It's the Store Policy, deal with it!

[SourRobot]

I had a customer who wanted to put a payment on her store card. Did that quickly. She wanted a bag. I noticed that she was empty handed, except for her purse. I told her that I couldn't give out bags unless she bought something from the store. She wanted to know why she couldn't get one. I told her that it was the store policy. Of course she wasn't happy with that, whining that employees do it for her all the time. Again I told her that it was the store policy and that I couldn't give her a bag unless she purchased something. Some things she said while complaining:

-"Yeah, I'm sure the store will go bankrupt because you won't give me a bag."
-"Yeah, you'll get fired for giving me a bag."
-"I'm a customer paying my bill for the card I use for the store and you won't even give me a bag."
-"I'm sure the forest is losing trees right now, but you won't give me a bag (WTF?)."


Look lady, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just following the store policy. It's a security issue, okay? They told us that if we give bags out to people when they haven't bought something they're more likely to steal stuff. Whether or not this is true I don't know, but I'm not going to risk it, alright?

I just stood there while she bitched and moaned in front of me. I guess she was trying to make me feel stupid or something. She didn't, but she sure made me feel uncomfortable since all I could do was stand there and wait for her to leave. At first I began to think that what I had done was stupid and wrong, but you know what? I don't care anymore. I get enough customers treating me like crap when I'm just going by the rules.

Do you really want to know why she wanted the bag so badly? Well I'll tell you guys anyway. She wanted to put her receipt in the bag. Nothing else! It's not like she had a long sheet of paper or anything, it was about the size of a sticky note.

[NateTheChops]

Nothing like trying to be the champion of a store policy that you're probably the only one who has read.

It's always up in the air. Are they lying, did cashiers really give them bags without a purchase, etc. Heaven forbid management should back you up either, that's usually the fun part for me.

[MadMike]

They told us that if we give bags out to people when they haven't bought something they're more likely to steal stuff.

My wife saw an old lady at the supermarket doing that a few years ago. She had a bunch of the store's bags in her purse, and she was filling them with stuff from the shelves. We weren't sure if she intended to walk out with the stuff like she had already paid for them, or if she was going to "return" them for cash, but my wife went and notified an employee.

[SourRobot]

Are they lying, did cashiers really give them bags without a purchase, etc. Heaven forbid management should back you up either, that's usually the fun part for me.

I believed her when she told me that other employees did it for her since a lot of the employees there just do whatever they want(not the ones in my department though, thank goodness!), and I would have gotten the manager if she wanted me to. I knew they would have just given her the bag, but I wasn't about to do it.


And to MadMike, that reminds me of a guy who wanted to buy some socks or something at my register. I didn't know what he was talking about until he pulled them out of the bag he already had from a prior transaction. I called security after he left my area, but he was gone by the time they got their cameras focused on the area, so I'm hoping he hadn't stolen anything.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Look lady, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just following the store policy. It's a security issue, okay? They told us that if we give bags out to people when they haven't bought something they're more likely to steal stuff. Whether or not this is true I don't know, but I'm not going to risk it, alright?

Because nobody would think to purchase something from your store, save the bag, and then bring it back into the store to steal stuff or commit return fraud.

Obviously the store has the right to have this policy, and you have to enforce it, but as theft deterrents go, the bag policy is about as weak as they come.

[Zellie Crescent]

My wife saw an old lady at the supermarket doing that a few years ago. She had a bunch of the store's bags in her purse, and she was filling them with stuff from the shelves. We weren't sure if she intended to walk out with the stuff like she had already paid for them, or if she was going to "return" them for cash, but my wife went and notified an employee.

Sadly that happens at least twice every month, some jackass thinks he can get away with the "Oh I just bought it" crap. We have nice honest customers, we have very observant employees, and most importantly we have CAMERAS!

[Anakah]

So was her purse just for decoration? lol Could've easily slipped that reciept in there. People make me sad.

[greensinestro]

So was her purse just for decoration? lol Could've easily slipped that reciept in there. People make me sad.

I had a similar thought as well. What the hell is the purse for?

[Enjis]

The store I worked for had mesh bags at all the enterances that you could use to put merch. in as you shopped. Then, you take the stuff to the counters to pay, and you get real bags to take home with you.

[Magpie]

I always assumed that the amount that stores charged for bags wasn't really connected to how much the bags cost the store. So if I'm asking you to sell me a bag when I'm not buying anything else, it makes sense that you'd say no. So am I on something, or is that woman?

[Snowbird]

Maybe she wanted a free garbage bag for her car? Other than stealing, that's the only thing I can come up with.

[Kristev]

Let's face it, gang. She wanted to play "Steal a fortune!"

[Lace Neil Singer]

Where I work, we give bags out if customers ask, but it's not an automatic thing. It makes me want to scream tho, when people just buy one bar of chocolate or pint of milk and ASK FOR A BAG.

[greensinestro]

Where I work, we give bags out if customers ask, but it's not an automatic thing. It makes me want to scream tho, when people just buy one bar of chocolate or pint of milk and ASK FOR A BAG.

I remember the time when I worked for Publix and, because of habit, was about to give a customer a plastic bag for a pack of chewing gum. We're talking one of those Wrigley's packs for 25 cents. Thankfully, the customer said she didn't need a bag, but later my manager spoke to me about being he saw what I almost did. Needless to say, I did not try that again.

[Kristev]

Normally, I will ask for extra bags. But I have a good reason - I buy large 2 liters, usually four of them per day, (and yes, I'm telling the truth.) Store bags are very, very weak and break easily, especially with heavy 2 liters in them. So I'll ask for extra bags, to reinforce the original bags.