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Hey there all, it's me, GroceryWench. What do you get when you work in a grocery store in a horrible economy? A lot of customers, because nobody's going out to eat, they all want groceries. I don't mind that, in fact I welcome it, because it gives me job stability.
However, Spring Break came. And the already massive crowd of customers intensified. The management was seriously in need of help. In fact, they offered special rewards to those who freed their availability for that week. I was one of them, as I had nowhere to go. (I got free lunch from the store deli and a few other treats. It was very nice.)
I also recently got accepted for full-time. Health insurance, benefits, the whole nine yards. Which is great, don't get me wrong, but this week felt like it would never end. The shifts have been so long and tiring that I've been crawling out the door to go home in exhaustion.
So, with a week like this, we are bound to have some SCs in the mix. Here are some notable ones:
The Cigarette Hound
A man comes through the line and speaks little English. (This is par for the course, as we are a Texas store. Half the customers I serve don't even speak English.) He asks in a heavy accent for several cartons of cigarettes. By several, I mean 15. You heard me right. 15 cartons of cigarettes.
Now, there is a sign on the cigarette case that says you can only buy 5 cartons a purchase under state law. I try to tell the man this, and I'm willing to do three transactions to get him out so I can serve the rest of the massive line. But he doesn't seem to understand why he can't do it all in one transaction.
I find one of my coworkers who speaks Spanish and she tells him why, and he's visibly disappointed. He eventually does it, and I'm still wondering..."Why the hell is he buying 15 cartons of cigarettes?..."
WIC Woes
For those of you who don't know, WIC is a program that helps low-income women afford certain items that will provide good nutrition for themselves and their children. You get milk, eggs, cheese, beans, baby formula, juice, and cereal. It's a wonderful program, I'm glad it's there.
However, there are some women who just don't get it. The catch is, you have to get the WIC approved item, which is our Hill Country Fare brand. If someone brings up the wrong type of item, we'll go exchange it for the WIC item and they can be on their way. Simple, right?
Wrong. A woman comes through and says 'These items are for WIC.' I ring up her items and she puts in her card. The computer alerts me that the items are not WIC eligible. I tell the woman, 'Ma'am, these are not the WIC approved items, I'd be happy to go exchange the items for you-'
She stops me in mid-sentence and says, 'No, you won't. You will give me the items I got here.' I say, 'Ma'am, these are not the WIC approved items. I cannot honor that transaction as WIC. The computer will not let me.'
She gets angry. 'I chose these items! I want these!' I keep calm, saying again, 'They are not the WIC eligible products.' She goes on, saying, 'But I don't want the cheap ones!'
'Why not?' I ask. She says, 'Because those are the welfare items! I want the good items!' I go a bit wide-eyed. If she didn't want those items, why did she apply for the benefit? And secondly, it's not 'welfare' items! The food is perfectly good. Cheap doesn't mean 'bad.'
'Ma'am, I still cannot give you those items on your benefit. You can pay for them, but you cannot use your WIC card.' She demands a manager, and I call one over, who takes her aside. She eventually leaves without buying her items. God help her kids.
As alcohol level goes up, intelligence goes down
Late in the evening, a man comes through with a couple cases of beer. He asks rather incoherently for a few cartons of cigarettes. I hesitate, because it's company policy and also state law that we do not sell these items to people who appear intoxicated, as if anything happens after he leaves, we could be held responsible.
I don't want to get him angry, so I go and get his cigarettes, but I keep them out of his reach once I ring them up. Once I get to the total screen, I'm now sure he is intoxicated. How intoxicated, you ask? Let me put it this way. He thinks that he can pay for his beer and smokes with his food stamp card.
I pick up the intercom phone and signal for a manager. I put the phone down and tell the man that he can't use that card to pay, for starters. He gets louder, still incoherent, and waves the card around. I keep on telling him know, keeping an eye out for a manager. He starts shoving the card in my face, and I back away, saying that I still cannot honor his transaction.
A manager sees what's going on and comes over, just as the man starts to yell. The manager tells him that he'd be more than happy to call him a cab so he'll get home alright, but the guy shoves him off and storms out, security goes after him.
Manager said I handled it very well, and luckily it was time to clock out, so I got to go home.
---
Well, that was basically all that I can think of for now. Thank God that week is over...
