Stopped a Scam that would have

[Kitten in the box]

Just the other day I stopped a scam that would have cost us $600.00. Anywhoo this lady comes in with her kid and she gets about $300.00 worth of groceries...not a problem...well after bagging her groceries and offering service out, (she said no) she leaves. About an hour to two later she comes back saying that she forgot her groceries and wanted to know if she had to go through the line again when she picked out her $300.00 order again. (Excuse Me?? when YOU get your $300.00 order AGAIN??) We asked if she had a reciept. No she didn't. Then we asked why it took her over and hour to realize she "forgot" her groceries...she had no answer for that one but she was hellbent that she forgot them. She wanted the manager to come outside to speak to her. (she never came into the store to inquire whatsoever about supposed missing gorceries)...I told her she had to come in because the manager couldn't and woulnd't leave his office. She kept perstering and pestering as to why he couldn't come out...after about the 3-4th time she said It was ok... and not to worry. What got me is that not once did she get pissed or loose her cool about it. She left and that was that...shortly after that incident we got a memo faxed to us from Corporate office...stating that a woman with a young kid was pulling scams at local *Acme Groceries* and she had been buying large amounts of groceries saying that she never got them and getting double the amount for free. (for example: she paid $300.00 for groceries, goes home and comes back a while later saying she never got them....and managed to get an additional $300.00 groceries for free. $600.00 worth for $300.00) The other stores never questioned her on it being as their moto was "customer is ALWAYS right." So now we know what to do if this lady comes in.

[HYHYBT]

Good catch! Not sure I follow the math, though: if she bought $300 and succeeded in her scam for another $300, then unless I'm missing something, it would have cost the store $300, not $600.

[Argabarga]

I'm pretty saddened by the fact that a store would just hand over $300 in merchandise without any physical proof it was owed on such dubious grounds as "I forgot it"

If you forgot it in the store (Possible but not likely) they'd still be there, someone would either have put them aside or put them back on the shelf, $300 in unclaimed merchandise left at the front end is going to get NOTICED. And yes, you somehow didn't notice this for an HOUR?

And if you forgot them somewhere between the store and your home, that's not the store's problem. They don't owe you insurance on them or anything like that.

How many red flags do they have to wave in front of your face before someone sees at least one of them?

[bainsidhe]

I'm guessing she didn't want to come inside because she didn't want to be on camera. And the previous cameras would of course show she left with her groceries.

At the local Hellmart, a customer can come back later, claiming to have left their big roll of papertowels in the cart outside and can we replace it please. Yes, we will replace it. But to the tune of $300? Hah! Not a chance buddy.

[Argabarga]

I think I'll go down to the local Lexus dealer and tell them I seem to have forgotten that car I bought from them several hours ago and see what happens

[KiaKat]

Good catch! Not sure I follow the math, though: if she bought $300 and succeeded in her scam for another $300, then unless I'm missing something, it would have cost the store $300, not $600.

Because of the customer managing to get an extra $300 of groceries as a "gimme."

shortly after that incident we got a memo faxed to us from Corporate office...stating that a woman with a young kid was pulling scams at local *Acme Groceries* and she had been buying large amounts of groceries saying that she never got them and getting double the amount for free. (for example: she paid $300.00 for groceries, goes home and comes back a while later saying she never got them....and managed to get an additional $300.00 groceries for free. $600.00 worth for $300.00)

[HYHYBT]

Exactly. Store sells $300 in groceries for $300. Loss: $0
Store gives away another $300 in groceries for free. Loss: $300
Total: loss of $300.

[Estil]

How could those other stores have been so STUPID??? I mean, I can see one small item or something they forgot, but $300 worth of groceries???

[KiaKat]

Exactly. Store sells $300 in groceries for $300. Loss: $0
Store gives away another $300 in groceries for free. Loss: $300
Total: loss of $300.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself clearly.

It read, to me, as if the customer got an *additional* $300 worth of groceries, on top of the scam $300, as a "you screwed up, so give me more" deal.

[Rine]

At the local Hellmart, a customer can come back later, claiming to have left their big roll of papertowels in the cart outside and can we replace it please.

A little off topic...but I did something like that once. I accidentally left a box of sprite on the bottom of the cart, drove home, realized it wasn't there, then hurried back up to the store. (I live five minutes away.)

Caught the cart pusher going to the store with my sprite with him, showed my receipt, and took it back with me. I was surprised that no one stole it. I felt like such a dork. I would have never made the store replace it though, because it was my fault that I left it.

[PepperElf]

sounds like ... if she comes back in (assuming you recognize her)... even if she refuses help bringing the items to the cart

it'll be best to have an associate watch her load the groceries.
maybe have the manager slip out on the pretense of picking up carts from the lot.

[draggar]

I'm pretty saddened by the fact that a store would just hand over $300 in merchandise without any physical proof it was owed on such dubious grounds as "I forgot it"

Easy - they don't question it plus this is quite bold - who would take all that time to steal that much?

That (kinda) reminds me of when I used to run a seafood department. We were losing roughly 200-300 pounds of jumbo shrimp a month (at $18 a pound - you do the math). It was killing me and my numbers to the point we only kept 1-2 5 pound bags in the display case at a time (where customers can't reach it).

It turned out a guy would come and get 1-3 cases of shrimp (20 pounds each) and just walk out the front with them. If ever questioned, he would just say he just paid for them but was NEVER asked for a receipt. We alerted the front end about it (even set him up) and they STILL let him just walk out the front with them. The front end supervisor didn't even get spoken to about it.

(Yes, we finally caught the guy the next time he came in).

A lot of times calls like this go to the front end and usually the people working there just don't care (not saying that about all, just a lot of them). I do agree, it's stupid of the other stores to not even notice it or just let her waltz in and shoplift without worry - without even looking over the tapes.