Grocery store sighting

[fma_fanatic]

I stopped by Aldi's today to get some of their Asian special purchases. I found some nice treats, and seeing as I didn't have a quarter to get a cart, I just picked up what I needed and proceeded to the check out.

If you're familiar with the set up at Aldi's your cart is used to put your purchases in after it's scanned. The customer ahead of me just had milk, so he didn't need the cart. The customer ahead of him just had some bread and eggs, so she didn't need the cart either. So when it came time for me to be checked out, the cart that had been left 3 customers prior was still there.

The cashier put my purchases in the cart, gives me my total and I push the cart off to the bagging area.

I'm bagging my stuff and I feel someone behind me. I turn to see the cashier staring me down.

Cashier: You can't have that cart! You didn't put the quarter in it.
Me: I'm not going to take it, I'll leave it here when I go.
Cashier: You shouldn't even have the cart because you didn't rent it!
Me: I said I was going to leave it. What more to do you want me to do?
Cashier: You need to leave that cart here! You can't have that quarter!!

About that time, the manager comes out from the side office to see what's going on as the cashier is getting louder and louder and I'm standing there, talking quietly to her. He sends her back to her register, which is backing up because she decided that it was in her best interest to tell me off.

I get lame apology from him, and tells me that they have problems with people walking off with the carts to the corral to get the quarter, and that it looked like I was going to do that.

I stood there for a moment then asked for a refund, because quite honestly, I'd just dropped about $40 for the specialties, and I wasn't going to stand there and let the cashier, then the manager accuse me of trying to walk off with a lousy quarter.

I got my refund, but really. Was it worth it to you, mr. manager, to pretty much say that I would do that? I really wish there was a way to contact the corporate offices to let them know about it.

[Hello Kitty]

I really wish there was a way to contact the corporate offices to let them know about it.

http://www.aldifoods.com/us/html/com...e_ENU_HTML.htm
Incredible Courtesy Every Day. (Hah!)

Customer Relations
ALDI Inc.
1200 N. Kirk Rd.
Batavia, IL 60510

There's always planetfeedback.com too.

I hate it that stores do that, "rent" out the shopping carts. One dollar store around here did that but eventually went back to free carts. I'm sure a lot of customers don't rent the carts, and subsequently buy less items than if the carts were free to use.

[fma_fanatic]

I don't mind renting the carts, as I usually save money when I shop there.

However, today's trip was unplanned. I was actually hoping they'd had the cellophane noodles that SO likes because we use them to make our own lo mein type dish.

But they also had potstickers and some entrees that we both like so I was even more happy to go there. I figured since there wasn't really a lot of stuff for me to get, it wasn't worth getting a cart.

Thanks for the link. I suppose if I were to do a google search, I'd have found it. I think I'll be sending off a letter Monday to them.

[Becks]

I think that the employees or management get the quarters from abandoned carts.

Or something.

[Hotfoot]

I extremely dislike having to throw a quarter in a cart to use it. I have to do that at my local Shoprite and it's the most annoying thing in the world. I don't like carrying around loose change very much, and quarters have a tendency to wander off first.

Now really, if I was interested in walking off with a cart, I could. A quarter is not a high threshold of entry. There have been days I was tempted to break a twenty at the bank and be the Robin Hood of the shopping carts. However, I'd be out twenty bucks and the problem would be back the next day.

But really, all it does is act as a major annoyance if you don't have a quarter on you and the only real benefit is that people are more likely to corral their carts. That in itself is a worthwhile goal, but as I was raised to always return the carts, it bothers me to no end that other people are not as considerate and that the company in this area has to force this incentive system on the rest of us in order to keep things going.

Now, that a cashier would give you guff about this is unbelievable. Even if you did walk off with someone else's quarter, THEY LEFT IT BEHIND. The end result is that you're doing the store a favor by taking the bloody thing out the door and off the aisle, because otherwise they'd have to get someone else to do it by taking them off their other duties (yes, I know many stores have cart wranglers, but I have almost never seen them at stores with the "renting" system). The time that person spends wrangling the loose carts is going to cost more than a quarter, I assure you.

As far as I'm concerned, complain away. They were completely sucky there.

[iradney]

IThe cashier put my purchases in the cart, gives me my total and I push the cart off to the bagging area.

Hang on a sec...

The cashier put your stuff in the cart? And then proceeds to wail you out about it?
If I were you, I would mention that in the complaint, as the action of the cashier (putting your groceries in the cart) would give anyone the impression that you are then being "allowed" to use it.

Silly thing to do. Honestly. And the manager sounds like a wet cloth to me as well.

[Raieth]

My local (Royal Canadian) Stupidstore has a fake loonie (that's what their carts take) on a clip that you can buy for a loonie. (All procceeds to some charity or other) It's really handy. Just clip it on your key chain and you always have it.

[Kogarashi]

Hang on a sec...

The cashier put your stuff in the cart? And then proceeds to wail you out about it?
If I were you, I would mention that in the complaint, as the action of the cashier (putting your groceries in the cart) would give anyone the impression that you are then being "allowed" to use it.

Silly thing to do. Honestly. And the manager sounds like a wet cloth to me as well.

Thank you for mentioning that, iradney (I was about to).

Seriously, how can the cashier justify giving you grief for using the cart they put your groceries into?

I, too, figure that if the previous customer willingly leaves their quarter behind, it's fair game. However, maybe the store has problems with people sniping empty (or not-so-empty) carts that aren't being watched by their current users and taking them back to the corral for the quarters? Just trying to give the benefit of the doubt to that aspect. Though sniping for quarters like that is stupid. It's like trying to fish money out of the fountain at the mall.

[Jack7957]

At our local Aldis, there's always a cart at the register, because as you're emptying yours, the cashier is putting your purchases in the one at the end of the belt. Then when they're done, you take that cart and leave yours. So I can see where she thought you were taking her cart and not leaving her one.

[the lawsmeister]

I always thought that was the point of having the deposit. It encourages people to take it back so they get their money back. Or if they leave it just sitting in the car park someone will take it back so they can get the quarter (or whatever they charge). Saves them having to pay someone to go and collect them.

That cashier just sounds like an idiot and the manager isn't much better.

[blas]

Perhaps you could have scrounged up 25 cents in lame change and handed it to the cashier and said "Here. Seems you guys need this a LITTLE more than I do!"