I hate credit cards!

[ShinyGreenApple]

Or more specifically, when people choose to use their run their debit cards as credit. It will still be taken from your account in about the same about of time. At my store, there is a certain way you must do a credit transaction.

Swipe card. The pad will then read:

"Your total is $XX.XX. Is this correct?"

[button] [button]

YES --------- NO


This does not mean stare off blankly into space daydreaming about the wrap you ate at KFC for lunch, or how much fun you'll have popping bubble wrap when you get home. PUSH A BUTTON!

After this laborious and difficult task, the pin pad will then read:

"Please present card to cashier for verification."

DO NOT:

Daydream about the bubble wrap some more.

Read it two or three times and then stuff the card into your wallet/purse/cleavage while looking at me with heavy suspicion.

Swipe it again.

Ignore it and try to walk out of the store.

It means hand. Me. Your. Card. Why? Because someone decided that to 'confirm' the card, we have to enter the last four digits. No, this doesn't make sense to me either, and it's a right pain in the arse, but the transaction can't go any further until we do this. Ah, wait, don't leave yet either! We are still not done. Sign this shiny piece of paper I'm giving you. No, not your receipt. No, not the catalina coupons, either. That's right, the one that's short, just like your attention span.

Wait! I know you must be really proud of yourself, knowing how to sign your own name and all, but please give that back now.

And don't steal my pen.

Next lesson - learn your PIN! Memorize it. Keep it secret. Keep it safe. Do not think that you will save time by using your debit card as credit. See above. This method is quite a hassle. Also, do not huff at me when I make you sign the paper. Credit cards have been around for how long now? You NEED to sign SOMETHING! If you are doing two separate transactions this way, we'll just rinse, lather, and repeat. Do not huff and roll your eyes at me twice, I didn't make you skip entering your PIN. And if we're getting slammed with a huge rush of customers that backs all the way up into the frozen food isle, then both of us are going to be grumpy.

*sigh* And it's not even December yet . . .

[greensinestro]

This reminds me of the time I was at K-Mart and this old man swiped his card five times due to his impatience of having to wait for approval. The cashier even kept telling him to not do it more than once, yet he continued doing it, causing the computer and her register to freeze up. Meanwhile, there was by this time a line of ten people behind him. (This was in the garden department, where you think a quick check out was possible, but oftentimes, it is not).

I liked it back when they still used those machines that took an imprint of your card, and they would like the carbon pad over it. But, the reason it's all computerized is because you don't want to allow people with insufficient funds or maxed out credit cards to buy merchandise the place of business can't get their money for.

[Gerrinson]

Well, to be fair, in some cases you get charged for using the debit card as a debit. I use my debit as credit all the time, or I'd have to pay an extra $2 per transaction. Add that up over the course of 80+ transactions per month and that's a lot of money.

On the other hand, I'm more than capable of reading and following instructions off of a screen. Which is more than can be said of the customer in front of me. It doesn't matter which store, time of day, etc. I'm always behind the illiterate moron who's befuddled by the newfangled card swipe machine.

[Emrld]

Ummm my card can be used as credit or debit. However, if I chose debit, I get charged a transaction fee. Ergo I chose credit. Why should I have to pay extra?

[ShinyGreenApple]

Ah, I had forgotten about the fees, my bad. My bank doesn't do that, so it's not something I'm used to, apologies.

However, I go back to the intent behind my statements. Don't get pissed off at the cashier because YOUR transaction is just too darn complicated and takes too many seconds out of your day.

[Emrld]

too funny - apparently great minds were thinking alike . . .when I typed my reply Gerrison's was not visable to me.

I agree - your point is valid . . .don't take it out on the clerk when steps have to be taken to process your payment. 9 times out of 10 the clerk is not the one who created the system to begin with.

[Slow-Jo]

i too, do not understand why people seem to forget that they need to sign a slip. my 5 year old twin nieces even fraking know how to use a credit card (they have a mini cash register, and play store alot)

when i was a cashier at my old job people used to steal pens like crazy! i caught one guy trying to steal one and he just looked at me and said "what? you mean they are not free?" idiot.
finally i got this huge mother of a pen that was so obviouse, i didnt think anyone would steal it! people even complained it was so big.
it lasted a week.

