Heh?

[rerant]

I haven't posted in a while because, get this, I don't get many SC's at my new job!!!

The majority of my issues there stem from my incompetent, lazy manager who can't and won't do her job properly.
Although it's to be expected that SOME SC's will appear, and here's one from yesterday.
I didn't deal with this woman (thankfully) but my manager did.

So, woman comes in and wants to buy a pound of coffee and have it ground. No problem.
Manager asks her if she has a Passport (one of those little cards where if you buy 10Lbs of coffee you get the 11th free and we stamp it every time you buy a pound). Customer says she does not, but states that she may as well get one.
Manager weighs out coffee beans and grinds them to suit the customer's coffee maker. I think the grind she needed was a number two, so the next to finest grind there is.
This is important.

Here's what happened after the customer paid for her items:

SC: So can I use this Passport at any Second Cup?
Manager: Actually they're only valid at the same locations, which is why we offer to keep them for customers. (This is a policy I don't personally follow and let customers use Passports they got at other Second Cups, since it's pretty asinine to me, but whatever.)
SC: But I don't live around here!
Manager: Well you can always get one at the Second Cup closest to you.
SC: Look, the only reason why I'm buying these grinds is because of the Passport. I want it to carry over to the Second Cup by me. If I can't use the Passport there then I'm not buying from you. I'll just buy them from the one by my house.
Manager: Ok, but I already rang in the grinds.
SC: Well give me a refund!

We're going to stop here so I can explain something. Anyone who works in a coffee shop knows that when you grind beans you do so to suit your coffee maker. Beans ground at different consistencies will be ineffective (or so I've been led to believe) in other coffee makers. I don't entirely understand how or why, but it just is.
The SC had her beans ground on number two (very fine) and our coffee makers take a number seven grind (much more coarse).

Manager: Alright, but the grinds are no good to us now.
SC: Just use them for your damn coffee makers!
Manager: We can't, the grinds are different. (Really she was trying to push the customer into buying the grinds anyway because she's cheap like that, which is another reason why I don't like her, but this SC was still being a raging bitch in spite of that.)
SC: JUST GIVE ME A DAMN REFUND!
Manager: Ma'am, you paid with a credit card and we're not set up to do refunds back onto cards, so it will have to be cash.
SC: I don't WANT cash! ( ) I want it on my CARD or ANY card! Put it on a gift card!

Manager starts to do that.

SC: You know it's fucking insane that you don't have it posted anywhere that these [Passports] are only good at the same locations.
Manager: It says it right here on the Passport. *shows SC*
SC: But it's not aaaaaaadvertiiiiiiseeeeeed!
Manager: It's advertised on the physical card itself.
SC: But it's not on ANY sign! (Actually it is. Fine print is a bitch, innit?)
Manager: Again, it says so right here on the card. (The mention of it on the card is not in fine print.)
SC: This is (wait for it, folks, waaaaaaaaiiiiit fooooor iiiiiiiiiit...) false advertising!!!
Manager: No it's not. Here's your gift card with the amount of the pound of coffee on it. Goodbye.

Honestly now, all over a freaking stamp on a little card.

[jerkface11]

Please please please tell me that the gift card is only good at the location she purchased it at.

[rerant]

Please please please tell me that the gift card is only good at the location she purchased it at.

Sadly it's not.

[otakuneko]

"Sorry, the grounds are useless to us now. No refund. Good bye!"

[Evil Queen]

I dunno if the fine grind thing is true, but let me take them home and see for myself.

[ArcticChicken]

Well, if the grind is too fine I wind up with grounds in my coffee.

[Andrew B.]

Well, if the grind is too fine I wind up with grounds in my coffee.

Are you that vain?

[bainsidhe]

Manager: We can't, the grinds are different. (Really she was trying to push the customer into buying the grinds anyway because she's cheap like that, which is another reason why I don't like her, but this SC was still being a raging bitch in spite of that.)

I don't find anything wrong with the manager trying to encourage SC to keep the grounds. It's unfortunate there was a miscommunication, but SC still has some blame here and shouldn't just get off without paying or, in this case, by getting credit.

We have customers all the time who change their mind at checkout or discover too late they didn't have enough money. Any refrigibles they refuse get thrown away per store's policy. We dont want to get sued if somebody claims to become ill. And the people who don't have enough money? They never put back the pop or chips, it's always the raw chicken and steak. If I were allowed, I'd be laying on a guilt trip. But I like keeping my job more

[Sliceanddice]

We're going to stop here so I can explain something. Anyone who works in a coffee shop knows that when you grind beans you do so to suit your coffee maker. Beans ground at different consistencies will be ineffective (or so I've been led to believe) in other coffee makers. I don't entirely understand how or why, but it just is.
The SC had her beans ground on number two (very fine) and our coffee makers take a number seven grind (much more coarse).

huh i thought the grind was for strength and taste....

[chainedbarista]

size of grind affects the rate of water flow through the grinds: coarser will allow faster flow, due to more space between grinds, causing the coffee to be less strong, while finer grinds slow water flow, making it stronger (it's a crude sort of filtration system).

so realistically, yes, the manager was trying to recoup some potential loss but in a sucky manner; i agree about the usage of the passport issue: who cares where you bought the #$%*@&^ beans, give the stamp (customer service...) rather than create a pointless whine fest.

the customer was also at fault too, but the manager needs serious skills in handling this type of issue; the most effective way, i've found, is to ring in, then grind, that way, if the customer changes their mind, you don't end up with grinds you most likely can't sell.

[Stormraven]

So, woman comes in and wants to buy a pound of coffee and have it ground. No problem.
Manager asks her if she has a Passport (one of those little cards where if you buy 10Lbs of coffee you get the 11th free and we stamp it every time you buy a pound). Customer says she does not, but states that she may as well get one.

...

SC: Look, the only reason why I'm buying these grinds is because of the Passport. I want it to carry over to the Second Cup by me. If I can't use the Passport there then I'm not buying from you. I'll just buy them from the one by my house.

Um, she didn't have a passport when she ordered, and only decided to get it after making her order, but she was only buying the grinds because of the passport?

[chinashirtgirl]

but she was only buying the grinds because of the passport?

Yeah, the way I read it the manager is the one who suggested the passport to her. That makes her a big fat liar!

[rerant]

Yeah, the way I read it the manager is the one who suggested the passport to her. That makes her a big fat liar!

She, my manager, asked the customer if she had one.
Customer said no, but said she should get one.

No one suggested it to her, she was only asked because we always ask when someone is buying beans.

[mharbourgirl]

Too bad you're in the T. I'd be HAPPY to take that fine a grind off your hands. I HATE coarsely ground coffee, it never tastes right, and unfortunately for me my husband prefers Folgers.

That snotty customer is just too unsophisticated to appreciate good coffee, methinks. At least judging by her behavior, that is.

[One-Fang]

The point in noting the sequence here is that the customer went in and ordered coffee grinds first. This is the first action. She ordered coffee. Ground.

She needs to pay for that coffee. Once ground it's (apparently) not usable by anyone else, or resellable. The passport thing is a flat out lie, as she wasn't aware of the passport at all when ordering, therefore did not solely choose to purchase based on the passport.

There should have been no refund here. Take the passport, don't take the passport, doesn't matter. You asked for ground coffee, you paid for ground coffee. Knowledge you acquired after ordering does not negate your need to pay for those goods.