Why???

[Summerfly413]

This happened to me a few months ago. I was working until close(10pm), and the night had been relatively decent. Not busy, but not dead. Well, 9:50 comes, and I'm just hanging out, waiting for 9:55 to close my till. Then I see a woman pushing a cart almost OVERFLOWING coming to my register, accompanied by a man(her husband I assume) and a girl(who I think may have been their granddaughter..they didn't seem like her parents).
So they make the girl load EVERYTHING onto the counter(we don't have the moving belts )I felt bad for her, because they could've helped but they were just standing there. I can't recall if there are any price problems at all. Well, the time comes to pay, and she tries with a card first($757, btw). That gets declined. Tries a different card. Declined as well. So she writes a check. I had to wait for a manager to come approve it for that amount, since it was so high, so we had to wait a few minutes.
The check went through thankfully, and they were one their way. I clocked out at maybe 10:10-10:15, so overall it wasn't that long of a time, but still.....why do your "everything and anything" shopping so late at night(or for hours into the night), up until the last possible minute you can?!

I also had a lady tonight, who really wasn't THAT bad, but got to me all the same. She wanted to run her card as a credit. She didn't specify this. So I'm just looking at my computer and I see it's prompting her for her PIN. I hear a bunch of beeping, and then the card transaction was canceled. So I tell her to just slide her card again. It prompts for her PIN, which she starts to enter, so I think, ok..no problem. The next thing it asks is if you want cash back, and she said "Now, see, now it's asking if I want cash back. I don't understand this. I don't understand this," So I ask "Alright, you want that as a credit? Just slide your card one more time," Because of the type of card she has, the machine automatically asks for the pin. I only have one button on my register to tell the machine that she's using a card(debit OR credit...only ONE button). So I hit the button as she ran her card, and it prompted for her PIN. And she said "See, it's you. You're hitting that button and it's making it a debit," "No, I'm not," "You're making it a debit," "No...I'm not," And I got the most intense rush of adrenaline because I was so angry at her for accusing me of something she has no idea about. I hit the 'cancel' button, which takes you to a screen that has the option for credit on it, had her sign it, and she left. It made me SO angry. I personally don't have that many sucky customers, so even little things like that can make me really angry, if it's happening directly to me.

[the toy guy]

We have the same thing with the card readers. All debit and many credit cards automatically ask for a PIN (we don't press a button either way). Usually I just tell them to press cancel, but a few people get a panicky tone to their voice and start going on about "But it's a credit card, I don't have a PIN number!"

[One-Fang]

You don' t have PINs on credit cards? We do. Much easier. You swipe, punch in four numbers, and you're outta there!

[jedimaster91]

We have that for debit cards. Credit cards only require a signature. Personally, I'd rather do both a PIN and a signature incase someone gets a hold of my card, they have to know two things instead of one.

[DevilBoy]

why do your "everything and anything" shopping so late at night(or for hours into the night)

I do my grocery shopping late at night to avoid as many of the unwashed masses and SC's as I can.
Then again, the grocery store where I live is open 24 hours.

[Raieth]

I have to admit I'm alway a little confused by the whole debit card and credit card are the same card deal.

[nomorecarts]

debit cards can be run as credit, but credit cards can not be run as debit


when you swipe a debit card it asks for a PIN number. there is some sort of button for someone to push, it varies from place to place, that can make it run as credit instead. if you swipe a credit card it just asks you to sign

[Emrld]

debit card takes the money instantly automatically out of your account . . . some banks charge the customer each time they do this (mine is one of them) vs charging the store
Credit Card holds the money and does pull it within 24 hours of transaction - no fee to customer for using this feature . . .if they charge - they charge the vendor . . .most stores already have that built into the price
Some places only accept cash and debit, some don't accept debit only credit and cash
It allows a person to have the ease of a credit card without having to pay a bill each month on what they spent. It allows you to not have to carry a large amount of cash on you. ( say you saved up and go to buy a new set of appliances - fridge, stove, microwave)
It allows a person with not so great credit have a credit card without a huge fee attached.
It is a great way to learn/ teach how to use a credit card without incurring a huge debt.
(It is another way for American's to confuse the rest of the world )

[Emrld]

nomorecarts - from my understanding their are debit cards, credit cards, and then combo cards.

true with debit feature you can get cash at ATM and with most credit cards you can also pull cash - however on just a credit card you will be charged interest on that money . . .if you pull from your debit card or combo card it comes out of your bank account and there is no interest charged.

[GingerBiscuit]

When I was at Health Foods of Doom, There was this couple. They would come in at 5:15 one day every month (we closed at 5:30) and wander around the shop buying loads and loads of stuff. They wouldd usually be done by- ooh, 5:40. And it wasn't because they couldn't get in any earlier- when we started opening earlier and closing later for christmas they still came in at 15 mins to close.

[Arshtat]

Usually I just tell them to press cancel, but a few people get a panicky tone to their voice and start going on about "But it's a credit card, I don't have a PIN number!"

Oh, I always get those people. Sometimes out credit card machine will come up with "Enter PIN" even though it's a credit card. Also we tried to put a tiny handwritten sign up for debit card holders who want to use the card as credit that says "Press Enter For Credit" (like I said, tiny sign, that's all we can fit). But of course, everyone who uses a credit card sees it and is always jabbing the Enter button like mad. "Did it go through? Did it go through?" On top of that, our register and card reader technology is older than me

[jedimaster91]

When I was at Health Foods of Doom, There was this couple. They would come in at 5:15 one day every month (we closed at 5:30) and wander around the shop buying loads and loads of stuff. They wouldd usually be done by- ooh, 5:40. And it wasn't because they couldn't get in any earlier- when we started opening earlier and closing later for christmas they still came in at 15 mins to close.

Sounds like a guy at the other branch I used to work who would come in 30 minutes before close to use the computers. Apparently, he only did it when I was working. Weird.

[xcaptainhowdyx]

it's simple economics for the business...if the business can prompt you to purchase via debit they incur no fee from the processor, on the other hand they pay a fee on each transaction for a credit payment.

Bulk retailers (think big box)pay lower fees due to sales volume and their agreement with the processor. That is a reason why stores offer credit cards. Because they either own the bank that issues the card or have an agreement with the bank that processing fees are waved for store card purchases.