Food stamp fun (part a huge Oops!)

[Dreamstalker]

I get thrown on register yesterday (during a rush, even though SM said only during slow times until I'm fully trained to his satisfaction) and get all the weirdos and crazies right off. Price disputes, confusion as to how credit cards or shopping in general work, etc. This one took the cake.

Part I

An elderly woman using a food stamp card. When it comes time for her to slide the card she is utterly confused. I figure that she hasn't used one before and try to talk her through the process, and then it comes to light that...she doesn't speak any English. At all. Neither I nor any CWs within earshot speak Russian

Luckily there were two other customers of the same extraction who were able to communicate to her what was going on and what I needed her to do on the pinpad...it still took about 10 minutes during which there is an ever-growing line, and I'm not allowed to put my Closed sign up just to deal with the holdup so there were a few SCs jamming their items up against hers and grumping when I tried to put a divider up.

Part II: The Card Is NOT Magic

Her EBT didn't have enough money on it (I think the outstanding balance was $10 or so). Despite both I and the other customers trying to get across that she needs to pay a bit more, she smiles, grabs her bags from behind the bagging area and walks off...I was actually hoping she would forget her card so we could at least get a name. I frantically flag down a manager, but the woman is somehow able to disappear in the rush. I'm not able to tell FEM or SM what happened because of the line I now have.

Part III: Aftermath

So my drawer is later $10 short...actually $15 (I have no idea where the extra $5 went, only that FEM did not actually count the drawer before she put me on it). She found 5s in the 1 tray...I'm too careful to do that. Luckily no writeup, just an admonishment to be more careful about giving change.

[Raveni]

Do you count your drawer before you begin? How does that work at your store?

[taurinejunkie]

An elderly woman [...] it comes to light that...she doesn't speak any English. At all. [...] Despite both I and the other customers trying to get across that she needs to pay a bit more, she smiles, grabs her bags from behind the bagging area and walks off...

I have a feeling that her inability to speak English only kicks in at convenient times like this.

[Dreamstalker]

Do you count your drawer before you begin? How does that work at your store?

I think the drawer is supposed to be counted by a manager before each cashier's shift. I wasn't even supposed to be on register yesterday; I don't know who was on before me, but they signed off and I signed on with no count in between.

taurinejunkie, you may be right; I don't speak Russian, but it seemed as if she only wanted to understand parts of what Helpful Customer was telling her.

[HappyFun Ball]

I have a feeling that her inability to speak English only kicks in at convenient times like this.

This, so much this.

[Dreamstalker]

Interesting how my calls for a MOD at that time went ignored (I also called the SC out as she broke for the door, but nothing useful happened), yet if something happens that could be interpreted as a mistake A's there immediately.

There's a bit of 'the customer is always right' taken to the extreme at the store at times; one guy got ten pricey cans of veggies for $1 each because they were next to a sale tag that was clearly for another brand; CW didn't know how to read the tags and I thought something was fishy (how convenient that you got the last few cans, you seem to be making sure we know that) but couldn't leave the register to check for myself. That and a few other manager capitulations to SCs were under my cashier number, which annoys me as they weren't my mistakes (the computers track how many price adjustments are done per cashier).

[emt_cookies]

Some places only do the drawer count if they are auditing people. I know where I work when they have about six to ten lanes open after 3 pm on the weekdays and ten on the weekends, they don't count till the person is on audit.

[MiloMorai]

Remember when you get a Russian speaking person that apparently doesn't speak English: NYET = NO. She tries to walk off, "Nyet!" Then you can get someone to help get the rest of whats owed.

[Bella_Vixen]

If my drawer is in before I start, I make a note of it on my paperwork. Same if I know when someone else uses it while I'm on break/facing/etc.

I used to blow people's minds when I'd ask if they'd used my register. They wanted to know how I knew. Easy. They always put the money in backwards.

[PepperElf]

I have a feeling that her inability to speak English only kicks in at convenient times like this.

That's what I was thinking. Especially when she smiled and walked off.


It's one thing to not understand a language. It's another to walk away from a register when there's a balance being shown of "$10.00" Numbers are the same in Russia as they are in the US. You don't have to translate those.



you know i wonder if this would be a case where itouch/phone would be allowed - or androids - for the free google translate?

[Dreamstalker]

Would it work with a high level of ambient noise though?

My poor boss got screamed at in Russian by some lady over the phone today; the closest I could figure was that some charge to our store had come up on her debit card and she thought the store would look into it/return the money...no. The bank does that. The lady knew the name of her bank, but had no idea how to contact them (I heard him trying to walk her through finding the phone number on her card).

[Becks]

I used to blow people's minds when I'd ask if they'd used my register. They wanted to know how I knew. Easy. They always put the money in backwards.

YOU put the money in backwards. Everyone else puts it in the right way. Except for Scott the Elder. He puts in the money like you do.