WIC

[XRogue]

Frequently a special level of CS hell. I realize it's complicated, folks, but it's complicated on this side of the register too. Yelling at me will not make that go away, nor will it make me try to get your wrong item overridden. I. can't. do. that. and neither will the CSM's. If we do that, the voucher *will* be disallowed by the state office, and we are out the money. Being paid for the stuff we sell is the point of running a retail establishment.

1st WIC SC: comes thru # 2 express with 5 (!) WIC vouchers and a 28 item regular order to follow. During a busy time of day.

Happily, I am still in the trainee period at this time, so I have to call a CSM to do the WICs. Our best CSM gets sent down to help, fortunately he is male, as the SC is a man and doesn't like being waited on by female me. Awesome CSM checks him out very efficiently and I load the items into a second cart as we go along.

*bonus * several customers come past us, having noticed the vouchers and gone to the other 3 express lanes open on this end instead. 2 older ladies ask me in a stage whisper if we allow WIC on express here, and I say yes, sorry ma'am. She replies, don't apologize, *cutting her eyes at SC* some people don't think how inconsiderate they are being.....

2nd WIC SC: Lady comes in wanting to "help" her daughter by picking up her WIC merchandise for her. Computer won't accept it because its' start date isn't until NEXT WEEK. I apologetically explain this and she says, well let's use a different voucher that is in date. We look thru the folder and there is no voucher in date that has those items on it. She says well just give me the items I do have off the nearest match here..... you can ignore that the rest aren't being bought, right? I say, no ma'm, I can't, the voucher would be disallowed by the WIC department.

SC demands a CSM, I summon one, and we get Dragon Lady CSM, who takes no prisoners. Tells customer no, we cannot take only partial items, we will not be reimbursed for the voucher at all. SC replies, you have to take the voucher, DLCSM says no we don't, we are allowed to refuse filling a voucher that a customer asks to have filled outside the rules. SC SHOVES 2 gallons of milk into my arms and says, here, I won't take it at all then, you put it back for me, practically flings the rest of the WIC items, has me ring up the rest of her things.

DLCSM gathers the milk, etc. into a nearby cart, and after I finish with SC, she says, I'll take this back for you, this isn't your fault, same lady comes in every couple weeks and does this same thing, tries to insist on having WIC vouchers filled out of date or against the rules. Just call one of us if she comes back thru your line, no problem.

The cashier next to me confirmed what DLCSM said during the next lull, woman was a frequent flier WIC numpty, and the other cashier had had the daughter come thru her line after one of the failed attempts by Granny and apologize for the nuisance. I keep wondering why she lets her mother try anymore, that's got to be more work on the mom than it ever saves, first she still has to come to the store, second she's got to apologize...

3rd WIC SC: Lady comes in and pays for her first order with Florida (!) food stamps. In Arkansas. Then starts putting up a WIC order and hands me a Florida voucher(!!!) I had seen her items she'd left in the cart from the first order and figured that might be the case.... so I hit the call code for WIC assistance by a CSM and got DL again (thank God!) I asked, Can we take a Florida WIC voucher? Got the bzuh look, I hand her the voucher and she explains to the SC that no we can't take the voucher.

At least the lady accepted it with good grace and went ahead and paid for her items. I pointed out we had price matches on a couple of her produce items for the WIC and asked if she wanted that, goodwill gesture and all. She thanked me and all was well.

Have a store accident tale that also involves WICS, but I think that one deserves its' own thread, so later for that.

[mathnerd]

Granny's a real piece of work, isn't she?

I've been behind really nice people using WIC vouchers before and I always feel a tiny bit bad for them. At least with food stamps you can just swipe a card like a debit or credit card, but WIC is just a long, tedious process that just screams "I'm not financially independent", which for some people, isn't something they want advertised. I know when I was getting food stamps I was always a tiny bit embarrassed to use them, so I can imagine how I would have felt with WIC. Of course I don't think anybody should be embarrassed because they need a little help, but still, it happens. I always try to be extra nice if I find myself in line behind somebody who's using the vouchers, and very understanding of the time it takes. Hell, almost nothing is important enough for me to care about the few extra minutes so somebody can feed their toddlers.

[Food Lady]

^ Uh, I have something in my eye....

[bainsidhe]

It's been a couple years since I've been in retail, but the voucher system was indeed a PITA. Our computers were older and basically, a cashier could ring in anything their little 'ol heart desired and have the computer approve it for WIC. It didn't help that the brochure was confusing about what was and wasn't allowed.

There were a number of SCs who would use that confusion to intimidate young cashiers to get their way. I, on the other hand, had no problem digging out the WIC form and taking time to check and see if an exact item was allowed in the program.

On the plus side, I was always impressed at how many parents had their act together when it came to WIC. They had the checks organized in advance, everything on the belt in order by check, etc.

[Skittles88]

O.o I an so glad we don't have these programs in Canada. They sound like the biggest pain in the behind.

[Tama]

I always hated doing WIC...it was just TOO complicated and you got writeups for making mistakes, which I can understand...I just wish that we'd gone back to the old system where CSMs had to do it.

[Seshat]

Of course I don't think anybody should be embarrassed because they need a little help, but still, it happens. I always try to be extra nice if I find myself in line behind somebody who's using the vouchers, and very understanding of the time it takes. Hell, almost nothing is important enough for me to care about the few extra minutes so somebody can feed their toddlers.

Foodlady's 'something in her eye' is contagious. Thank you.


But yes - if there are rules, there are rules. At least attempt to follow them, and fer chrissakes, be nice to the cashier. It's not like it's the cashier's fault the rules are there, or confusing, or difficult, or whatever they are.

