Did I Cause These People to Get Fired? - Poor Customer Service

[gtaus]

This is going to be a MAJOR problem in a month or so, when people start shopping for the holidays. I will NOT be going during busy times.

For a number of years now, I don't even bother to shop the big box stores sometime starting in November through December, only going back to the stores in January. Like you, I will only go the store for something I really need and that will probably be very early in the morning or very late in the night to avoid standing in lines for a long time.

I remember I used to get all excited about Black Friday sales, but now you just go online and order them from home. No reason to go to the store for me. Also, never any really good sales on stuff I want during that period. I start looking for better tool deals in January and February when they want to clear out last year's unsold inventory.

 

[gtaus]

Before we left the lady and her two grandchildren were back in the store wanting to pay for their transaction. I'm not sure what exactly had happened but it was not intentional. She was very embarrassed and wanted to pay. I'm not sure how she realized the mistake.

I read somewhere that legally, if you are in such a position, that you are better off just retuning the items and NOT paying for them. Paying for those items after being accused of shoplifting (even by honest mistake) can be viewed as an admission that you knew you did not pay for them. I'm not a lawyer, but I know sometimes you can be better off doing something that might not necessarily make common sense to you. It would be terrible to be accused of shoplifting, then paying for those items afterwards could be used against you as an admission of your guilt. For some reason, the guy writing that column, stated that if the store takes back the items that were not paid for, then they have nothing to accuse you of for shoplifting because the items were returned to them.

Honestly, I don't understand it. But if the store has a person at the checkout and there is a mistake made, it's the store's fault and they cannot use that against you. Or so the article stated. After reading that article, it made me not want to use any self-checkout!

 

[Brooks_]

I read somewhere that legally, if you are in such a position, that you are better off just retuning the items and NOT paying for them. Paying for those items after being accused of shoplifting (even by honest mistake) can be viewed as an admission that you knew you did not pay for them. I'm not a lawyer, but I know sometimes you can be better off doing something that might not necessarily make common sense to you. It would be terrible to be accused of shoplifting, then paying for those items afterwards could be used against you as an admission of your guilt. For some reason, the guy writing that column, stated that if the store takes back the items that were not paid for, then they have nothing to accuse you of for shoplifting because the items were returned to them.

Honestly, I don't understand it. But if the store has a person at the checkout and there is a mistake made, it's the store's fault and they cannot use that against you. Or so the article stated. After reading that article, it made me not want to use any self-checkout!

Oddly, the same logic is not applied when a cashier double scans. Not theft then.

 

[Smokerbill]

Oddly, the same logic is not applied when a cashier double scans. Not theft then.

That's why I watch the cashier closely when checking out, then check over the receipt before walking out of the store.

 

[gtaus]

That's why I watch the cashier closely when checking out, then check over the receipt before walking out of the store.

Yeah, I hate to shop for groceries at WalMart. They have a terrible reputation for displaying one price on the shelves but charging you more for the item at the checkout. One thing I do like about the self-checkouts is that I can go as slow as I need to check the prices of the food I scan into my bags.

WalMart used to have a customer display for prices at the checkout with real people, but they took them away. So, you don't know if you have been overcharged until after you get your receipt. I am pretty sure they planned it that way so you would be busy getting out to your car before you ever realized that you overpaid for those items.

Speaking of poor customer support, last year I was in WalMart and purchased some cup of soups. Well, they scanned in at an extra 10 cents per item on a 40 cent purchase. So I called over the "supervisor" about the overcharge and to have it corrected. Well, the young girl was like "What's the big deal about being overcharged 10 cents more per item." I asked her if it was Walmart's policy to add a 25% hidden markup on all their items, or just the ones I purchased. That comment went over her head.

