tax-free high jinx (not customers fault)

[depechemodefan]

I didn't think this would fit into "Opps" or "Morons in management" (managers here are good).

This past weekend was tax-free weekend, where people can buy back to school items (mostly clothes) without paying the tax. Anyone can get tax-free, so not just parents getting their kids gear get the discount. Other things on the tax-free list are school supplies like book bags, journals, glue....We have a list.

At the bookstore, we don't have many clothing items (maybe a few t-shirts) but we do sell journals. Management showed us a print out about how to apply the tax-free discount. Reading it showed items that are on the list but just said, "refer to employee resources on how to take off the tax on our intranet site." So I don't see anything in our intranet site so I asked Pointy (she doesn't really talk to me and is in general rude to me and the other new co-worker) and she showed me how to use one toggle on the register to go to the screen to take off tax. Unfortunately, since nothing was rung up, we can't follow the steps to the end.

So people come in and buy journals but I'm too much of a coward to try to take off the tax for the journals. I was expecting someone to show up on Mon. complaining that I didn't take off the tax.

Finally this lady had a t-shirt and I tried to apply the tax-free discount. And at one point it asked for authorization (ie, manager's code). So a manager shows up and tries to remove the tax and it doesn't work for him. He tries several times , the same thing, and it works for him. He doesn't know what he did. Customer gets the tax-free discount, I don't know how to do it for anyone else who might show up. So the manager goes in the back and prints out the instructions.

I feel bad for not trying to apply the discount earlier. But then if I tried it wouldn't have worked and I would have need a manager anyway, because the instructions the manager gave first thing in the morning didn't actually give us instructions to do the discount. The instructions came from the home office so lets blame them.

[Shyla]

Your company should have this be easier. Don't you ever get people from non-profits wanting to use tax free for everything? I used to have a paper to do it.

[depechemodefan]

Your company should have this be easier. Don't you ever get people from non-profits wanting to use tax free for everything? I used to have a paper to do it.

Yes, I had several instances of that. One instance I called the manager for help, the other 2 I watched how other people handled it.

First instance, where I called management, I found a key to do it on the register (before I called management) but when management came up, he said I had to call management. there is a box under the register with info. cards on each non-profit. And the manager was looking at the card corresponding to the organization the customer was repressenting. I didn't pay too much attention since I understand I have to call management.

Guess what happened the other two times?

I can't remember if it was managers or other cashiers, but no one looked at the box under the register to get the card corresponding to the organization.

Ugh, wish this job was more uniformed about things.

I don't have to worry about tax free for another year, instructions should be up again next time. I should by then be confident enough to question a manager or co-worker if it's not clear.