Ok, tell me which would be the better deal?

[FuzzyKitten99]

I had a customer come in yesterday, and wanted to purchase 4 packs of Post-It flags and a pack of gummi bears. She had two manufacturer's coupons for $3 off two packs of flags, and she was buying 4 packs. Normally, the price of one pack is $4.59, but we have a sale going on that all the Post-It flags (except multipacks) are on sale for $1 each. Pretty good deal, right? You pay less than the full price of one, for four packs.

Anyway, this chick didn't seem to understand that I cannot accept a two coupons, for $3 off each, when your purchase total is less than $6, including sales tax.

First of all, we would end up owing HER money if even we did accept the coupons, and second, since the items were already on sale, our system will not honor the coupons. It is not something I can override, and neither will a manager. She then asks if I can just take $2 off for both. I just told her that each pack was $1. If I did what she asked, she'd be getting them for nothing! She then asked if she could only use one. Even if I did take a total of $3 off the price of everything, she'd still be getting the equivalent of buy one get three free... WTF??

She ended up telling me she's going to go over to Target, as they will accept the coupons there. Uh... ok. She'll still end up paying more.

Sale priced
4 PostIt packs @ $1 each= $4
+1 Pack of gummi bears @ .99c
+ sales tax @ 6.5%= $5.31 total sales price

Full price, with coupon
4 packs @ 4.59 = $18.36
+ 1 pack gummi bears @ .99
- $6 for two coupons (even though coupon states only one per purchase)
+ sales tax @ 6.5%= $14.22 total sales price

[rerant]

That woman's logic just caused something in my brain to pop and fizz.

[Listerfiend]

I think I checked her out once--she wanted to use the 40% off coupon on an item that was already on sale for 50% off (she didn't want them combined--she was just bad at math).

[drmike]

I actually had a lady like that once. I sat down and showed her with a calculator which deal was better because she refused to understand.

She did thank me after she calmed down though.

[Andara Bledin]

Some people are so afraid of math, they refuse to have anything to do with it.

^-.-^

[Apathy]

These are the same people that think cashiers are trying to rip them off. As if we care.

[Brightglaive]

Some people are so afraid of math, they refuse to have anything to do with it.

^-.-^

I blame the public school system.

(That was totally tongue-in-cheek)

[calulu]

I actually had a lady like that once. I sat down and showed her with a calculator which deal was better because she refused to understand.

She did thank me after she calmed down though.

I've had to do that several times. Once they realize you're genuinely NOT trying to rip them off they are grateful.

[marasbaras]

I blame the public school system.

(That was totally tongue-in-cheek)

If you'd met the Algebra teacher at my high school, you'd be quite serious about that statement. I tutored more than a couple of my classmates and they kept saying how he made math so hard.

I always figured that it was because he was hired for his proficiency as a football coach rather than that as a math teacher.

---------------

However, I don't think poor math skills have anything to do with the fact that the entitlement flows strong in the woman in the OP.

[Nyx]

I've had people try to make me override the sale price for a coupon when it was only about 10% difference. I can understand wanting a better deal, but if it's only a dollar difference than why not just use the coupon on one of the the items being bought? Usually it ends up being a better deal anyway (especially since I can't override a sale item).

I've had to print out a sub total receipt before and go item by item and show customers where there money went. >.< I've never seen people throw things in a cart and buy them without checking a price before my current job. Really who does that!?

[Gerrinson]

I'm not sure how things work in your store, but where I used to work if the coupon is greater than the value of the item, a supervisor could do an override and give them the item at a cost of $0.00. In the case of the OP, she'd only have had to pay for her sweet sweet gummis and the rest would be free.

Mmmm...gummi...

[FuzzyKitten99]

I'm not sure how things work in your store, but where I used to work if the coupon is greater than the value of the item, a supervisor could do an override and give them the item at a cost of $0.00. In the case of the OP, she'd only have had to pay for her sweet sweet gummis and the rest would be free.

Mmmm...gummi...

We can't over-ride sale prices. Plus we're not going to give things away for free when they are already on sale at a dirt-cheap price, or unless the free item is in a sale promotion. Also because we have daily goals for $/hour in sales, each transaction that is under $30 has a big impact on that. Last night we ended with an average of $29, which is ok, but our goal this quarter is $45 daily.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm not sure how things work in your store, but where I used to work if the coupon is greater than the value of the item, a supervisor could do an override and give them the item at a cost of $0.00. In the case of the OP, she'd only have had to pay for her sweet sweet gummis and the rest would be free.

Most coupons say on them specifically that they aren't valid on sale prices.

Unless the coupon was expiring that day or it was something you couldn't possibly need to buy again until long after the coupon expired, I can't understand these people's mentality.

...

As for math being hard, it is almost utterly dependent on the math teacher in question. My mother is good at math (it runs in my family, actually) and so she taught us the basics long before we got to school, so basic math has always come readily to me and my brother.

However, when getting to the more complex issues, he didn't take so well because some of the teachers he had sucked. For instance, he couldn't grasp fractions at all until my mother sat down with him and explained them. She did in one night what the teacher hadn't managed to at any point in the last month.

I'm lucky in that the only sucky teachers I had were teaching concepts I had already gained a solid grasp on. Heck, I shouldn't even have been in their classes, but in at least one case, the school refused to move me to the more advanced class, even though I was already proficient in it.

^-.-^

[Primer]

I blame the public school system.

(That was totally tongue-in-cheek)

If you'd met the Algebra teacher at my high school, you'd be quite serious about that statement.

Regretfully, the public school system is my job security. I teach the folks that didn't "get it" in public school.

As for math being hard, it is almost utterly dependent on the math teacher in question. My mother is good at math (it runs in my family, actually) and so she taught us the basics long before we got to school, so basic math has always come readily to me and my brother.

However, when getting to the more complex issues, he didn't take so well because some of the teachers he had sucked. For instance, he couldn't grasp fractions at all until my mother sat down with him and explained them. She did in one night what the teacher hadn't managed to at any point in the last month.

Kudos to your mother!

Yes, a lot of it does depend on the teacher.

One huge reason I am a math teacher today is that is was so difficult for me, and I saw no reason for it to be that hard for anybody else. I try to pass on all my coping skills and "dumb stories" that made it possible for me to learn and understand math.

Math may be "different" but it should NOT be difficult!

[zigcat]

Since I work at a locally owned pizza shop, I'm pretty much in charge of designing the coupon template. I disclaim the hell out of them.

No you may not use two coupons on the same pizza.
No you may not use the phone in special and a coupon on the same pizza.
No you may not substitute another pizza for the "Pizza of the Month" special and get the same discount.
Prices are subject to change all current offers render previous offers null and void.
Etc....