-25 cent price check Rant?

[norrina]

I wouldn't request a price check for $.05, but anything more than about $.20, I will. Sure, a quarter here or there is no big deal, but it does add up. And recently, we've had sweetie's son living with us, so our grocery bill has gone WAY up (in addition to increases in utilities). We're really pinching the pennies to make it, and I need every discount there is. If there is a line, or the price check is otherwise going to be irksome, I will say to just go ahead and void the item off. But there are times that I literally can not see my way to pay $2.50 for something that I thought was $2.25.

Last summer, I chose one type of tomato over another because there was a sign advertising the type I chose as on-sale. I got to the register, and they rang up at $1.00/lb more than I had expected. I really needed tomatoes one way or the other, but at the price they rang up, the other type was a fair bit cheaper. So I asked for a price check. I was 99.9999% certain I was right on the price too, otherwise I probably would have just paid the extra and left. A manager went over, and came back with the sign. She rather snottily informed me that the sale had ended, but since someone forgot to take the sign down, she would honor the sale price. I thanked her and left, stopping to check the sales flier on my way out. The sale price was good for another week.

[Skrae]

Once at Burger King after school since it was on the way home, I ordered a cheeseburger and had carefully counted out my change before leaving school (since I had planned stopping by since before started), knew what I could afford, and somehow or another, I managed to lose a quarter (I genuinely did), and was sitting there with the guy waiting on me while I scoured every single pocket in my pants, coat and even the pocket on my overshirt that I never used. Eventually after about a minute of this, he was kind and told me not to worry about it, I still feel a little guilty, but it filled my belly and I thanked him very politely, this only happened once, and I don't intend to let it happen again, if I can't find a coin, I just won't eat from now on.

[siead_lietrathua]

I've encountered people who will hold up the line for a single PENNY.

heck, we have this one old man who comes in the store, and if you charge him one penny over, he will throw a fit, call us all idiots, and one day he even made racist remarks to a co-worker over it.

heaven knows why the boss hasn't banned him yet since the only thing he ever buys in the store is his paper and maby one drink.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

SC: I need a refund because I got charged .30 for bad copies.
Me: Okay. I just need you to fill out this little form here.
SC: I have to fill out a form?
Me: Yes, but it's not a big form. Just your name, drivers licence, reason for refund. That sort of thing.
SC: Good grief, it's just .30 cents!
Me: Sorry, gotta do it. Otherwise, the register comes up short.
SC: (grumbling angrily while filling out form) I can't belive we have to go through all this shit over 30 fucking cents!
Me: Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing. (and yes, I did say it. It soared right over her head. Suprise, suprise.)

[Auto]

I always ask for a price check if I think I've been overcharged. (I can't remember an item ever scanning for less than the marked price.) It can be a single penny and I'll still ask for a price check.

The way I look at it, the store charges me the indicated price and that's the amount I pay. And i dopn't want to overpay because the store's computers haven't updated their prices or someone failed to update the price on the shelf.

In return, I don't ask the clerk if she's cool with me paying less than what I owe because what's the big deal about being short a few cents or a few dollars.

[Dragon_Dreamer]

I once had a customer who returned an item he'd bought the day before. No big deal, he had his receipt, so I was able to quickly process the return in cash (which was how he'd paid), and a money card (basically store credit, as it was a store-issued coupon) for the coupon he'd used, since he was returning the only item on that receipt. This is normal.

He began to complain because while he'd gotten back the tax he'd paid on the item, the money card refunding the coupon had no tax added on.

He refused to listen as we tried to explain that he had been refunded exactly what he'd spent, and was arguing with my manager for a good 15 minutes. The amount of tax he felt he was owed on the coupon? $0.08. That's right, 8 cents.

He finally stormed off, vowing to call the BBB on us. A customer behind him said she was tempted to just give him the 8 cents herself, to get him out of our hair.

I wish I could say we never saw him again, but alas, that was not to be. He came back a day or two later, specifically asked to see me and the manager who'd helped me, and *gloated* that the BBB said he was right, we were wrong, but if we wanted the 8 cents so bad, we could keep it, as he was never coming back.

The other cheapskate we've had bought a bunch of small things, less than $5, then picked up a tube of chapstick, used it, and told me to ring it up. Before I could do so, she grabbed it back, said, "I forgot! I need a gift bag and tissue paper!" Putting the cap back on, she tossed it back INTO the display of chapstick, and started to head towards our card department.

