Wednesday, January 17, 2007

I'll mark it down myself!

I work at the ghetto Wal-Mart, as I've said before. Our customers have taken hold of a new habit though, as witnessed by one of the meat stockers early Saturday morning.

This drama played out in two acts.

Act I was on Register 10, where this one woman was cursing up a storm over some chicken strips that were ringing up $5.99, claiming that she'd seen them under a sign for 99 cents. Same thing for some hamburger patties that were ringing up $6.98. She saw them under a sign for 98 cents. And she wasn't leaving that register until she got that chicken and those hamburgers for that price.

This was really early Saturday morning, like around 7:30 a.m., and there wasn't a supervisor around (not like there ever is), so the cashier ran up to Customer Service to ask me what to do.

Official policy is that if an item is under a price point, even if obviously wrong, the customer receives the item for that price. I walked over and asked the woman where the display was that she saw this chicken and hamburgers. She told me and I ran over to the meat department.

And what did I find but another associate putting numbers BACK UP INTO THE SIGN. He told me that he'd seen a customer taking the first numbers, namely the dollar parts, out of the sign. And it was a meat freezer with chicken tenders in one half and hamburgers in the other.

I asked him what the person looked like and sure enough, it was my girl. So I go back to Register 10 and tell her that there was a mistake made but we're going to honor the price that she saw on the hamburger and chicken. And do you know what she asked? "Is this like the Publix and you get the stuff for free?"

"No ma'am. You get it for whatever it did say on the sign."

I guess we should just be thankful she didn't pull it down to nine cents. We only lost $11 on that one.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Changing prices in a store is a felony, no matter the $$$ amount. Im shocked you didnt tell her you knew she changed the price. Dumb Tart, causing higher prices for the rest of us..Im appaled that she not only wanted it for under $1, but then had the gall to ask for it for free!!!! AAAAACCCKKKK!!!!

Anonymous said...

I check the UPC on the label, and then, if it matches the UPC on the product, I give it to them for that price.

If it's "stocked" into another spot by a "guest" then I apologize that we haven't been able to zone that area as aggressively as we needed to.

I love to use reason code 1 when something is wrong - in hopes that someone will notice that it needs to be fixed.

Anonymous said...

Good thing to do, anon. What happened to common sense? Sometimes I KNOW something is in the wrong place & therefore is the wrong price. I never expect it at a ridiculous price. I check & pay for it at the appropriate price.

Kasia said...

WOW. Where do people get balls like that? Is there a store I don't know about, where you buy sheer nerve?!

Paulo said...

I would have called her on it, just for spite if not for any other reason. You had to go out of your way to find out she was scheming.

Jeny said...

love your blog. im officially addicted. it's amazing how much self control you have.

Anonymous said...

some people are just so amazingly unbelievable, it kills me... i think you would have easily been able to call her on it, just for the simple fact that you have her on hidden camera changing the price. then on top of calling her on it, BAN her from the store!!! ah sweet retribution... :)

"THE" Rob Cerio said...

Wow. She must have already rung up a couple of those gigantic brass balls they sell back in the craft department.

Anonymous said...

Why wouldn't you just say: "Ma'am, you know that we have cameras everywhere, and its a felony to change the price on a sign, right?" That would shut her up fast. Some people just need to be reminded of the penalties for their crimes.

Unknown said...

A public caning in the parking lot to go along with her ill-gotten meat. That's all I'm saying.

Ol' Lady said...

you should have had the associate fixing the signs to change them for a few minutes to $15.99 & $16.98 and stay there to inform anyone else of the correct price then you could have went back and got her and showed her the 'correct signs' maybe she would change her mind...

Anonymous said...

Rob/Webkahunah...awesome!

Flagrantly stealing..with help..I'll have to try that someday!

Anonymous said...

I would definitely have called her on it. Just yesterday I had a woman rip the tags off a pair of jeans and try to use the tag to pay for a more expensive pair of jeans. I called her on it. People will try anything and everything to get something for free. It's our job to show them how stupid they really are.

Anonymous said...

Hm, never heard of this "official policy" that claims we give $3.00 off for merchandise in the wrong place. The signing at the registers says so for "pricing errors."

In other words, I only do a 1 action code if the price is legitimately wrong; never for a misplaced item. We don't have time to check every price customers say is wrong; if it's not for very much money, I just do it, but under no circumstance do I do it as a 1 action code unless I compare the UPC with the shelf label.

Guess I'm a bast**d. ;)

Anonymous said...

I agree with ol lady,
I would have enjoyed seeing the look on her face when she was shown the meat for $10 more.