Saturday, February 17, 2007

I can see clearly now

All our sunglasses have security tags -- not that this stops the rampant theft at our store -- but it might possibly discourage it a tiny fraction.

People are forever coming up to us at the Service Desk and wanting us to cut the security tags of the sunglasses and watches -- and we're not supposed to do it unless they can produce a receipt proving that they've paid for the merchandise. I've had some people get extremely angry at me because I won't de-tag their stuff just because they said they paid for it.

Dude, you might be some sort of evaluator in disguise. You might be a thief. You might be Jesus, Shiva or Buddha. I'm not cutting off a security tag until you produce a receipt. Until you pay for it, it is Wal-Mart's merchandise, not your property. It's worth my job, literally, to make that assumption.

Anyway. I'm trying to do a MoneyGram for a woman Friday night when this kid interrupts and wants me to cut the tag off his sunglasses. He doesn't have the receipt. I'm like "I'm sorry, but I need to see the receipt." He runs off.

The MoneyGram is complicated -- mostly because the woman is yelling into the phone about how to spell her boyfriend's last name and where he's going to pick it up -- and it takes longer than it should. Still, she's not bad, just hacked off at the boyfriend. Girl, really, if you have to send him money -- dump him.

And when I turn around to tell her the fee and the total -- Sunglasses Boy is back with Mean Mommy in tow. She's grabbed a pair of scissors out of the thing I keep gift cards, extra pens and credit card applications in and is sawing away at the security tag. No receipt in sight.

I'm like "Ma'am, did you have a receipt for those sunglasses?" She digs around in her purse and throws a receipt at me, and then goes off on a rant about how it is really stupid that they don't keep scissors at the register to cut the security tags off at the register.

First, I verify that the sunglasses were paid for, then I deal with Mean Mommy.

"Ma'am, it is a security issue. All our registers do not have someone at them 24 hours a day. We do not want to leave scissors out so that anyone can remove the security tags. That's why we ask that if customers want the tags removed immediately, they go to the jewelry counter or come to customer service and show us their receipt. I'm sorry you were inconvenienced."

That was just not what she wanted to hear. She really starts popping off. "Well, it is just stupid that she couldn't take it off for me. And I don't like being treated like a thief."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but we have to verify that the merchandise has been purchased."

Her reply? "Hmpf." And she wheels around and leaves.

And this whole time the girl with the MoneyGram is looking daggers at her for interrupting and when Mean Mommy leaves, she goes "I don't know why she was so mean. You did the right thing. You have to check that they bought them. She was just a b****!"

It was really the best thing that happened Friday night.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Again, here we have someone thinking a) that they are more important that the one you are currently helping & b)that they are owed something (in this case, your absolute trust.)

So if you hadn't asked for a receipt and lost your job over what was probably at most, a $10 pair of sunglasses, would she care? Would she have offered you money, a job, a steady income? No, she'd be the first ranting that you should first verify that she even bought the product.

Just leave scissors lying out at registers? Do people really think that way? Duuuuurrrrr

yellowdoggranny said...

if I had your job I would be popping prozac by the fist full...