[Javarod]

Lets see, the signature thing to a degree can actually be explained, Visa is now pushing hard for retailers to not ask for signature for transactions under $25 to promote the greater ease of a credit card over cash, in fact I was surprised this morn when WhatABurger asked me to sign the slip, pleasantly surprised mind you, and we both agreed how foolish that system is since there's no verification that its even your card.

As to the not paying attention to the screen, why do grocery stores make it so difficult? Lets use WallyWorld for example, you swipe your debit card, it comes up asking for the pin, not how you want to use the card. Why? Fees are lower on debit cards for them, and they don't pass the fee along to you (fairly uncommon these days, although Del Taco still does that out here, I think Taco Bell has stopped, but I'm not sure on that), so it simply asks for a pin. Also why does it ask you to confirm the total? None of this stuff is hard, but you compare any other retailer to a grocery store, and its basically swipe, PIN, cash back y/n?, then you're done. In a grocery store, its credit/debit?, PIN (using debit, skip on credit), confirm total, cash back y/n?, then sign, then done. Those Visa ads might be believable if the grocery stores didn't make it more complicated than necessary to use plastic (speaking of plastic, I used to work at a pizzeria, and on delivery orders I'd ask people how they were paying, paper or plastic. ).

[trunks2k]

I hate those commercials for Visa credit cards that try to show how quick and easy using a credit card is and using cash or check just messes everything up. But they don't show how a credit card transactions really work


Cashier: *rings up stuff, takes a few minutes*
Customer: *stares*
Cashier: *bags stuff*
Customer: *stares*
Cashier: Ok, that'll be $XX.XX
Customer: Ok. *gets wallet*
Cashier: *waits*
Customer: *looking for the right card* is this the right one? nope... wait this one.. no.... I want the other one... maybe in the other section...
Cashier: *waits more*
Customer: Ah, here we go. *tries* to swipe card.
Cashier: No, you have it the wrong -
Customer: *tries again*
Cashier: No, it's facing the wrong way.
Customer: oh these are all so different *tries again*
Cashier: No, it's still backwards. Turn it around. No. Not that way. No. The other way. The strip should be facing to down and to the left. No. DOWN AND TO THE LEFT., THE LEFT!
Customer: *finally gets it right*
Cashier: *waits*
Customer: *Stares at machine*
Cashier: *waits*
Customer: *Stares at machine*
Cashier: I'm sorry, you have to select credit or debit.
Customer: Well what's the difference.
Cashier: Is that an ATM card?
Customer: Yes.
Cashier: Does it have a Visa/Mastercard logo on it?
Customer: Yes.
Cashier: Then it doesn't matter.
Customer: Oh. Which one should I use?
Cashier: Either or. It doesn't really matter.
Customer: But what one should I use?
Cashier: *randomly picks one* just use debit.
Customer: *selects debit *
Cashier: *waits*
Customer: *stares at machine*
Cashier: *waits*
Customer: *stares at machine*
Cashier: I'm sorry, but you have to put in your PIN.
Customer: I don't have a PIN for this card.
Cashier: But you said it was an ATM card.
Customer: This isn't an ATM card.
Cashier: But you... ugghh... never mind... Hit cancel and swipe your card again.
Customer: *hits cancel button and swipes card*
Cashier: No. Wrong way. No. Strip should be down and to the Left. No the other way. DOWN AND TO THE LEFT. DOWN!
Customer: *getsit right*
Cashier: *waits*
Customer: *stares at machine*
Cashier: You have to select credit.
Customer: Well if I have to use credit, why does it ask me?
Cashier: Just select credit.
Customer: *selects credit*
Cashier: *waits*
Customer: *stares at screen*
Cashier: *waits* You have to approve the transaction.
Customer: *selects "no"*
Cashier: Why did you just hit no?
Customer: I didn't want any cash back!
Cashier: No, it was asking you if that's what you wanted to be charged to the card, it wasn't asking you about cash back.
Customer: oh.
Cashier: Now swipe your card again... no the other way. no. DOWN AND TO THE LEFT!! yes like that. Now select credit. Ok. Now hit YES. *receipt prints* Sign here and never come back again.
Customer: The pen is dead!

[Dreamstalker]

Visa is now pushing hard for retailers to not ask for signature for transactions under $25 to promote the greater ease of a credit card over cash

Will small businesses do this though?

I don't see a problem with signing slips, I've gotten to a point where unless the pen is dead I can sign in under 5 seconds and it matches my card. Those signature pads, on the other paw...most of the time it only vaguely matches in a manner that anyone could dash off.

