Being a teacher is SO hard...gimme free stuff!!!

[Amalthea]

Yes, I'm bitter and cynical. That's why I'm here. Okay, I understand it sucks to be a teacher. Sucks to be a retail worker too. It sucks to work, period. Being independently wealthy is the only thing that WOULDN'T suck, really. We understand that teachers often end up paying for school books out of their own pocket. And we have a free discount card for teachers. Doesn't cost them a DIME, all they have to do is bring in proof that they are a teacher and whammo, they get a card that gets them 20% off of books they are buying for the classroom. You cannot IMAGINE what a headache teachers can cause, though.

1. It's SO inconvenient to have to bring in some sort of form of proof that I'm a teacher to get one of your cards. Can't you just believe me?
2. I'll just pretend that this $50 architecture book and the latest John Grisham are for my class, even though I teach 3rd grade.
3. I'll do all of my christmas shopping and pretend it's for my class.
4. What, there are exceptions? I can't save 20% in the cafe, or on DVDs?
5. It's already 20% off, so that means I get 40% off, right? (Wrong, it's 20% off the list price, not the discounted price)
6. My educator card expired (anywhere from several months to several YEARS ago), and you politely tell me so. You inform me that you'll give me the discount today but that you are taking the card and I'll have to bring in proof that I'm still an educator to get a new one that is good for another year. But I still have to whine and complain that I've been using my card over and over since it expired and no one said anything. (It's MY fault other cashiers are morons?)
7. What, you won't accept my old expired educator card as proof that I'm a teacher? How about another store's educator card? No? Okay, how about my UEA card? (We don't accept UEA cards because there is no expiration date on them. You could have been a teacher 10 years ago, but still have the card in your wallet for the very purpose of getting educator cards from stores and scoring free discounts.)

And the one we got today, which made me seriously . Tomorrow we are having a huge special event for educators. Get this, tomorrow we are opening an hour early (this for a store that NEVER opens early, occasionally closes early for holidays) so that teachers can do their Christmas shopping. With their educator discount card, they can save 25% on ANY books they are buying, not just items for their classroom, but all their Christmas shopping, plus 10% off DVDs. All day long. Well, this lady found out about it from a friend, and called us today. Seems she bought a bunch of books a few days ago before knowing about our sale. (Oh, she didn't see any of the huge signs we have posted around the store advertising it? Of course not, how stupid, customers never read signs.) She wants to be able to come back in with her receipt and have us give her 25% back. Okay, excuse me if I'm wrong, but the whole point of having a huge one day event is you come in that day or you don't get the sale. This would be like buying something a few days before Black Friday and then calling and wanting them to refund you the difference between what you paid and their hugely discounted Black Friday price. But my manager caved and agreed to it, saying "Well, if we don't, she'll just complain until she gets the District Manager who will make us do it anyway."

[DesignFox]

"But my manager caved and agreed to it, saying 'Well, if we don't, she'll just complain until she gets the District Manager who will make us do it anyway.' "

Which is the unfortunate truth... and chances are, had he given her a hard time and made her go all the way to the DM, the company probably would have apologized and given her more coupons... so it just wouldn't be worth the aggravation to say no. so stupid.

[CrazedClerk]

Yeah my DM always sides with the customer too.

[Jester]

Maybe I am just too idealistic, but now that I am (semi) in management, I still would side with whoever is correct. For instance, if the guest's food is bad or somehow we messed up, you better believe I am going to adjust the check for that table to (A) make us look good and (B) hopefully make the server some money in the process.

If, however, some asshat comes in and demands some entitlement whore crap, no, I am not caving. If they want to go and complain to my boss or his boss, fine, have at it. *I* am not doing it.

I have also told my boss about a few things that there are certain principles I will not budge on and, if his boss tells me otherwise, the establishment can, quite simply, kiss my ass. (My boss agrees with me on this.) Do I like my job? Yes. Am I going to take crap from SC's and others, break company policy, violate the law, or disregard my own principles and ethics?

Fuck no.

If I had to do this shit full time, I would shoot myself. Thank goodness I still bartend.

[Anakah]

I never knew teachers got discounts. Why should they? Same thing with old people. Why should they get a discount??

[friendofjimmyk]

I never knew teachers got discounts. Why should they? Same thing with old people. Why should they get a discount??

Teachers make less to nothing and they have a tough job - educating our youth who, for the most part, don't want the education. The OP was stating that these teachers get their discount on books if they are using them for classroom purposes, however, these teachers are abusing that system.

I do feel senior citizens deserve a discount. The prices they pay for medication and doctor visits combined with the very little money they receive from social security, they need a break, in my opinion. Most places that offer seniors discount do so on certain days only or during certain hours and that's fine with me because it lumps all those senior SCs into one time frame that I can avoid!

[Boozy]

I never knew teachers got discounts. Why should they? Same thing with old people. Why should they get a discount??

I've always wondered about seniors discounts, too. Are some seniors cash-strapped? Sure. But some have lots of money. If being over the age of 60 doesn't automatically mean you're poor, why does it automatically give you a discount?
I guess there's some sort of profit-driven reason for this I just don't understand.

[kerrisan]

It doesn't suck to be a teacher. I love my job. ("Teacher" is a chosen profession; if a teacher hates his or her job they should get out of it.) Just . . . customers can suck sometimes.

And that architechture book could have been for her class if they were discussing angles and wieghts and such, but the Grisham? Doubt it. It's probably for her during her conference period. Hey, that counts as school, right?

[Rapscallion]

I've always wondered about seniors discounts, too. Are some seniors cash-strapped? Sure. But some have lots of money. If being over the age of 60 doesn't automatically mean you're poor, why does it automatically give you a discount?
I guess there's some sort of profit-driven reason for this I just don't understand.

Over here, we have a system of means testing for many benefits. However, I don't think it applies to medicines.

Rapscallion

[alphaboi]

Because if they know they can get a discount at ___ they'll be more likely to shop at ___. And the company gets good PR by saying "We care teachers/senior citizens".

[ladylabyrinth]

But my manager caved and agreed to it, saying "Well, if we don't, she'll just complain until she gets the District Manager who will make us do it anyway."

Has anyone else noticed the inverse correlation between level of management or payscale and IQ?

Example:

Clerk - Could do just about anything he/she wanted, and is usually in school trying to get there; IQ approx 120-130

Shift Supervisor - Still not dumb, but wouldn't understand quantum chromodynamics; IQ approx 110-115

Assistant Manager - Average Joe, gets along just fine, has real trouble with higher math; IQ approx 90-110

Store Manager - Functional, but not real bright, the kind of person you'd see sticking his hand in a fire he didn't think was real (something someone actually did at a historical re-enactment); IQ approx 80-90

District Manager - Not someone you want to trust with sharp pointy objects without supervision; IQ approx 70-80

CEO - They let this one out of the cage on a daily basis?!??; IQ approx equal to that of a carrot.



I am teasing, I have had great SM's and DM's, and incredibly sucky ones as well, but do we not all feel like this some days?