Ridiculous Logic Lady

[retailsweetie]

I've been away from here for a while. Quick refresher, I work at Bustice, a little girls' clothing store. Since my last post (I think, can't remember when that was) I've been made a supervisor. Usually this has no bearing on anything because my store rocks and no one ever really asks for the register girls to fetch a manager.

Anyways, a few days before Christmas, we had an older woman come in and go straight to the register. Normally, this is a signal for "buying a gift card" or "making a return." I greeted her and asked what I could help her with. I can't remember the word-for-word exchange, but the whole thing went something like this.

Me: Hi! What can I help you with today?

Old Lady: I bought this gift card for my granddaughter, but apparently she doesn't shop here anymore and I need to return this gift card.

(Quick note: I've never seen someone return a gift card before, but I know that companies do it. Our return policy for gift cards is a bit of a hassle for the customer, so I brace myself for the difficulty that I know is about to ensue.)

Me: All right, that's completely understandable. Unfortunately, we can't process that return here at the store level. Let me find you the gift card return form. *turns around, unsure of where the forms are because I have literally never encountered this before*

Old Lady: No, I know you can do it. I just returned a gift card to (bath and body product store three doors down from us, who is in no way related to our company) and they gave me my money right back on the card I paid with. You're wrong.

Me: *emptying various drawers and asking the other supervisor to check to see if they're in the back* Unfortunately, ma'am, (bath and body store) is a different company from us, so they do have different policies than we do.

Old Lady: Well, I know you can do it because they did it. I should be able to get cash back since I paid for it with my debit card.

Me: We actually don't have debit capabilities in our registers, so we could only give you back your money by swiping your card even if we could process your return. Like I said, our registers don't even have a function that allows us to do the return, though.

*other supervisor finds the forms and hands me one as she tries to explain to the customer that we aren't (bath and body store), we aren't even owned by the same parent company as they are, and that our registers simply do not have the function she insists they have*

Old Lady: So you mean to tell me that I have to mail this form in, wait for it to be sent to your company, and then wait for them to credit that $50 back to my account? Is there no manager I can speak to about this?

*other supervisor and I look at each other. We're in the exact same job title, and our experience is about equal. We then look back to the customer*

Other supervisor: We actually are the managers on duty, ma'am. Our store manager will be in at 3 if you'd like to speak to her about it, but like we said, there's nothing we can do for you at the store level.

Old lady: Well, that's stupid. I should be able to get cash back for this since I paid for it with my debit card. You're wrong about not being able to do this. (Bath and body store) did it for me with no problems.


Other supervisor and I both apologize to the old lady and she goes on her way. Our store manager laughed when she got to work and heard the story -- she has no tolerance for our customers' Christmastime BS.

[sms001]

Old lady: Well, that's stupid.

Well, she got one thing right at least.

But that changes absolutely nothing - neither how she has to go about the return, or the fact that one store can be different from another, or how (no matter how much you might agree with her) if it can't be done, it doesn't mean you don't want to do it, it means you're literally unable to.

I'll never understand why people can't apply their own logic to a situation. Eight times out of ten when a SC insists that you can do something, the inference is that you are refusing out of laziness. Applying that standard, I WOULD do as you ask, since that would be EASIER than arguing with you. (The other two instances are malice and incompetence. )

[Lachrymose]

Old lady: Well, that's stupid. I should be able to get cash back for this since I paid for it with my debit card. You're wrong about not being able to do this. (Bath and body store) did it for me with no problems.

OL: But, while I'm here, I might as well get a cup of coffee.
OS: Ummmm....
OL: Don't tell me you don't have coffee either? THAT OTHER STORE HAD COFFEE!!! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!

[raudf]

I'll never understand why people can't apply their own logic to a situation.

The problem was the SC was applying her own logic to the situation. Unfortunately, that logic had nothing to do with reality!

At the Monkey Wards repair center, I very rarely had the issue, but we literally could not accept MW gift certificates. We had the exact same registers at the store, but the function itself was turned off on our registers. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I had to explain this, but fortunately, most people wanted to spend their gift certificates on new merch, not fixing their broken ones!

[DGoddessChardonnay]

The problem was the SC was applying her own logic to the situation. Unfortunately, that logic had nothing to do with reality!

At the Monkey Wards repair center, I very rarely had the issue, but we literally could not accept MW gift certificates. We had the exact same registers at the store, but the function itself was turned off on our registers. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I had to explain this, but fortunately, most people wanted to spend their gift certificates on new merch, not fixing their broken ones!

But there again, you could have that rare customer who uses the "But I should be able to use a gift card on whatever I want" logic.

There's one out that like that . . . I can feel it.

[Trixie]

A few years back I had two separate people as about returning gift cards. We don't do any sort of return on gift cards and even have a prompt on the register to remind people of this. One was $50 Macy's one and the other was $100 Best Buy one. Both people just got so nasty about it even though we do have signs hanging up by the gift cards but we all know how customers read.

On a personal note I'd be more than happy to get either one of those gift cards even though I don't shop at Macy's or visit Best Buy much. But that's just me.

[Jester]

Forget her applying what one company does to another company.

I was amused with her repeated statement that because she paid with her debit card, she should be able to get cash back.

I've never worked retail, but at every store I've ever shopped at, if you pay with a card, the return will be a credit to that card, NOT cash!

Of course, this woman wouldn't recognize logic if it ran up to her on the street, slapped her face, bit her ankle, smacked her ass, and told her to call it Uncle Fiona.

[Kheldarson]

I was amused with her repeated statement that because she paid with her debit card, she should be able to get cash back.

I've never worked retail, but at every store I've ever shopped at, if you pay with a card, the return will be a credit to that card, NOT cash!