The person who CAN get them changed is the minister (or whatever the appropriate politician is called) in charge of the relevent department. Write/email to them.

[BroSCFischer]

I always hated doing WIC...it was just TOO complicated and you got writeups for making mistakes, which I can understand...I just wish that we'd gone back to the old system where CSMs had to do it.

Way back when I worked in a Grocery Store (Oh my word! It's been more than a decade now! I feel old), I was made a Front End Monitor because the store was starting something new with WIC checks. They HAD to be checked and approved by the FEM. This lasted all of about 6-8 weeks, before the customers complained to WIC, and WIC told the store they couldn't do that anymore as it amounted to discrimination.

I imagine that something similar may have happened at your place of employment.

SC

[XRogue]

The voucher system sucks dirt. I feel sorry for the customers having to deal with it too, the program folder is frequently not updated.

It's the entitled ones that get to me. FIVE WIC vouchers on an express? Really now....

Oh, just remembered another one. Lady got grumpy because the only 100 % whole wheat bread we had left for her voucher was Bimbo brand. She asked me if I didn't find the brand name offensive, I replied no, ma'am, this is a brand made in Mexico I think, figured the name means something completely different in Spanish and they didn't realize how it would look to others.

Unhappily I couldn't tell her what DID offend me, IE, someone being entitled enough to gripe about the brand name on bread they were being given for free, in a program they had to apply to join in the first place.

[raudf]

Fellow Arkie and WIC user and yes, the WIC vouchers are a bit of a mess, but not as big a mess as the SCs like to make it. I was also a cashier who had to deal with WIC, so I kinda knew what I was getting into.

As a cashier, my most common complaint about WIC SCs was American cheese. WIC doesn't count it as a cheese, folks. No amount of pleading, screaming, crying or showing how much like your child you can behave is going to change that. To WIC, it's flavored plastic - fit only for rats.. (My rats won't eat it, and they love chewing on plastic!) Plus, they'd grab the 2lb block, when they were vouchered for only a 1lb. *sigh* There goes the IPH, because you couldn't pause the transaction for WIC the way you could a regular one. One SC in particular did this, even after being told at least 15 times that it isn't a WIC cheese!

Now, even as a WIC user, I've seen some WIC SCs. Multiple vouchers in the Express line is one of the common ones. Just dumping both WIC and non WIC items on the belt and expecting the cashier to sort it out. Oh and screaming that they're in a hurry while doing all of this in a single transaction. *sigh*

I've even had another WIC user get behind in line behind me and get impatient because I was sorting everything out and doing what I needed to to get things moving quickly. And because the cashier was making sure everything was there too.. and taking time to ring it up properly, have me sign it and repeat (except the sorting.. I have everything up on the belt in piles with their corresponding vouchers on top.)

[EricKei]

At least with food stamps you can just swipe a card like a debit or credit card

And, the modern "SNAP"-type cards can be used in any state (ditto Red Cross emergency-assistance cards); not so with vouchers.

[Dreamstalker]

Most of our WIC customers have items organized by check, signed the checks in advance to save a little time...I'll always notify them of savings when I can (the store card may be the difference between being just under and way over the allowed $ on a fresh-produce check).

The person who CAN get them changed is the minister (or whatever the appropriate politician is called) in charge of the relevent department. Write/email to them.

This is my standard reply whenever a WIC/EBT SC gets shouty....shockingly, I don't think they ever do (because the ones who are loud about it know they're breaking the rules/law and don't want to report themselves). The WIC SCs are rarer now, thankfully.

It's the entitled ones that get to me. FIVE WIC vouchers on an express? Really now....

This is why I believe my store should enforce no checks or WIC on an express lane. At least until we get updated hardware that doesn't take forever to endorse the check.

I'm not sure why WIC can't just be combined with EBT/SNAP on the card...right, I have no idea how that would actually work (it would have to have some way of verifying the items, otherwise it assumes that everyone will be honest...)

[Aethian]

but WIC is just a long, tedious process that just screams "I'm not financially independent", which for some people, isn't something they want advertised.

Around here WIC isn't seen as used by people who aren't financially independent. (Which I take a bit of offense to.) it is seen as being able to give the child a more nutritious start since WIC and discounted child care appointments usually go hand in hand.

[XRogue]

Agree with Aethian, it's just helping the kids get a good start in life, don't mind that at all. It's the ones that get entitled about it that bug me, and really, that applies to all SC's which is why CS exists.

I also agree with Dreamstalker, other stores in my area put a sign on express saying no WIC in big capitals with exclamation points, AND the cashier is allowed to enforce that. Politely, and allowed to call in management if the customer gets shouty. It works too, those stores have politer customers. And enforcing these things on customers will absolutely not drive them away. At least not in more than ones and twos. Those people who would leave are the ones who cost us good customers by being inconsiderate.

Totally right, WIC should be on a card like EBT. Texas does it that way, it works like a charm. Not sure if the EBT/SNAP and WIC offices would agree to all be on the same card (seems to me that might open up fraud) but hey, that's a matter for them to duke out, I'm just the gal manning the cash point. Don't care how they'd conglomerate or not, just having it on an electronic card would be great.

[kpzra]

WIC and EBT/SNAP are run by different departments of the government so they can't be combined onto one card. Not everyone who qualifies for one qualifies for the other either and can you imagine if the cards got mixed up being reloaded? Here in Nevada it is a plastic card and there is no sorting out the WIC stuff needed as long as you know what is on your card or have money to cover if it's not (no digging to find the items).

The bad part? Walmart is the only one who has it built into the regular registers. Safeway and the commissary both have separate machines that have to be used and the Safeway one never works right because of their store card.