However, Spring Break came. And the already massive crowd of customers intensified. The management was seriously in need of help. In fact, they offered special rewards to those who freed their availability for that week. I was one of them, as I had nowhere to go. (I got free lunch from the store deli and a few other treats. It was very nice.)
I also recently got accepted for full-time. Health insurance, benefits, the whole nine yards. Which is great, don't get me wrong, but this week felt like it would never end. The shifts have been so long and tiring that I've been crawling out the door to go home in exhaustion.
So, with a week like this, we are bound to have some SCs in the mix. Here are some notable ones:
The Cigarette Hound
A man comes through the line and speaks little English. (This is par for the course, as we are a Texas store. Half the customers I serve don't even speak English.) He asks in a heavy accent for several cartons of cigarettes. By several, I mean 15. You heard me right. 15 cartons of cigarettes.
Now, there is a sign on the cigarette case that says you can only buy 5 cartons a purchase under state law. I try to tell the man this, and I'm willing to do three transactions to get him out so I can serve the rest of the massive line. But he doesn't seem to understand why he can't do it all in one transaction.
I find one of my coworkers who speaks Spanish and she tells him why, and he's visibly disappointed. He eventually does it, and I'm still wondering..."Why the hell is he buying 15 cartons of cigarettes?..."
WIC Woes
For those of you who don't know, WIC is a program that helps low-income women afford certain items that will provide good nutrition for themselves and their children. You get milk, eggs, cheese, beans, baby formula, juice, and cereal. It's a wonderful program, I'm glad it's there.
However, there are some women who just don't get it. The catch is, you have to get the WIC approved item, which is our Hill Country Fare brand. If someone brings up the wrong type of item, we'll go exchange it for the WIC item and they can be on their way. Simple, right?
Wrong. A woman comes through and says 'These items are for WIC.' I ring up her items and she puts in her card. The computer alerts me that the items are not WIC eligible. I tell the woman, 'Ma'am, these are not the WIC approved items, I'd be happy to go exchange the items for you-'
She stops me in mid-sentence and says, 'No, you won't. You will give me the items I got here.' I say, 'Ma'am, these are not the WIC approved items. I cannot honor that transaction as WIC. The computer will not let me.'
She gets angry. 'I chose these items! I want these!' I keep calm, saying again, 'They are not the WIC eligible products.' She goes on, saying, 'But I don't want the cheap ones!'
'Why not?' I ask. She says, 'Because those are the welfare items! I want the good items!' I go a bit wide-eyed. If she didn't want those items, why did she apply for the benefit? And secondly, it's not 'welfare' items! The food is perfectly good. Cheap doesn't mean 'bad.'
'Ma'am, I still cannot give you those items on your benefit. You can pay for them, but you cannot use your WIC card.' She demands a manager, and I call one over, who takes her aside. She eventually leaves without buying her items. God help her kids.
As alcohol level goes up, intelligence goes down
Late in the evening, a man comes through with a couple cases of beer. He asks rather incoherently for a few cartons of cigarettes. I hesitate, because it's company policy and also state law that we do not sell these items to people who appear intoxicated, as if anything happens after he leaves, we could be held responsible.
I don't want to get him angry, so I go and get his cigarettes, but I keep them out of his reach once I ring them up. Once I get to the total screen, I'm now sure he is intoxicated. How intoxicated, you ask? Let me put it this way. He thinks that he can pay for his beer and smokes with his food stamp card.
I pick up the intercom phone and signal for a manager. I put the phone down and tell the man that he can't use that card to pay, for starters. He gets louder, still incoherent, and waves the card around. I keep on telling him know, keeping an eye out for a manager. He starts shoving the card in my face, and I back away, saying that I still cannot honor his transaction.
A manager sees what's going on and comes over, just as the man starts to yell. The manager tells him that he'd be more than happy to call him a cab so he'll get home alright, but the guy shoves him off and storms out, security goes after him.
Manager said I handled it very well, and luckily it was time to clock out, so I got to go home.
---
Well, that was basically all that I can think of for now. Thank God that week is over...
I'm sooo jealous (we're still using paper checks - yipe)
We have restrictions on certain cold medicine, for example, and we cannot sell more than that. Even if the customer whines/begs/shouts/pleads.
--- Sheldonrs
I know what store you work in.
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