Actually...I worked for a store that treated debit as cash. We weren't supposed to return a debit back to the card but give cash. And yes, that caused complaints to the reverse of the lady here.

[Firecrackers Not Included]

I was amused with her repeated statement that because she paid with her debit card, she should be able to get cash back.

I KNOW!!! Me Too!!
Sounds to me like she was just trying to use all these stores as her Free ATM!
She will never get free coffee from me either. Gross.

[retailsweetie]

Well, she got one thing right at least.

But that changes absolutely nothing - neither how she has to go about the return, or the fact that one store can be different from another, or how (no matter how much you might agree with her) if it can't be done, it doesn't mean you don't want to do it, it means you're literally unable to.

I'll never understand why people can't apply their own logic to a situation. Eight times out of ten when a SC insists that you can do something, the inference is that you are refusing out of laziness. Applying that standard, I WOULD do as you ask, since that would be EASIER than arguing with you. (The other two instances are malice and incompetence. )

Our return policy is usually pretty fair (90 days with your receipt for original payment except for in one instance I'm actually gonna go make another post about, or current selling price outside that 90 day period or if you don't have your receipt) with the exception of our not having the function to do the gift cards at the store level. I can understand companies wanting to make gift card returns a difficult process, but we're an age specific store. Sure, little girls can grow, but a 15 year old can't just regress to her 12-year-old self to continue shopping at our store. [Of course, I still shop in my store and I'm 22, so... ] Making gift cards less complicated to return is something I'd find useful from my company. But that's just wishful thinking.

[MoonCat]

You know what I've noticed about customers like this? The more you talk and try to explain, the less they listen. Perhaps a conversation like this might work next time:

Customer: Bed, Berries and Begonias did it for me.
Store employee: But we can't.
Customer: But I know you can. The other store did!
Employee: We can't.
Customer: But the other store did it!
Employee: But we can't.

Repeat as necessary, or cut to the chase: "You have two, and only two, choices: Keep the gift card. Or take this form and follow the instructions."

I've found that, at least with my customers (I work on the phone), if I have to shut down a persistent whiner, I keep my words to a minimum. "We can't" or "We don't do that" repeated about five times usually makes them give up.

[Catwoman2965]

You know what I've noticed about customers like this? The more you talk and try to explain, the less they listen. Perhaps a conversation like this might work next time:

Customer: Bed, Berries and Begonias did it for me.
Store employee: But we can't.
Customer: But I know you can. The other store did!
Employee: We can't.
Customer: But the other store did it!
Employee: But we can't.

Repeat as necessary, or cut to the chase: "You have two, and only two, choices: Keep the gift card. Or take this form and follow the instructions."

I've found that, at least with my customers (I work on the phone), if I have to shut down a persistent whiner, I keep my words to a minimum. "We can't" or "We don't do that" repeated about five times usually makes them give up.

I find this works for me as well. The less said, the better. Yet I have some CWs and managers, who think that the verbal diarreah they spew will make the customer happy, when in fact, it just makes it worse.

For example, we had someone call on Sat, asking if anyone had found a pair of gloves. Me, I would have looked, asked, and if nothing, told them, no sorry, but if you'd like to leave your name and number, we'll call you if we find them. Plain and simple.

Nope, not the manager who answered the call. She went on and on about how no, she didn't SEE anything, but that didn't mean they weren't there, and we were busy at the moment, so she really couldn't LOOK, and how SHE was closing, and she would make sure to look, and on and on and on. Don't know that the customer was upset, but really? Totally not necessary.

And when telling them something they do no want to hear, like they have exceeded our 90 day return policy, and we cannot either take the item back, not even for store credit, I say it, then stop talking. I don't go into how its old merchandise, we don't ahve it, we can't sell it, blah blah blah. Customer doesn't give a rat's behind about any explanation, and there isnt any need for one.

My least favorite is when a customer applies for a store cahrge, and is declined. I simply say "i'm sorry, its telling me it can't approve you right at this moment, but they will review it further, and notify you" Some of my cws and managers will then speculate as to WHY it may not have gone through. Um, you don't KNOW or have ANY clue, so STFU already.

[EvilEmpryss]

I've never worked retail, but at every store I've ever shopped at, if you pay with a card, the return will be a credit to that card, NOT cash!

Sounds to me like she was just trying to use all these stores as her Free ATM!

Most of the stores I shop at treat debit cards as cash, even if you return something an hour later. Wally World, hardware stores, grocery stores... I can't think of one that won't give me cash back if I have a receipt. Of course, it has nothing to do with gift cards, just purchases, and I wouldn't tell them to abide by the return policy of some other store.

[retailsweetie]

Most of the stores I shop at treat debit cards as cash, even if you return something an hour later. Wally World, hardware stores, grocery stores... I can't think of one that won't give me cash back if I have a receipt. Of course, it has nothing to do with gift cards, just purchases, and I wouldn't tell them to abide by the return policy of some other store.

I could understand that if it's a store that has cash-back options in their register for people who pay with a debit card. We don't even have customer-facing swipers yet (we still have to swipe them through the reader on the register ourselves) so we don't have debit [who wants to tell a total stranger their PIN, after all?) let alone cash back. Anyone who uses their debit card in my store has to use it as "credit" and sign for it, so we have to treat it as a credit purchase.

[raudf]

Most of the stores I shop at treat debit cards as cash, even if you return something an hour later. Wally World, hardware stores, grocery stores... I can't think of one that won't give me cash back if I have a receipt. Of course, it has nothing to do with gift cards, just purchases, and I wouldn't tell them to abide by the return policy of some other store.

When I worked as a cashier at Wally World, you could get the cash value of the gift card. Without receipt. Yeah, lots of potential for abuse through stolen gift cards. I don't know if they still do it, though.