cash back bitch (long)

[fireheart]

I know it's a service your store offers, but why does that SC think your store is a bank? She should be glad your store was willing to offer this service, if the form was filled out.

I hate, hate, HATE people who treat our store as a bank! I've had two people yell at me for lack of funds or for suggesting they use the ATM instead because I've had lack of funds. One bitch even had the nerve to scream at me because it's cheaper from the EFTPOS system! (which in her case was actually false, her bank doesn't charge)

At least the customer tried to calm you down with jokes. I've been on the recieving end of some angry rants and have stood behind people arguing with cashiers before.

I had some people like that the other night. I was on plastic-bag-free hell (Wednesday nights the crew gets rotated around on who does what, so A one week might be doing jobs, B might be on the big register, C might be on express, next week A will be on express, B will be doing jobs and C will be doing express) the other night and had a few jokes about cashback which were actually original IMHO (I don't have any to give you re cash out)

I'm amazed that there are places that still accept cheques.

We still do and my old job did as well, but they were very rare.

[aurelemsrealm]

Once in a while, I hear whining about the cash back issue at the convenience store. We don't offer cash back at the register, but we do have a local bank's ATM in the building. So, that's where I direct them when the question does come up. Most just go to the ATM once I point it out to them, but a few crybabies will whine about not wanting to pay fees, blah, blah, blah. Usually, I just glaze over with disinterest at that point and tune them out, "Oh well, sucks to be you. Have a nice day (or a crappy one for all I really care)."

If they try to present a check written for more than the amount of purchase, I just run it through the Telecheck machine for the amount of purchase. So, it's not going to be an issue either way.

Generally, the worst case is that the ATM visit leads into the dreaded change argument, "Can I get change for this money that I just got out of the ATM?" No, now buy something or go to hell! Sometimes, the ATM decides not to work for whatever reason, and I get the joy of hearing the rant about it until I convince the morons that they really will have to call the bank to have the problem fixed.

[Bluenomi]

I've got to say, I'm so glad cheques aren't in fashion in Australia any more. Those things drove me crazy!

[Chromatix]

I think Britain and America are the only civilised places where personal cheques are still widespread. They are not commonly used in Britain for ordinary shopping any more - though I have used them occasionally, in a tight spot (taking advantage of the transaction delay).

In most of the EU, cheques are now very rare beasts. Banks don't automatically give you a chequebook when you open an account. They give you a debit card instead, and it is a rare shop that doesn't accept it. For everything else, cash works.

[Hyndis]

I absolutely loathe cash back options. Especially if I'd just opened and only had $100 to work with, coins and all, and some flapjack wanted that much back on their purchase. I think the idea should just be tossed altogether, honestly.

Now, I have used the cash back option before, so I'm a bit of a hypocrite, but I usually only do it at self-check-outs, or I would ask the cashier before I pushed the button if she had enough in her drawer to do it. Most customers don't grasp the concept that a till is *not* an everlasting gobstobber of cash.

/agree


Most larger groceries stores have ATM's in them anyways. I honestly don't understand the idea of demanding cash back on a purchase when there's an ATM literally 20 feet away.

[Hyndis]

I'm amazed that there are places that still accept cheques.

Its generally the older generation. My mother and my grandparents both use checks for nearly everything. She always worries about not having her checkbook with her because for some indecipherable reason the store just might not take a credit card.

Granted it is possible that a store's card machines go down. It happens. Deal with it. I've had that happen when I was intending to go shopping at a place, I just went a block over and bought the item there instead.

But credit cards are safer to accept than checks. A credit card is backed by a gigantic bank, whereas a check is backed by a person's individual account. With a credit card, the bank pays the merchant. Then the bank turns around and wants you to pay up. The merchant already has their money the instant they swipe the card, so money is exchanged for goods on the spot.

A check is a promise to pay, which means the person gets the goods and the merchant gets the money days or even weeks later, if the check is even good to begin with!