False advertising? You're a teacher but you can't read?

[sarahj]

Every week we have different "buy 2 for $10" "buy 3 for $5" etc deals around the store. So when the items go through my register, the discount comes off like so:

item 1 $7
item 2 $7
deal -$4
total $10

And yes, if you buy a 3rd item, you get -$2.

I can see how they'd be confused, with both items ringing up at normal price, so I have no problems pointing out that their discount appeared. I've never had an issue with customers picking out the wrong item before. If the discount doesn't appear, they've usually just picked up an item of a different brand, and go swap for the correct item.

Side note: the dialog isn't word-for-word, but it's fairly close.

Yesterday one of my first customers handed me 2 packets of chips. "Those are 2 for $4." I get that all the time so I scanned them through. Discount didn't appear. I looked over at a nearby endcap. "Sorry, I think x brand is on sale, and these are y brand." "Well I found them with the signs."

So I called my supervisor, who called the grocery supervisor, and together they went looking for any mislabeled shelves. Found none. So they explained to the customer that another customer must have left those packets on the wrong shelf, and all signs with the "2 for $4" also had x brand in big letters, would she like x brand?

SC: No, these y brand chips were on the shelf with the signs, I want them for the sale price.
Sup: We checked our advertisements and the shelf tags and they are all correct. These x brand chips may have been left in the wrong place, however the signs clearly say y brand is on sale this week.
SC: This is false advertising! I teach this, I know what I'm talking about.
Sup: There is no error on our part, we can offer you x brand on sale or y brand at normal price.
SC: (started talking louder) False advertising! I want to make a complaint!
Sup: You're welcome to call the store in the morning to speak with the store manager. Number's at the top of your receipt.
SC: (now yelling) It's false advertising! Give me the paperwork to make a complaint!

And then they took her over to the service desk, presumably to get a feedback slip. Later I was talking to the other sup (the 3 of us were there until close).

Me: What happened to that crazy lady before?
Sup: Oh the fat cow turd? She'll probably call in the morning. We didn't give her the sale price and M (the manager) won't either.
Me: Sweet.
Sup: I'm writing the nightly report; do you think "ugly fat turd bitch" would be an appropriate name for her?
Me: Yeah.

Side note: the supervisor crossed out all rude names for the lady from the report book. She was just venting. And we had no problem with the lady or her appearance until she started yelling "false advertising" and claiming she was a teacher. Thing is, I took a legal studies class in high school, and it taught me all sorts of useful things, including how important it is to read signs.

[Parrothead]

I feel bad for you having to deal with that.



...Although, the "feel bad" part stems from the happy dance in my head 'cause I don't work with customers anymore.

[bainsidhe]

~sighs~ I wish this was a unique scenario, but it isn't. I've had customers demand a new release DVD for 5 bucks "because it was in the bin" or an $80.00 rug for the $19.98 sale price "because it was in the bin" and because not honoring it "would be false advertising". Lemme tell ya, sweet cheeks, it's only false advertising if WE are the ones advertising it. We didn't put it there and will therefore NOT honor the price. ~vent vent~

[wagegoth]

I did get angry one time because the store had signed some rugs wrong. All the rugs were the same, and the sign over them stated a great price. The description on the sign sounded like the rugs below the sign. I'm like, "Yippee," and take the rug to the front, where it rings up for double the price on the sale sign. The store wouldn't give me the sale price and, while I was fine with the fact that they made a mistake, I wasn't fine with them being rude to me about their mistake when I questioned them about it. Frankly, it was typical behavior for that store, and I considered that the final nail in their coffin and quit shopping there. And I've made a point of telling other people not to shop at that store and why.

[SuperB]

That reminds me of a woman I had a few years back. Someone thought it was a great idea to put the beer prices on the shelf where each brand is supposed to be stocked. Problem is between whomever is stocking from the back and customers putting 6 packs back in the wrong spot I was constantly having to refer people to my list at the register which was adding an extra step to their checkout process because of this 'great idea'.
One woman practically demanded we fire the one employee we had at that time over the price she claims the shelf said verses what my list said. (I tried explaining why I go by the list) She wanted Sierra Nevada for Budweiser price.
Problem is, she wasn't paying attention to where she picked up the beer as after she left I saw where the Sierra Nevada had been stocked. Where the tag said "Michelob" which was priced more than Bud.

[smileyeagle1021]

I get the same thing with AAA (may that company rot in HELL) the people who call in and say "well AAA says your rates start at X why are you telling my Y, that is false advertising"
"I agree, if you happen to have the number for AAA I will also file a complaint with them"
"what are you talking about"
"we did not release that ad, so if the ad is incorrect it is AAA's responsibility, not ours"

[Peppergirl]

Good on your manager for not giving in to her.

Most of the grocery stories I see in here, it seems like the managers bend over at the drop of a hat, more than in other venue's even.

I don't remember who wrote it, but someone who works in a grocery pointed out that, in her store even if the SC is caught on tape stealing meat and returning it to the desk for a refund, they give it to them!!! Wth?

[Seshat]

"I agree, if you happen to have the number for AAA I will also file a complaint with them"
"what are you talking about"
"we did not release that ad, so if the ad is incorrect it is AAA's responsibility, not ours"

I like that.

[daleduke17]

I had a produce manager tell me one time that as long as the sign says what is on sale and the price, it could be put wherever in the store he wanted to put it.

Of course this stemmed from a SC bitching about prices on some sort of fruit due to a similar situation as given by the OP.

So, if they wanted to put a sign for Tostitos 3/5.00 (20oz package) in the beer aisle in front of a case of Michelob...it's all cool and SCs can't really complain.


I guess I could try and go into the local Mitsubishi dealer and complain that I should be able to get a new car for 99 cents; since the sign in front of it says so. Granted the sign is across the street at the gas station and for 20oz Pepsi bottles. :-p (No, I would never try it).

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

People like that diminish the real instances of false advertising that occur.

Such as it would have been had we not been able to pull strings with Nintendo and get at least 10 Wiis delivered to all our 130 or so stores for an ad last December, because some genius in marketing decided to put "10 Units guaranteed per store" in the ad.

Marketing genius ended up being fired when corporate started to think they wouldn't be able to make good on his/her guarantee.

[autumn_soul]

I carnt speak for those of us that are out of the UK but I am SURE I read somewhere just because it says a price on the shelf it does not mean we have to sell it at that price. Which is weird. Anyway, this has happened to me plenty of times too.
"This Jack Daniels had 27p on the shelf"
"Whereabouts did you find it?"
"In the crisps aisle"
"I see Did you not think that maybe someone had just left it there you stupid bastard? Did it not strike you as odd it was the only alcoholic drink in the aisle?"

[Rapscallion]

In UK legalese, it's known as an 'invitation to treat'. Legally, you can charge more (or less) at the tills than is marked on the shelf in the UK, though I suspect you have to reach an agreement with the customer for that, and any shop that tried it would go out of business in weeks.

Rapscallion

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Around here there's a generally followed rule that if an item has TWO price stickers on it, a merchand is obligated to sell at the lower price, so long as that price is reasonable (ie a $30 sticker on a $3000 LCD TV wouldn't fly). But these rules only apply to items that actually have stickers right on them, not shelf tags. I took advantage of this once when I found a 12.99 DVD stickered at 6.99.

Typically the scenarios like in the OP are NOT false advertising, since the sign showing the sale price also states SPECIFICALLY what product is on sale if you look at it.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

Frankly, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. That's why you always read and then re-read the signs and labels. I know, SCs don't. Ever.

[sarahj]

Frankly, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Just going back to my original post... those chips that the irate customer wanted went on sale this week. 2 for $4.