Attention customers stop opening the packages and using what's in them without paying

[d962831]

So yeah, bet ya can't guess what this is about. =P
Now, I work at a certain Club founded by a certain Sam. I love the job. Most customers are cool. The other customers tick me off.

Now, this is not isolated to just this store, I know, and there's many people who do it. We get people all the time who will

A) Open something up to see if it's what they're looking for(because they aren't capable of reading, remember.) They then either realize it's not what they want, or it is what they want, they just don't want the opened box. They leave it there and walk away.

B) Are either incapable of remembering where they got something, or are just extremely lazy. They will set something that they suddenly decide they don't want, anywhere. Heck, some of them even try to hide it. I've found crap hidden behind and under stuff.

C) And this applies to both of the above. Think that they can do whatever they like with something while in the store. Most times it's with food items. People will open something, take out a few packs of whatever sort of food or candy was in the box/bag and stuff it in their pocket or eat it as they wander the store. I'm betting most of this happens with parents who can't get there kids to quiet down.

We also get people who will "try out" the hand lotions. Basically, they use a bunch of it and leave the bottle where it is.

Even the diapers were moved to the front of the store because, when they had been in the back, people would open the box, grab a new diaper and change their kids there. Then they leave the opened box AND the messy diaper there. And of course, because all we have are camera's in the store, we can never actually catch people in the act and confront them when it's happening, we can't do anything about it really.

Apparently, these people don't realize that what they are doing is committing a crime, and stealing from the company. Or, they do realize, but don't care because they know that we never have anyone walking around the store where people can see them and be dissuaded by the presence of an employee.

I really, realllllyyyy want to catch someone in the act of doing this, because then we could do something about it. If they open a something up and use it or eat it and we can't sell it, then we've got them for theft. See, the camera's are really only there to verify any claims someone has, or back us up if we catch someone stealing. Why we don't use it to spot people and revoke their membership(yes, you have to have a membership to shop there. How else do you think we can sell so much for so little?), I don't know.

[Elandora]

People do that sort of thing at my work ALL the time, it does get really annoying! I'm glad I've never encountered anyone doing that with diapers, that's absolutely deplorable! Not to mention disgusting x.x

The most annoying thing I've had to deal with on a regular basis is when customers decide they don't want something when they're already at the checkout, rather than tell the cashier that they don't want the item, they save face by stuffing it into the magazines or the candy rack, or even underneath the register where it won't be discovered until the end of the night. This is all fine with me as long as it's something that won't spoil, a lot of people stuff toy cars in there so they don't have to tell their spoiled children that they won't actually be buying the toy that kept the child placated during the shopping trip, but it is absolutely reprehensible when people stuff frozen food into these hidey-holes. Two or three hours later, the item is no longer sellable and the store takes a loss on it, we don't get reimbursed for a lot of perishable items.

Good luck catching them!

[fireheart]

I get this all the time with food. (I work in a supermarket)
My philosophy on the ruling is that as long as you hand the wrapper to the cashier at the checkout so that he or she can scan it, you can eat it. Not doing that though, and I'll bring out the frozen salmon
Diapers (nappies for Aussies like me ) though....ewww that's disgusting!

On top of that though, one of the weirdest things I've encountered that has been stolen was a toothbrush from a whitening kit. Just the toothbrush. The whitening gel and all that was still there, but someone had made off with the toothbrush from the kit. A few of us just had looks at that point. We have heaps of good-quality toothbrushes, some even better than the whitening kit ones and you go and steal a toothbrush from that?!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

A package of Immodium, with some of the contents missing.

I guess when you have that problem, you just want it to go away. <.<

[Null Requiem]

I have two for this section.

I work nights in a grocery store. General Merchandise section (my own department is Bed and Bath, but I get loaned out a lot to others) of the store. I've gotten sick of having to refold towels, repackage bedding sets (some of which end up missing a pillow case, wtf??), and on one occasion, I found an open package of condoms... with just one missing.

... and I don't want to talk about the food stashed in my section of the store... gah.

[Difdi]

I once found a package of meat behind some canned goods, four days past the expire date and the plastic wrap had actually expanded...

[Darkwish]

I once found a package of meat behind some canned goods, four days past the expire date and the plastic wrap had actually expanded...

You have just made me glad that I've never worked in a supermarket or any other food service type job.

[Dark Psion]

The ones that annoy me are when they open one package to see if it is what they want and if it is, they drop that one and grab an unopened one to buy.

[Food Lady]

We get that with socks and underwear all the time. They want to look at it-fine. But they rip open the package when there's a flap at the bottom for that purpose.

[Spoke Jones]

Imagine if you will......

A frozen pizza, in the cooler, with child-size bite marks on the edge....

A tube of toothpaste, hidden behind cans of refried beans, minus the cap and half the contents, the other half nowhere to be found(not squirted anywhere).

~~~~

Fireheart, what is the name of the anime your avatar is from? I have seen it, but cannot remember what it is.

[dianek93]

I have opened packages in the store, but only if it wasn't something that could get germy if I didn't want it (idk how to describe it, stuff I would never want strangers to open if I were buying it), and *especially* if I can open and close the package without doing damage to it - like unsealed boxes. But I do it so rarely, I can't remember what type of product I've done it with. Oh! One is bedding, but most of those have zippers on the stuff I need to feel, and that's all I need to do is touch it.

And people that just chow down in stores? Ugh, hate them. (I know, some circumstances a person needs to eat *NOW*, but pay for it, and carry the trash out.) Even as a customer, I get pissed finding opened food even if it's something I would never eat.

[siead_lietrathua]

The ones that annoy me are when they open one package to see if it is what they want and if it is, they drop that one and grab an unopened one to buy.

saw some guy try to pull this in a walmart, and told him (in not so nice terms) that is he was opening the box, he should take that box, and not leave it for the store to have to deal with. he cat-but faced and walked off. since it was something i needed i picked the opened one.

this one drives me nuts though, and i have to constantly tell my own mum not to open boxes, that the contents and colours and everythin are on the box, and you can always return it if its the wrong thing.

[NateTheChops]

We lose so much money in pilferage (what you're describing) everyday.

One time last year I found an empty box of Preperation H and the cap for it, but not the tube. That guy's hemmaroids were really getting to him.

[Nohbody]

At the chain I work at, one of the stocker tasks is to straighten up the shelves to make things pretty for customers, so invariably I and the other stockers invariably get stuck with picking up the stuff people dropped elsewhere.

Of the various things I find around the store, I think what makes me go the most is when I find the plastic wrap from meat packages, but not the styrofoam tray or what's supposed to be on it. What, are they sticking the raw meat straight into their purse (or their pocket! ), sans wrapping?

[bubblelittlepally]

People don't think where the money comes from or goes to in a store. I guess they see a big store like Wal-Mart, for example, and think that if they break things, use stuff, or steal that it comes out of the big CEO's paychecks; however, in reality they're screwing over the people in that store.

.. wtf is with hiding things? I saw that too! So what, you don't want that bag of frozen strawberries afterall, why do you have to hide it under the chips on the next isle.

I should be able to go into a store and use a cattle prod on people I see doing this.