Do you think that'll help your cause?

[Kheldarson]

This wasn't so much true suck as much as suspicious as hell.

I work in the money section of my store. This means I do such things as cash checks, send money, do money receives, bill payments, print money orders, etc. Lots and lots of rules, policies, and such to know.

Like this one: We cannot cash any money order that is not from one of our stores. Period.


So a customer comes up to my register. I don't recognize her, but I do know the guy who's with her as he comes in regularly to cash paychecks. So I greet her and ask how I may help her. Her response confuses me.

"I don't know if you were here last time, but I came in earlier this week to cash these and needed to know if you had gotten permission again. I know you're not supposed to cash these, but I've been getting them cashed for the past three months but I know you said you needed to get permission."

Blink. So I take the three checks she's holding. They're cashier checks from a bank, which means I can't cash them.

I tell her, "Well, I'm sure it wasn't me you talked to earlier because I've never seen these checks before. But I'm willing to go ask. Wait just one moment." And I walk out of my little section to find a CSM.

Which would have been a fairly straight-foward, hi here's the situation and policy, here's what the customer wants, and the CSM would've agreed with me...except the customer followed me. And began to explain her story to the CSM.

Only now the cashier she had talked to was the one who was usually in the smokeshop. And she gave a description that could've fit several of the regular ladies. And the CSM who had given permission was an older lady named Brenda? (We don't have anybody in the store named Brenda as is) and she thinks was an older black lady and she thinks she wore glasses? But either way the CSM had told the cashier to go ahead and run the check and had told her as long as the reader cleared it, it would be okay.

Um...no? We have to verify all money orders? Which is why we have the policy? Which is why the CSM she was describing would never have allowed such a thing in the first place?

Well, the CSM tonight just explained that that was well and good, but we couldn't cash it. Sorry. At that point, she just indicated she'd try again later and left.


So was I wrong for being suspicious?

[Bandit]

No, you were not wrong.

I've seen many fake/stolen cashier's cheques sent from scammers to an unwitting victim. Those bastards don't care who takes the fall - they just know they can get their money.

B

[Exaspera]

Not at all! You were following the policy of your place of employment. And it's sure not your problem.

[HYHYBT]

So was I wrong for being suspicious?

Yes, you were completely wrong. People who are telling the truth always change their story completely every few minutes.

[Kheldarson]

Oh, it got better today.

Talked to the cashier the customer said always cashes her checks. Turns out they have been because they're her payroll checks.

Anybody know any company that pays with money orders?

[Kristev]

Money orders? That's bizarre. Safer than checks, no doubt, but bizarre.

[Overnight]

Money orders as payroll checks? Um...I hate to sound suspicious, but 419 scams are the first things coming to my mind on that. You know...the not-legit-at-all version of mystery shopping...or the "get paid to cash checks for my business because I'm overseas and need your help" scam...that sort of thing.

[smileyeagle1021]

Money orders? That's bizarre. Safer than checks, no doubt, but bizarre.

Safer, and more importantly, more expensive... no company is going to go to the extra expense of paying with money orders.