All this, while I had a line, and had no way to void out the transaction without calling a manager. I and the customer behind her managed to all her back, and make her finish the transaction. I pulled out the chapstick she'd used, and began to ring it up. "No, no, I don't want that, I need my gift bag and tissue paper!"

The customer behind her, so totally disgusted by this (as I was), told me to just add it to her order. The SC began thanking us both profusely, finished the transaction, and ran off for her precious bag and paper. Said SC continued thanking us profusely as she got back in line. Never once did she apologize or seem ashamed, just, "Oh, thank you, thank you! I'm so poor, and I have such medical issues, I have horrible stomach problems and back problems, and I can't work, and..." etc, etc, etc, a whole sob story. My nice customer rolled her eyes, and accepted my apology. We just threw the chapstick in damages, and the SC was reported to management.

In the end, the nice customer still comes by, and I haven't seen the SC since, thankfully. The whole episode still disgusts me.

[Fraggle]

I've encountered people who will hold up the line for a single PENNY.

Yes, you read that correct: one penny.

Some people are bored, I tell you.

I know those people.
In my old job, usually once a day or so we would get people who call up because one of their items didn't arrive in the post. This would normally happen with items like USB cables and other small items.
So in cases like this we would set up a free of charge replacement item to be sent out to the customer.

The way our system was set up, is that 0.01p would be charged to the customer to balance the accounts on the FOC items.

More often then you might think we had people calling up demanding the penny back, or going on about how we stole from them and how they were going to sue.

I just wanted to laugh at these people, what sad lives they must lead

[jrh215]

I've been in a few situations performing refunds for items in which the customer had used a manufacturer's coupon, so when crediting them for what they have returned I have to subtract the amount of the coupon from the price of the item. I guess it's the way in which the computer figures the tax during the original transaction with the coupon vs. the refund transaction--no coupon, just me refunding "x" amount less--that sometimes the refunded amount is off by a few cents. We're not even talking a nickel.

Yet, they hone in on the fact they're getting three cents less back and want to know why. I just tell them it has to do with the tax on the original subtotal, the fact they used a mfg coupon in the original transaction, and leave it at that--hell, I really don't know either. It's three damn cents--who even cares? Some people just take it at that and go, "Oh, ok," but I did have one customer who did not want to give up. She gave this long-winded explanation about how our systems were incorrectly programmed so she couldn't possibly be short-changed by 3 cents. Whatever--I just punched some random keys on the register, opened the drawer, gave her three pennies, then put three of my own pennies in once she left so it wouldn't be short.

Next time I'll just tell them since we've already sent off the manufacturer's coupon to be reimbursed, returning said item to our store would constitute coupon fraud. yeah, I'm sure that would go over real well.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Been there done that got the t-shirt and postcard and mailed 'em myself. When I still worked at my now-former store, I had this regular come in (she was notorious amongst the cashiers for being incredibly nitpicky over *every single item*; everybody automatically cringed in dread at the sight of her) and come through my line. One of the items in her order was a piece - a very small piece - of ginger root. It rang up as 60-some cents, and she about had kittens on the spot over it. I think the end result was (after a lot of price-checking and haggling and such) she did wind up buying it, but not before complaining about it the entire time.

Stuff like that made me want to carry around a big sign that said "Do not complain to the cashiers about prices. We do not control them. If we did, everything we bought would be free and YOU would be paying $99.99 per item!"

[Shabo]

In some states, it's mandatory that the store honor the advertised price or the price on the shelf. Luckily, we are authorized to do price adjustments if the item is less than a certain amount.

I have had people complain because they were refunded what they spent on an item, rather than what the item cost when it wasn't on sale. I was just like, you paid $x. You are getting back $x. Why would you be given $y in return for paying $x.

They shut up after that. Lucky for me.

[Kogarashi]

I too would dispute the price if it rang up higher than what the shelf label or sale sign reads, either to get the item for the price it should be, or to at least get someone to change the sign right then and there so the cashiers don't have to deal with too many other people wanting the lower price. And I do know that it's general policy that if an item is priced wrong on the shelf or in the system, you get $3 off of the correct price (once per transaction). But unlike a lot of customers, I also make sure to check the shelf label carefully so I know I've got the right price, so I won't whine that my $40 game should've been $20 just because it was sitting over a clock's shelf label or something.

[Rolling Star]

I've encountered people who will hold up the line for a single PENNY.

Yes, you read that correct: one penny.

Some people are bored, I tell you.

Some people also are either cheapskates or don't have lives.