Translation: Oh Shut the Fuck Up

[NateTheChops]

A customer grabs the name brand two pack of post it notes. It comes out to 12.99. He insists it's supposed to be cheaper, so I call a floor associate to check the price because sale prices don't show up in the price check.

It's the <store brand> notes that he needs. But he insists on buying the more expensive brand anyway so all should be well with the world, right? Wrong.

A certain sale item is out of stock at the moment. Happens in the beginning out of the week.

SC: (Very casually as he's swiping his card) That's funny, I thought it was against some kind of code to not have products that you've advertised.
Me: (Smiling politely as I bag the groceries. Am I smiling because I'm happy, or because I'm about to pounce? No one knows because I've been trained not to growl) Well sir, the advertising usually covers the entire region. So it's for several stores, not just our own.
SC: Aw. But there was a time when you could get in trouble for not having an item you advertised.
Me: Well, there's also a disclaimer in there that says selection varies by stores. So that kind of covers us.

Understand, you may assume I was being flippant. But I was being quite diplomatic as I spoke and the customer wasn't upset as such, but being rather annoying because he picked up the wrong item and didn't want to let the floor person grab the right one for him. Would have taken two seconds.

But we've all gotten customers like this. They immediately start ranting about the imaginary power they have over people, or the way things were like in the magical "Before Time", as if that's going to make you feel bad that they didn't get their way.

[Sheldonrs]

Basically, it's just passive-agressive behavior. Trying to intimidate you.

Didn't.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

The only "before-time" I can think of is before the advent of the Franchise. If the ad covers one store and one store only. But one can argue that the first corporation, a certain order of a certain church, was founded in 529 AD, so if he wants to go that far back, fine.

[Brojekk]

I love it when these wannabe "legal experts" get pawned.

[Mnemjian]

SC: Aw. But there was a time when you could get in trouble for not having an item you advertised.

Aw. Like, would he tell your mommy on you? Maybe you wouldn't get dessert because you were such a naughty boy!

[NateTheChops]

More STFU moments:

Today this morning, I ring up a fax.

Me: Is this an in-state fax?
SC: No, it's out of state. That's an odd thing, charging more for an out-of-state fax. It's all over the phone line.
Me: (What I Wanted to Say): Well, if I were to drag you into New York where the death penalty were still in effect and kill you, I would get extradited back to the small backwoods town where I buried your carcass for trial and execution, even if I were still here in Mass. So yes, things going to different states have different prices for different charges.

[bainsidhe]

Both my hometown and the city an hour away had Hardee's restaurants. Ours was privately owned, and the others were a franchise. The franchise restaurants would run awesome deals of the month, with a teeny tiny disclaimer stating that it was for participating stores only. We weren't participating. Unfortunately, the ads ran on all the local stations and everyone would get upset because we didn't offer a $3 burger for a buck. No, that is not false advertising. *sigh*

[NateTheChops]

I've taken to telling people how much the subtotal is before I ring the coupon in. I do this for two reasons.

1: Because if there's any confusion about the price of an item, or if a sale item didn't appear to ring up at sale price, I can't do anything about it after I ring the coupon in until a manager comes over. This is time consuming and the goal of the store is to have the customer on their way and smiling.

2: Because I'm sick of hearing, every five seconds:

"There's also a coupon there."
"Did you scan the coupon?"
"How much is it after the coupon?"
"How much was it before the coupon?"
"What came first, the Coupon or the Egg?"

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yeah, a lot of coupons/advertisements will include caveats like "while supplies last" or "selection may vary by location" and such. This is especially true for Black Friday doorbuster advertisements.

[Merriweather]

SC: (Very casually as he's swiping his card) That's funny, I thought it was against some kind of code to not have products that you've advertised.

As mentioned, in chain stores or franchises, disclamiers cover not all stores having the sale item.

But even in cases of single stores or no disclaimers, the law can only make sure the store has a reasonable number of the sale items when the sale starts. It can't guarantee that the store won't sell out of it before the sale is over. Laws of supply and demand sometimes trump "retail" laws . Some stores give rainchecks, some put in disclaimers of "while supplies last". But nothing can guarantee a store never runs out of a sale item (at least not until we got those infamous magic back rooms, or at least a replicator on hand).

[AccountingDrone]

2: Because I'm sick of hearing, every five seconds:

"There's also a coupon there."
"Did you scan the coupon?"
"How much is it after the coupon?"
"How much was it before the coupon?"
"What came first, the Coupon or the Egg?"

Actually this sort of stuff makes me glad that there are rarely coupons for raw materials, and I rarely buy anything that has a coupon like convenience foods [about the onlly things I might have a coupon for is a condiment like soy sauce or catsup] so i can speed through the self scan

[Chromatix]

Indeed, the only even vaguely useful thing I get coupons for is... fast food.

The trick with these coupons is that I then get to choose between having a "giant double cheeseburger large meal" (without coupon) or two "cheeseburger meals" (with one coupon) for the same price. With the lunch-voucher system thrown in for good measure, either option effectively costs me €6. It's a question of whether I want more burger or more drink and fries.

Ideally of course, I shouldn't be eating fast food...

[NateTheChops]

Ideally of course, I shouldn't be eating fast food...

I shouldn't drink to quell murderous rage but.

[JustaCashier]

"What came first, the Coupon or the Egg?"

The egg actually came first. much earlier than the coupon. (Part of the delay in the coupon coming coming out, is the still unresolved issue of whether kew-pon, or koo-pon is the proper pronounciation.)

During that pre-coupon era, many merchant/customer conversations were similar to this;


Customer: "Oh, I think I have a coupon for those eggs!"

Merchant: "I'm sorry, we don't accept coupons, they haven't been invented, yet."

Customer: "This is unacceptable! I demand to see a manager!"

Merchant: "I'm sorry, managers haven't been invented yet either. This shop, like all others, is run soley by it's owner, ME! Now GTFO!"

Customer: "Well! I never! I'm going to report you to the BBB!"

Merchant: "I'm sorry, the BBB hasn't been invented yet....."





Mike

[NateTheChops]

Could we still club unruly customers and sacrifice them to Incan Gods in those days or was that too far back?