This started off as another "But I only need oooooooooneeeeeee" story, but became more than that....
Guy walks in holding a very small plastic zip tie and asks if we sell larger ones. We actually do, in the computer cable aisle (along with a number of other items for "cable management").
Me: Right this way, sir.
SC: I only need one.
Me: Well, this is what I have (hands him the pack of 100 for $8.98. That's expensive, I know). Is there anything else you need?
SC: No, that'll be all.
Now, something about this guy just rubbed me the wrong way, and I figured he was going to slit the package and just take what he wanted. I tried to keep an eye on him, but since the Christmas season is now in full swing, it wasn't long before I was pulled away to help someone else.
The SECOND I was able to turn my attention back to him, I saw he was taking a roundabout path to the exit. I went back to the cable aisle, and sure enough the package I'd handed him was back on the shelf.....opened.
Thinking he was long gone at this point, I went back to work, but a couple minutes later I was told to go help a customer at the UPS counter.
Same guy!!! He'd used two STOLEN zip ties as "seals" on a USMC "duffel bag" (though it was cube shaped, and not a traditional duffel), which he now wanted to ship out - to himself - in Texas.
Now, here's what irritates the shit out of me:
1) He wanted 2nd day air, and the bag weighed about 40 pounds. This put the base shipping rate at about $107.
2) He wanted to insure it for $500, which added $12.50 to the rate.
3) He did NOT want the bag put into a box. UPS will take large, unboxed items, but since they require special handling, that requires an $8 "additional handling" charge. He was fine with that.
So, he was willing to pay $125+ to ship this damn thing, but was too fucking cheap to not pay for those zip ties? And the hell of it was the fact that those zip ties weren't even holding anything; he was using them as anti-tamper seals. If he had asked, I could have put some tamper-evident tape there (which we have at the shipping counter) rather than him resorting to stealing stuff to do so.
And on top of all that is the fact that I am powerless to do anything about this. And when I was finally able to report this to management (and i had all the guys info) they of course felt it wasn't worth the hassle over two zip ties. I can understand that, but I still find this to be aggravating to no end.
Guy walks in holding a very small plastic zip tie and asks if we sell larger ones. We actually do, in the computer cable aisle (along with a number of other items for "cable management").
Me: Right this way, sir.
SC: I only need one.
Me: Well, this is what I have (hands him the pack of 100 for $8.98. That's expensive, I know). Is there anything else you need?
SC: No, that'll be all.
Now, something about this guy just rubbed me the wrong way, and I figured he was going to slit the package and just take what he wanted. I tried to keep an eye on him, but since the Christmas season is now in full swing, it wasn't long before I was pulled away to help someone else.
The SECOND I was able to turn my attention back to him, I saw he was taking a roundabout path to the exit. I went back to the cable aisle, and sure enough the package I'd handed him was back on the shelf.....opened.
Thinking he was long gone at this point, I went back to work, but a couple minutes later I was told to go help a customer at the UPS counter.
Same guy!!! He'd used two STOLEN zip ties as "seals" on a USMC "duffel bag" (though it was cube shaped, and not a traditional duffel), which he now wanted to ship out - to himself - in Texas.
Now, here's what irritates the shit out of me:
1) He wanted 2nd day air, and the bag weighed about 40 pounds. This put the base shipping rate at about $107.
2) He wanted to insure it for $500, which added $12.50 to the rate.
3) He did NOT want the bag put into a box. UPS will take large, unboxed items, but since they require special handling, that requires an $8 "additional handling" charge. He was fine with that.
So, he was willing to pay $125+ to ship this damn thing, but was too fucking cheap to not pay for those zip ties? And the hell of it was the fact that those zip ties weren't even holding anything; he was using them as anti-tamper seals. If he had asked, I could have put some tamper-evident tape there (which we have at the shipping counter) rather than him resorting to stealing stuff to do so.
And on top of all that is the fact that I am powerless to do anything about this. And when I was finally able to report this to management (and i had all the guys info) they of course felt it wasn't worth the hassle over two zip ties. I can understand that, but I still find this to be aggravating to no end.
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