Was I Wrong To Expect This From Publix?

[LauraR]

I would return the pickles and then bought two jugs of ice tea and walked it right to customer service to return one on the receipt from the previous day.

Now that is clever! I never would have thought to do that!

 

[mdwade]

I used to work at a grocery store (Food Lion, in the bakery). When they offered BOGO, you had to buy one to get one free. They did not give you half off if you only bought one. People complained constantly, but the store stood by the policy- Buy one, get one free, of equal or lesser value. I had seen the store return customer's money for a lot less, (ex- people returning half-eaten food saying, it wasn't any good. In fact, some customers trying it more than once. We had a lady who would order a specific party tray and ask us to throw in extra food as "garnishment"- she would order the cheese tray and ask for strawberries and grapes to "dress it up" because the cheese tray was cheaper and smaller than the fruit and cheese tray.) Finally, another competing store opened across the street, and then another, and another and Food Lion changed their policy.

I think they should have charged half price for each jar of pickles.

 

[tedhowe]

The point of most BOGO offers is not just to improve sales by cutting the price, but it is to move the merchandise out of inventory. From an inventory management perspective, there is a real reason that you have to buy two in order to get one for free - instead of just cutting the price in half.

Last winter, there was a sale at Old Navy that had fleece throws for $15.00 each, or two for $10! They just needed to move the inventory out the door.

As for the OPs situation, I think the Pickles were something that, even if the system didn't discount the second one, the store should have done it for you. The Iced Tea is one I would not have given you, if I was in customer service there... nearly all sales in any retail establishment exclude items sold prior to the sale.

Just out of curiosity, did you ask about the pickles first, or the iced tea first or did you ask about both at the same time to open the conversation. If either of the last two options, I think that could explain the attitude of the CSR and managers (not to excuse it) - they may have seen you as a "problem" customer who was asking for something unreasonable (the tea) and may have ignored the reasonable request (the pickles).

Ted

 

[Cindi0511]

Just out of curiosity, did you ask about the pickles first, or the iced tea first or did you ask about both at the same time to open the conversation. If either of the last two options, I think that could explain the attitude of the CSR and managers (not to excuse it) - they may have seen you as a "problem" customer who was asking for something unreasonable (the tea) and may have ignored the reasonable request (the pickles).

Ted

That's what I was wondering. I've seen some really crazy things people try to pull over on stores.

 

[2x_dis_dad]

I used to work at Publix. I know in the past their BOGO's were not true BOGO's They just marked them half price so it didn't matter if you bought 2 of the item. I don't know if they have changed that policy now.

 

[hercamore]

This is why I like shopping at Target. You can get a price adjustment (within 2 weeks) for groceries.

herc.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Do you still have the Publix ad? I have last week’s Stop & Shop ad here. At the bottom of the front page, they have Lay’s Potato Chips Buy 1 Get 1 Free with the notation “of equal or lesser value. Next to that, they have Ball Park Beef Franks Buy 1 Get 1 Free with the notation “of the same item”. So, on the pickles, I suppose it depends on what, if any, qualifiers were advertised, posted, or otherwise available. Now, I don’t know what any of the signage in the store stated – I never made it there, and the sales run Friday-to-Thursday.

On the tea? Nope. If you want BOGO, buy another one and get a free one. If you’ve gone through half a container in less than 24 hours, it appears any new purchases of that same item will NOT go to waste.

#2 The Ice Tea, me being in retail I would have adjusted as a courtesy and told you "I will do it this time but if it is on sale from ___ to ____ then we will not be able to do it in the future."

The problem I see with that is – what are they going to do, post her photograph by the time clock with a notation “no credits for this customer ever again”?

No way on the tea but at the very least since you paid for two jars of pickles then you should have been able to get another jar of each type and they should have been free.

Now, THAT makes sense!

I would return the pickles and then bought two jugs of ice tea and walked it right to customer service to return one on the receipt from the previous day.

Now that is clever! I never would have thought to do that!

And I’m thinking, given how memorable the OP’s earlier-that-trip encounter was with the service desk person AND two managers, they would have refused to refund her. They’d probably take back one tea, but it’d be the one she got free.

 

[shirleyb]

Were you wrong?

On pickles - maybe so, maybe not. I had this happen to me at CVS when M&Ms were BOGO. I bought one plain, one peanut, same price, expecting one to be free, and wasn't. Didn't notice till I got home, of course!

On the tea, yes, you were absolutely wrong.

 

[i3utterfli82]

Yes on pickles, no on tea.