So, I asked her to override the higher price on the machine to the lower display price on the shelf. Well, she stated that the scan price was correct, but I could choose to return the items. I then asked her to check the price on the shelf and honor it for my purchase because I wanted the items. She told me that even if the shelf price was lower, she could not override the scanner. I told her that was not the store policy, and she could override the price on the machine if there was a lower price displayed on the shelf. Then she finally admitted to me that she did not know how to do it. Finally, the real reason.

I told her to call in a more experienced manager to show her how, the manager came over, overrode the higher scanned price for the lower display price, while instructing the young "supervisor" on how to do it for the next customer if it comes up again.

Problem is, nothing changes for the next person buying those items. They will get overcharged and probably not notice it. And many, if not most, people won't bother to complain.

A week later, I was back at WalMart picking up a few items, so I went back to the cup of soup display, and they still had the lower price displayed. There was another young woman there in the aisle putting price tags on items, so I asked her over to me to scan how much the soup was. Again, it scanned in at 10 cents per cup more than the display price. So, I showed her the price on the shelf display and asked her what I would be charged at the checkout. She said it would be the scanned price. I asked her if she thought it was OK that the store is displaying a lower price on the shelf, but it scans at a higher price at the checkout? I swear to God, she was either completely clueless or just did not care - maybe both. I suggested that since she was now aware of the problem, and that she was marking items for sale in that aisle, that maybe she should correct the display price to match her inventory price. But no, she stated that it would be changed by someone else in a week or two!

It wasn't.

I wonder how many pallets of cup of soup they sell daily displaying a lower price on the shelf but scanning at that 25% higher price? I bet a lot.

Our WalMart used to have scanners throughout the store so you could check how much an item was before you brought it to the checkout. Some items don't get marked and/or the display price is missing. Our WalMart removed all those price scanners, so you cannot check for yourself on the price anymore. I think that is all part of their plan.

This is why Dear Wife does almost all the grocery shopping for us.

 

[Smokerbill]

Yeah, I hate to shop for groceries at WalMart. They have a terrible reputation for displaying one price on the shelves but charging you more for the item at the checkout. One thing I do like about the self-checkouts is that I can go as slow as I need to check the prices of the food I scan into my bags.

WalMart used to have a customer display for prices at the checkout with real people, but they took them away. So, you don't know if you have been overcharged until after you get your receipt. I am pretty sure they planned it that way so you would be busy getting out to your car before you ever realized that you overpaid for those items.

Speaking of poor customer support, last year I was in WalMart and purchased some cup of soups. Well, they scanned in at an extra 10 cents per item on a 40 cent purchase. So I called over the "supervisor" about the overcharge and to have it corrected. Well, the young girl was like "What's the big deal about being overcharged 10 cents more per item." I asked her if it was Walmart's policy to add a 25% hidden markup on all their items, or just the ones I purchased. That comment went over her head.

So, I asked her to override the higher price on the machine to the lower display price on the shelf. Well, she stated that the scan price was correct, but I could choose to return the items. I then asked her to check the price on the shelf and honor it for my purchase because I wanted the items. She told me that even if the shelf price was lower, she could not override the scanner. I told her that was not the store policy, and she could override the price on the machine if there was a lower price displayed on the shelf. Then she finally admitted to me that she did not know how to do it. Finally, the real reason.

I told her to call in a more experienced manager to show her how, the manager came over, overrode the higher scanned price for the lower display price, while instructing the young "supervisor" on how to do it for the next customer if it comes up again.

Problem is, nothing changes for the next person buying those items. They will get overcharged and probably not notice it. And many, if not most, people won't bother to complain.

A week later, I was back at WalMart picking up a few items, so I went back to the cup of soup display, and they still had the lower price displayed. There was another young woman there in the aisle putting price tags on items, so I asked her over to me to scan how much the soup was. Again, it scanned in at 10 cents per cup more than the display price. So, I showed her the price on the shelf display and asked her what I would be charged at the checkout. She said it would be the scanned price. I asked her if she thought it was OK that the store is displaying a lower price on the shelf, but it scans at a higher price at the checkout? I swear to God, she was either completely clueless or just did not care - maybe both. I suggested that since she was now aware of the problem, and that she was marking items for sale in that aisle, that maybe she should correct the display price to match her inventory price. But no, she stated that it would be changed by someone else in a week or two!

