What part of "I'm not the manager" do you not understand?

[TonyF]

Just because I'm the biggest and loudest guy on our staff doesn't mean I'm in management. I will never work management. I'm not putting up with people who whine about everything.

In our store, there are a few things which need management presence: rain checks (I know..), price modifying, price matching, returns/exchanges (glad I don't have to do that), change for the till, and vendors. Let me say that since there's only one manager in the store at one time, it creates some problems. Customers and vendors end up waiting if the manager is busy doing something else. I wouldn't mind taking over duties for half of those things.

Even after I preface the situation with, "Let me call my manager...," some people still can't get it through their thick skulls. Had two people in the past few days that didn't quite grasp this concept.

1

So, there I am fiddling around in the photo lab fixing the label printer. This well-dressed man who looks like he could be a CEO walks up to my counter and says: "Hi, I need to do a return, please."

Me: "Sure, let me call my manager over and she'll take care of you."

So, I call.

Him: "You can't do returns?"
Me: "Nope."
Him: "Why not? I thought everyone was trained to do returns."
Me: "It's store policy. They never taught me."

I actually do know how to do returns after watching a few thousand of them. But, I'm not allowed plus it's not my job.

Him: "Well, where is this manager? What's taking so long?"

I notice her in the office on a call. There's a window which I can look in from the lab to the office.

Me: "Uh, she's on a call right now, she'll be right out once she's done."
Him: "How long will she take?"
Me: "Soon, sir. She saw me in the window and knows what's going on."
Him: "And you're sure you can't do returns?"
Me: "Not me personally, sir. Returns are a management only kind of thing."
Him: "But I've returned things here before and it's not hard. You just push two buttons and scan the product and the register opens."
Me: "True, but I'd still need a management sign-on for the register. It won't let me do returns under my sign-on."

I go back to fixing the label printer and the manager finally comes out to take care of Mr. CEO's return. But, of course, he just can't let things go.

Him: "I think you should allow your employees to do returns. I had to stand here for almost 10 minutes waiting for you."

Liar, it was barely two minutes.

By the way, he didn't yell, he used that condescending low-tone voice.

2

I'm covering a lunch during the busiest part of the day around 1pm. Customers came to my line faster than I could get them out. My other co-worker was manning the other register so he was quite pinned down himself.

This lady comes up and buys a pack of gum which totals to not even one dollar. She pays with a $100 bill. So, I scoop it up, verify that it's real, and pop open the till. I notice that from an earlier cash pick-up, there are only five and ones in the drawer. So, I get on the horn and my manager is stuck in the pharmacy because the pharmacy manager, for some reason, can't do pharmacy returns. Of course, I have to hear it from Ms. Gum.

Her: "Where is she?"
Me: "She's busy back in the pharmacy, she'll be right up."
Her: "Oh, ok, weeeeeeelll...."

I hate that phrase, because I know some stupid question or comment is about to come out.

Her: "...don't stores normally have like a safe behind the register?"
Me: "Um, probably, I don't know. I just know that we don't."

The line has shifted over to my co-worker's counter so it's now just Ms. Gum at my counter. I think everyone knew this would take a bit.

Her: "Well, can't you go back there and make the change?"
Me: "No, I'm not allowed to do that. Plus, you need a key and pin code to open the safe. I don't have, either."
Her: "Well, I just want to get out of here. I didn't think this would be a big deal."

It's not a big deal. It's called making change when you pay with a huge bill.

Now, I'm really just trying to pass time.

Me: "She'll be right up."
Her: "How much longer is she going to take, man?"
Me: "Hopefully, not too much longer."

One minute later, Manager comes up and takes the bill. She goes back to the office, which leads Ms. Gum to think that she's going to be gone for a few minutes again. She sighs and shakes her head. The manager comes back almost instantly and produces the change. Ms. Gum leaves without saying anything.

I'm sorry if we can't do the simple things that only managers are allowed to do, it's policy and I understand the frustrations. But, don't throw a fit about it.

[fireheart]

I got this quite a bit at my old store, except with a slight twist.

I'd be on a register that's not the service desk and I'd get asked to do returns, for a job (we don't take resumes in-store) or my personal favourite-for cigarettes.

Now at my new store, if my manager isn't around, I can only do cigarettes in an emergency. Some of the things I learned in cashier training are now sup-only policies, so I know how to do them as well...but I get people still thinking I'm a supervisor/manager.

