know what would be really great? If stores would just price their items at the actual true price, and not require you to carry some loyalty card. I mean when is enough, enough? I can hardly keep a couple of family pictures in my wallet because it is so full of absurd loyalty cards.

At least we still have one grocery chain here in MA that doesn't use them, and it makes me want to shop there over any other chain.

I get the fact that these companies want their free market research about what I'm buying and how often, and I understand that this is how they determine what coupons to print you at the end of your purchase. Honestly, the free ham once a year really isn't worth it, nor is the 3 cents off my gas purchase.

It's just a matter of time until they are passing this info on to health care companies, so they can look back at your buying history, and decide not to cover you because you didn't buy enough vegetables. Perhaps they determine that you have had one too many cans of soda rung up on your loyalty card, so to help prevent your impending obesity problem they can deny your purchase. This is probably extreme, but I wouldn't put anything past some of these companies today.

 

[Abbie]

At least we still have one grocery chain here in MA that doesn't use them, and it makes me want to shop there over any other chain.

Totally agree!!

 

[buzzrelly]

I have used mine at stores but mostly at the self check-out. I've had cases where the scanner will not read it on my iphone but I just hit the button to pull up the key pad and I manually input my scan card number in. Voila...problem solved.