It wasn't.

I wonder how many pallets of cup of soup they sell daily displaying a lower price on the shelf but scanning at that 25% higher price? I bet a lot.

Our WalMart used to have scanners throughout the store so you could check how much an item was before you brought it to the checkout. Some items don't get marked and/or the display price is missing. Our WalMart removed all those price scanners, so you cannot check for yourself on the price anymore. I think that is all part of their plan.

This is why Dear Wife does almost all the grocery shopping for us.

Ought to just take a cell phone picture of the shelf tag of everything we buy. I'm pretty good at memorizing the shelf prices and know when it rings up wrong. A couple times, if it was one item and off by just a little I'd let it slide. Not worth the hassle. And, as you say, that's probably what they count on.

 

[gtaus]

Not worth the hassle. And, as you say, that's probably what they count on.

I suppose so. Not many people are going to put up with the hassle of being overcharged 10 cents (25% over display price) on cup of soup, but the store knows you would notice a 25% markup on a $500 TV scanning in at $625. To them, it's a 25% increase in profits either way. But keeping it on the lower priced items is easier for them to get away with it.

You know darn well that if they found an item scanning in a lower price than the display price, they would have that corrected immediately!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

To answer your original question, @gtaus, I don't believe you got those two employees fired, and here's why. Most employers have a policy of "writing up" employees for various infractions related to their duties. And they don't write up the employee if a little training or a verbal reminder will suffice. It generally has to be a pretty egregious offense to deserve an official written reprimand that goes in the file. Usually, they are not in danger of losing their jobs until at least the third write-up. So chances are, if they lost their employment as a direct result of their interaction with you, they were already two-thirds of the way out the door.

 

[gtaus]

To answer your original question, @gtaus, I don't believe you got those two employees fired, and here's why. Most employers have a policy of "writing up" employees for various infractions related to their duties. And they don't write up the employee if a little training or a verbal reminder will suffice. It generally has to be a pretty egregious offense to deserve an official written reprimand that goes in the file. Usually, they are not in danger of losing their jobs until at least the third write-up. So chances are, if they lost their employment as a direct result of their interaction with you, they were already two-thirds of the way out the door.

That's good to know. I see lots of people leaving their current jobs for something better, and I suspect a lot of those people just don't care anymore. That might explain some of the negative attitude.

Dear Wife works at a place with high turnover. The company is always looking for new employees. But today she came home after work and said that one of the employees had been fired by the company, despite their employee shortages. That does not happen very often where she works. Hardly ever. Most people leave on their own. It must take a lot to get fired from that place, but it can happen.

 

[gtaus]

About a year ago, one weekend, I witnessed a floor manager really going after one of his older employees (about my age) out on the floor who was evidently having some difficulties with their computer system looking up parts. I don't know the specifics, but it was a really bad scene. Calling him names, incompetent, and all manner of other abusive comments. Customers were leaving that area and going elsewhere. It was extremely embarrassing for the employee and reflected poorly on the store to have someone berated so publicly in front of everyone. I had never seen anything like that before. I had to leave, too, as it was so bad.

I hope I never see something like that again.

As you might expect, I made a special trip to town that Monday morning to talk to the store manager about what I had witnessed that weekend. I told him I was really conflicted because I had many interactions with that floor manager before and he was always very friendly and helpful. I did not understand what had caused the public berating, but I told the store manager that his store really looked bad from that public interaction.

I don't think I was the only one to bring it to the attention of the store manager. He did not seem surprised to hear my report. The employee evidently quit his job after that public humiliation and that floor manager took a job in another town. Probably the best thing for both of them.