[underemployeed]

I plead incompetence whenever my management is around because if I bend rules for people without running it through them first they get pissed. Also, screw it they need to deal with BS because they make more than me. Or when working overnight shift and someone demands management for something. I tell them the manager will be in at 6:30am... well thats not good enough. why aren't they here at 1AM I'm upset because I want to use this coupon that expire 4 weeks ago.

[XCashier]

This lady comes up and buys a pack of gum which totals to not even one dollar. She pays with a $100 bill.

I hate people who do that! And it's almost always either upon first opening or after a cash drop. And naturally, they get POed if they have to accept lots of small bills or wait for a manager to bring money to break it. Go to the fg bank, idiot!

[VenomX]

See thats where I am lucky. With no register I can just tell them I don't have change for that big of a bill. If they don't have something smaller, then sorry go get change and come back.

[infinitemonkies]

Go to the fg bank, idiot!

They already did, where do you think they got the c-note?

OKay, I get why many people would rather deal in cash instead of plastic, but I don't get why someone would get their cash in $100s then bitch about the hassle of trying to break them. And you know these people go through the same damned thing every time they get paid.

I predict that in about 10 years our culture will go cashless altogether, and all fund transfers will be electronic.

[Midorikawa]

They already did, where do you think they got the c-note?

I hate dealing with large bills. I refuse to carry them. Last time I used a large bill was for a car. Bought an 1981 Jeep CJ7 for $3500 in $100s. That's been the only time I can justify actually getting a $100 note from the bank.

It almost seems like some bizarre status symbol with some people - "oh look at me, I have so much cash floating around I'm paying with a $100 bill!" This I never got either, as flashing large bills around is a surefire way to get mugged. I grew up in a small town where you really don't see crime at all, and I still know better than to go flashing $100 notes around.

[Midorikawa]

especially when so many places no longer accept the larger bills due to counterfeiting.

Precisely. Why get large bills when noone takes them any more? It's like writing checks out any more too. O_o

[jjllbb]

I wish I had your problem.

I get the opposite. Our store is short one manager. So sometimes a department supervisor will be scheduled to do a Manager on Duty shift every now and then.

I'm a 5'4" woman and only in my mid twenties and people refuse to accept that I am the acting manager when I come up to deal with issues.

As soon as people see me they ask my favorite (and unfortuately most popular) question: "I'm looking for the manager. Is HE here?

No matter what I say, they don't believe that I can do returns, authorize anything, and every answer I give needs a second opinion regardless of whether or not my coworkers are telling them the same thing.

[StarsAreFixed]

We need managers for: ALL voids, price overrides, and getting change. Such a pain. They have to be paged and god forbid if they don't instantly materialise out of the wall. Anyone who gets pissy about the wait- it's ALWAYS their fault- not wanting an item after I scanned it.

'You mean you can't do a price override of 50cent?' yes that is what I mean, since it doesn't specify difference in 'ALL PRICE OVERRIDES'.

[TonyF]

I'm 5'4" woman and only in my mid twenties and people refuse to accept that I am the acting manager when I come up to deal with issues.

Happens with my store manager often. She's also around 5'3" or 5'4" and when her and I are talking on the sales floor, people will ask ME for the returns and whatnot. Funny part is that our positions are labeled right on our nametags. I had no idea it was hard to confuse "Photo" with "Store Manager." Oh well.

[Anakah]

I never pay with a hundred and if its all I have I ask if they have the change or if I need to pay by debit. Normally I don't even think about handing a hundred unless my total is like seventy or more even then I ask.

Sometimes I forget that they don't supply retail stores with a lot of change cuz my drawer at work is like fourty thousand. Which its funny because sometimes I even run out of money. One guy got mad at me when I told him I ran out of hundreds.

But if you choose to be a jerk and pay with a hundred for a small item its YOUR fault that you have to wait. I'd be embarassed to cause such a scene.

[TonyF]

The "Pay for something less than a dollar with a $100 bill" issue used to be a whole lot worse at my store.

We currently have a $40 limit on cash back from debit purchases. Two years ago, it was a $100 limit.

Often times, I would open the day on the front register. Two or three people would come in right when we opened at 8am and buy A drink or A stick of candy. Of course, all two or three of them wanted $100 back.

The worst part about that was that there was, and still is, a bank right across the street.

[Imogene]

Had an odd one the other night... 9:30 or so, some teen-looking guys come into the store and walk right up to me: "Can I trade you some twenties for a hundred?"
"That'd be no there, junior. I don't carry hundreds in my cash drawer."
Manager for the night comes walking up, and teen repeats question to her.
"I've already pulled all the large bills, so, no."

[Ironclad Alibi]

Do you think they might have been counterfeit 20s?