The Wal-Mart I work at serves a VERY large population of snowbirds — people who come to Florida for the winter and then spend the summers somewhere Up North. These people, usually wealthy, are any retail wage slave's worst nightmare. They're either wealthy and entitled or poor and so cheap they will argue over a penny on the price of cat food and nickel and dime you to death.
On the whole, the wealthy ones are worse, because at least I understand being poor. I grew up not having money and I still sometimes have to choose between pills and paying my student loans. But anyway. The wealthy snowbirds are far worse, just because no one has ever told them "NO" before.
So this couple comes up Sunday night. Expensive clothes — linen pants and nice shirt for him, designer something for her, probably 10K in jewelry on her and they both have a Rolex. And they've got a "question."
Now sometimes, the question is "where is Electronics?" but this time the question was this:
HUSBAND: "We own rental property. We bought a three TV's and three DVD/VCR players here last April. We went back up north in May and when we got back none of the VCRs work."
WIFE: "We bought them at this store in April."
HUSBAND TO WIFE: "Shut up, I'm talking." Wife gives husband a dirty, dirty look.
HUSBAND: "Now, we don't have the receipts or anything."
WIFE TO HUSBAND: "Because you always throw the receipts for everything out."
HUSBAND TO WIFE: "Would you please shut up." Wife gives husband another dirty look.
HUSBAND: "We've got all these things. We spent a lot of money here and we want to know what we can do with them. We'd like to just get some new DVD players for our rental property."
WIFE: "We just want to exchange them. We bought them and then we went back up north and we don't know what happened to them."
I kept trying to get a word in edgewise, but they kept talking over each other and then over me.
ME: "I'm very sorry, but you can only return items in stores for 90 days. If you bought them last April, it is well past that. If you know what brand you bought, I can give you the manufacturer's warranty for them. Most items like TVs & VCRs have at least a year's warranty."
WIFE: "I don't think that's fair. We purchased them at this store less than a year ago."
ME: "I'm sorry, but that's our company's policy. You're not going to be able to return the items to a Wal-Mart store."
HUSBAND: "What else can we do?"
ME: "You can also look for the warranty in the books and papers that came with the electronics when you purchased it."
WIFE: "Oh, he threw all that out when he threw out the receipts."
HUSBAND: "Will you stop saying that?"
WIFE: "So you're saying that even though I bought them here I can't bring them back here?
ME: "Ma'am, you can only return items in stores for 90 days. I can only give you the warranty information for those items."
WIFE: "Well, that's not fair. When I worked for Hoover we took stuff back for two years." Maybe that's why Hoover's parent company Maytag is #435 on the Fortune 500 and Wal-Mart is #2. And yeah, if I'm reading the chart right, Maytage LOST $81.9 million in 2005.
ME: "Ma'am, you're not going to be able to return them at a store."
WIFE: "Well, that's not right. I want a manager right now." (Lady, if life truly worked according to what was "right," you'd be dog food. Sales clerks must cringe at the sound of your Gucci-footed approach. Entitled cow.)
ME: "One moment ma'am."
So I get a manager. One who is in no mood for this crap. Especially not on a Sunday night when said manager has been on a register for three hours. Especially not crap from April. Eight-month-old VCRs that probably got fried in a power surge.
WIFE: "You're telling me that I have merchandise I cannot return to this store?"
MANAGER: "Ma'am, our policy is 90 days, and that is only with a receipt. You don't even have a receipt."
WIFE: "I paid good money for those and I expect to be taken care of."
MANAGER: "Ma'am, this policy is posted here and in electronics. The store itself cannot carry a lifetime warranty on our items."
WIFE: "But they weren't even used."
MANAGER: "Ma'am, I can't do anything for you. I'm sorry the merchandise did not meet your expectations, but I can't take back eight-month-old merchandise."
WIFE: "When I worked for Hoover, we took back Claims from Wal-Mart that were all dirty and junky and that were years and years old. You should do the same for me."
MANAGER: "That may be ma'am, but we can't take your merchandise back. Have a good night."
And the manager walks off. And the woman is still nearly in shock and about to have an apoplectic fit near the end of the counter. I love to see rich cows have their tails twisted.
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9 comments:
Kudos to the manager for standing by the policy and instead of caving. Every time a manager caves, they reinforce the belief that front-line employees are just there to be bypassed if you don't get what you want, no matter how outrageous.
I'm going to agree with Greg on this one. When I worked retail at Target, I used to dread calling a manager for anything, knowing they would never,ever, back me up.
The irony is that this attitude only made even less inclined to give a crap, knowing that it didnt matter one way or another.
This couple must be a real joy to know/be related to.
Why would anyone who "appears" to have money not shop at a high end electronics store, where their whims would have been granted and their asses kissed?!
Don't judge a book by its cover...this couple's clothes could have been purchased second hand, the jewelry could of been costume, the Rolex's knockoffs and the "rental property" a shack!
An elderly woman wih $10,000 worth in jewelry really isnt that much, especially if she was wearing a Rolex too. When you think about a wedding/engagement ring, a necklace, bracelet & watch, if all that is $10k, the each piece isnt worth that much. By the time Im 'elderly' I best have some decent jewelry pieces, esp if my husband were like that gentleman. Also, by the time Im that age, I better have nice clothes I can enjoy.
Chances are these people werent born rich. They probably worked their asses off their entire lives to get what they have now. Decades of hard work & financial planning is probably why they csn afford a few nice things now.
Your blog is great, fabulous even, but you make too many assumptions about people. My guess is they make assunptions about you all the time, ones that arent appreciated, Im sure. Extend a few of these people the same courteosy youd like. Although, over the majority of these loons, like the pickle guy & turky lady, Id flip my whig.
Helpful hint:Do not buy electronics from a store that sells toilet paper.
I love seeing stupid people get their due. That's probably why I was so hooked reading this blog from start to finish. I'm almost tempted to get back into a part-time retail job so I can just not care what they think, and try telling customers what I'm really thinking.
Thanks for reminding me why I got out of retail to begin with. You've got far more patience with these morons than I do.
Anonymous is right. Well, all three anonymouses are right to some degree, but I was talking about the third one.
Some of the wealthiest people I've known or known by proxy have been incredibly thrifty, and usually they weren't born rich. They just have faithfully adhered to the maxim that no matter how many dollars you have, you can only spend each one once. I don't care for their attitude as you describe it, but that's probably how they have their nice clothes and her jewelry.
Whoops, four anonymouses. I can't count today...
it's epileptic as is epilepsy............
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