Customer Not Happy About WIC Customer Before Him

[blas]

What used to drive me bananas about WIC:

*And I'm not 100% sure exactly how WIC works or how much a woman gets every month*

Someone would approach my register with several WIC checks. All had to be seperate transactions, of course. One check would have a block of cheese, milk, and a jar of peanut butter.

Another would have a box of cereal, etc etc etc...

And yes, I had to tell a few customers that Lucky Charms and Count Chocula were NOT WIC approved items. All I ever got out of that was a

[jayel]

In my experience, WIC transactions have been a pain whether I was scanning them or stuck behind one. They do take a long time because everything has to be checked to make sure it is the right brand and quantity. Most times, something is incorrect. We used to have to have a manager come with a key. I don't hate on those using WIC, (my sis does it for my nephew) but it is annoying to have to wait through all that. No different than being annoyed when a credit card machine isn't working or being used properly, or a check being written out s-l-o-w-l-y and having to be approved or verified.

And no, it's not the cashier's fault.

[Peppergirl]

Just to jump in:

When I cashiered, I hated the WIC worse than the Foodstamp cards. WIC is a good program in theory, but it's execution is faulty. Most states have streamlined their foodstamp redemption processes so that it runs fairly smoothly, but WIC?It's still being run like it was in the 1980s.

That aside, I can see why people get frustrated getting behind a WIC customer, particularly at the express lane. It's much too time-consuming and picky a process to handle at express lanes, but we all know the stores can't tell them not to go to those lanes or they'd get into trouble.

But of course, it's not the cashiers fault and the suck shouldn't be directed toward them.

[blas]

I must agree with that, Pepper. It seems to me with the evolution of the EBT cards, why are WIC checks still....checks? Why can't there be a WIC card that regulates food just like EBT cards?

I also agree, cashiers should never be to blame. They can't help how slow these transactions are.

[RichS]

Let's not forget the fact that many of our members have depended on these programs in the past, and some currently depend on them.

Like me - layoff & going back to school + family of 6 = WIC is a much-needed help. Thanks, Ree.

I don't understand how the WIC customer could get the wrong products - if I was that WIC customer, I'd expect to get complained at, not the cashier. I don't know how it is elsewhere, but when you get the coupons here in MI, they not only state what you can get on them, but the holder that comes with the coupons has a brochure with detailed descriptions and even pictures of the allowed items.

I don't intend on being a pain, though - any time we go shopping, we double-check our coupons to make sure we have the correct items, and I can guarantee we wouldn't be going through an express lane.

[workerbee222]

I wish I'd kept a journal of my season at Wal-mart - it would have sold well.

Officially, every WIC purchase was supposed to be approved by a CSR. Unofficially, it depended on who the CSR was on duty, and what mood s/he was in. Sometimes, the CSR would audit my til and mutter, "Remember, all WIC purchases need CSR approval." Sometimes I'd call one over, and s/he'd say, "Really, workerbee, it's a dozen eggs and a package of cheese," And roll his/her eyes because I was so dense. I was wrong 100% of the time.

[Mikaiyawa]

most (but not all, cereals and meats in particular) of the WIC approved foods are labeled in the store nearest me. It doesn't mean that folks don't get confused. I've looked at the "book" of approved/not approved food items and it's munged up for my state. There are a few things listed as okay in one section but listed as not okay in another. (apparently if it's listed as not okay anywhere it's not approved, can we say EDIT better?)

We deal with the 3-5% of humanity that are flaming, screaming Idiots here (on the boards) We Remember those idiots (they do such memorable stupid things) and tend to skip over the rest.

of course it would also help if the 3-5% was Consistent and not rotating around. If the rude Idjit was Always the same one you could arrange for the Assman of the "but the customer is always right" and "we need to Service our customers" to deal with them that would be justice right there.

Mieka

[Emrld]

PurpleCat - I am not trying to be rude to your post . . .I am trying to get more information to see if the person really was an SC or it was just a bad timing situation

express lane - means a limited amount of items and one should get through the lane faster than normal.

Were there other express lanes open? Other lanes open without a line?

How many times did you have to stop to retrive a replacement item?

Due to it being express lane . . .after the second item . . .that persons check out should have stoped . . .a customer service assistant called over to look over what else the person had to see if it was all WIC approved while you go on to the next person in line. Then once the customer has the right items they get to be checked out by the next available cashier without waiting.

It should not be up to the cashier to educate a person using an assistance program what the approved items are. It also isn't right to slow down an express lane with half the items not being the right ones.

[purplecat41877]

I only had to go back a couple times to get the correct items. It would've been 3 but the customer in back of the WIC customer was soooo impatient that I just finished out the WIC customer's order so I could get the impatient customer out of the store and on his way.

There was another express line open at the time and the guy from produce who was paged to the front to check was ringing customers in that customers. The register I was in was facing away from the other registers so I wasn't sure which ones were open.