My store does it very oddly. Under $50 run a debit card as credit, over $50 as debit. Of course, I was not shown how to run as debit (the terminal we have is, as I've probably said before, weirdly counterintuitive when it comes to some functions that should be obvious).

[chops]

Well, to be fair, in some cases you get charged for using the debit card as a debit. I use my debit as credit all the time, or I'd have to pay an extra $2 per transaction. Add that up over the course of 80+ transactions per month and that's a lot of money.

$2? Daaaamn! That's harsh. I thought 25¢ was bad. (Though I admit I've heard of banks charging a lot, but not from someone who uses one of those banks. Ouch.)

As to the not paying attention to the screen, why do grocery stores make it so difficult? Lets use WallyWorld for example, you swipe your debit card, it comes up asking for the pin, not how you want to use the card.

Even more annoying are the ones where you swipe, select "Credit" and the PIN pad basically ignores you and asks for a PIN anyway, in an attempt to trick you (for the same reasons mentioned later on in that post). Shaw's does that now (and I assume that Albertson's does the same, correct me if I'm wrong), but at least the PIN pad says "or press ENTER key".

While a lot of retailers set their PIN pads up to prompt for a PIN and make it seem like there's no other option (for example, Wal-Mart and Kmart) 99% of the time there's always a way out. Usually the Cancel button will bring up a list of payment options, but some stores have it set up that another button backs out of it.

[Javarod]

Will small businesses do this though?

I don't see a problem with signing slips, I've gotten to a point where unless the pen is dead I can sign in under 5 seconds and it matches my card. Those signature pads, on the other paw...most of the time it only vaguely matches in a manner that anyone could dash off.

That's really up to them, but I don't think they're willing to take the risk, heck, even most major retailers don't, its primarily fast food restaurants that are doing it. I actually prefer the security of signing, especially ifn they actually verify the signature.

Even more annoying are the ones where you swipe, select "Credit" and the PIN pad basically ignores you and asks for a PIN anyway, in an attempt to trick you (for the same reasons mentioned later on in that post). Shaw's does that now (and I assume that Albertson's does the same, correct me if I'm wrong), but at least the PIN pad says "or press ENTER key"

If Shaw's does, Albertson's does, they are in the same family... sorta.

The last Visa ad I liked had to be the one Charlie and Martin Sheen did that exaggerated the time consuming nature of writing a check in a ma and pa type store. Those and the Capitol One NO ads with David Spade.

[napoleana]

I really wish Debit would not work like Credit. It defeats the whole point. If someone steals my debit card (which is why I watch it like a hawk), and they use the credit option, the money will be taken *directly* out of my account and they won't even have to guess the pin.

Yes, I always use the debit option and remember my pin (although, admittedly it did take me three guesses once), but criminals don't have to and their ID won't be checked 50% of the time. The very idea drives me up the wall, and I'm SURE it's only allowed because of SCs complaining so much about having to use a few braincells to remember another button and a four digit code.

[chops]

If Shaw's does, Albertson's does, they are in the same family... sorta.

I couldn't find a way to work it in my original post, but my reasoning for that speculation is thus:

Albertson's bought Shaw's, then Supervalu et al. bought Albertson's. Just recently, Shaw's underwent an overhaul where all of their registers and PIN pads were replaced; the registers now use the term "Preferred Card" instead of "Shaw's Rewards Card"; the former is, IIRC, the nomenclature Albertson's uses for their loyalty card.

Thus, I conclude that the registers/PIN pads are likely the same as Albertson's. I could still be wrong.

[pyxee]

In all of my years at c-stores I can with fair certainty that checking ID's when running a credit/debit card was a rarity. For the first year or two I was obsessive about it, even when the manager of the store didn't do it, I was convinced that if I forgot once it would end up being some high up person in the company and I would be in huge trouble. Finally after about three years and 6 different stores ( 4 of the stores were the same company I was a traveling relief clerk then) I sort of gave up on it slowly. If the store was slow and I had time to hassle with it I would, if not I usually did not bother unless something about the customer gave me reason to wonder.

That said I absolutely hated running any sort of card at my last c-store, it would take the system over a minute to approve the sale even in the dead of night, and durring the day it would take a lot longer. It isn't so much of a big deal normally I am fairly swift and I usually just keep a few bucks in the second register and switch to it for a few sales while the card runs, but then you get the people who get declined and demand you run the card again and again, then go and try the atm etc.