Two weeks ago my wife was in need of a pad lock for her job at school. She went to the Walker Road Fred Meyers and picked out a Master Pad lock which she took it to the cashier. The cashier scanned it and rang up the total and promptly said that will be 3 cents.

Needless to say, my wife was incredulous and said there must be some mistake. The cashier said no there wasn't and said it normally sells for 7 cents but their was a 50% discount.

So she gave the cashier a quarter and got 22 cents change. This really did happen, my wife brought home the receipt to prove it.

Obviously the item price was wrong on the central computer.

I went to Lowes in Milwaukie to buy a set of four patio chairs and a patio table, and they were out of the chairs, so we then drove all the way over to the Tigard store, and when we got there, they had the chairs but no table. So we loaded up the chairs, which were on sale for $55.50 each and all 4 chairs were packed in one very big box. I was pissed that I would have to drive BACK to the Milwuakie store to get the table. Upon checkout, the lady scanned the box and said "That will be $55.50", and then she said "that's a pretty good deal!" Thoughts raced through my head on what I should do, and within a split second I responded "Yes, it sure is". I would have normally been honest and said that was wrong, but at the time I was so chapped with Lowes I felt I deserved a concession.

Not entirely similar, but still worth noting~

Earlier this year I purchased a magazine priced $6.15 at Border's......needless to say, after sales tax (8.2%) the price I paid ended up being $6.66. And it was on Good Friday to boot.

Mark of the beast, dude. Roar......

I've had a few things like that Listenerpete. It always amazes me how indignant the cashier gets when you try and be honest.

Tell them about it, they argue it's right, pay it and leave when in your favor. You don't wanna be one of those guys that makes that light go blinky blink and hold up the line now do ya?

When I was stationed in the Philippines, I went to get my local drivers license, we were told do not argue with the clerk there, because if you did, your paperwork would be lost for a long time. And you would pay $35 for the license, and another $10.oo for "Processing" and your receipt would only show the 35, "guess who kept the 10.

Well I went in and did the paperwork, then gave the lady a $50, expecting my receipt for $35 and $5 in change, she gave me $55 back. I started to say something, and she just stareed at me. So I just walked out with the $55

the proper authorities have been notified. "chad" WILL GO DOWN and make a purchase for 10.oo and be swiftly arrested.

you guys take all this internet shit way to seriously. darktemper, have you ever been to prison?

I need to buy 14 feet of rubber baseboard trim, so I go to Home Depot. I go in the back where they keep the rubber trim, there is no one there. I look around and find a remnant on the shelf, it measures out at 17 feet - perfect.

I take it to the front to pay for it. "I need 14 feet of this. It's just a little longer than that."

She measures it. "This is 17 feet long."

"Yes, I know, but I only need 14 feet."

"But this is 17 feet long."

"YES, it was a remnant I found on the shelf. There was no one there to cut it, so I brought up all 17 feet."

"If you are buying the whole thing I have to charge you for 17 feet."

"I don't want the whole thing, I only want 14 feet. Why don't you cut off 3 feet and sell me the rest?"

"I can't cut it. The person back in the rubber baseboard department has to cut it."

"I guess I can wait a minute while they get here."

"No, you'll have to walk it back there for them to cut it."

"You want me to walk all the way to the very back of the store so that someone else can cut it? Is this the same person that wasn't back there the first time I tried to get it cut? You have a carpet knife, why don't you cut it?"

"I can't do that, she has to cut it. And she's not going to like it."

"What do you mean, she's not going to like it?"

"She's not going to be able to sell a three foot chunk of rubber baseboard."

"I see. Hey, I've got an idea. Since the three feet that's going to be cut off will be thrown in the dumpster anyway, why don't you sell me 14 feet, leave the scrap attached, and I'll cut it off and throw it away for you when I get home?"

"I would have to charge you for 17 feet then."


At that point I left them with all 17 feet of rubber baseboard.

This was not the only "stupid clerk" moment I've had at Home Depot, but it was the worst. I now religiously avoid shopping there.

@Edselehr: Maybe they were waiting for that one special person in need of exactly 17 feet.

Omega3>>you guys take all this internet shit way to seriously...

So how's the Hitachi Cordless Impact Driver now, after over two years of ownership?

Monday, I was out at "Jim's Trading Post's" Grand Ronde location,(combination used book store, surplus hardware, building supplies and miscellaneous junk purveyor) and purchased two books and a map. The total came out to $6.55. I handed the lady $7.05, so I could get two quarters back in change.(yes, somtimes I can be a bit anal) She takes my $7.05 and gives me a dollar bill back. "I think you only owe me fifty cents back," I replied.

"Didn't you give me $8.00?" she asked

"No, I only gave you $7.05, so I could get two quarters back in change,"

It wasn't an unpleasant moment, just a bit awkward. Finally after about two minutes of both of us respectively in the middle of a grade 3 mathematics impasse, I picked up a pen and while scrawling the math on the back of the map and stated, "My math skills aren't what they once were, I guess I'll have to do this on paper"--self-depreciating myself as I go along--finally, we both saw that I was to only get 50 cents in change.

I'm amazed at how some situations can be smoothed (or kept smooth) with a reasonable "show" of humbleness on my part.(I try to be a good actor whan I do this, but I'm sure some people see right through it!)

BTW, I had my 4 year old nephew with me at the time and the owner of the store walked up to us and gave him a children's book--right out of the blue, and the aforementioned clerk gave him a little toy windup motorcycle!

The bookstore part is a little thin, but if you're headed to the coast on Hwy 18, stop there for a few minutes--it is a slightly strange experience. The "carpet" in part of the bookstore is just a multi-coloured patchwork of tacked down carpet samples--it is the same type of thing that our family had for floor covering in our living room back in the mid 70's when we couldn't afford wall-to-wall carpet!

I like to put the cash / coins on the counter, for this reason exactly.

If there is a camera, then it's recorded. They also have to pick up the money and that causes them to consider just what they've been given.

Too many people just depending on the machines, IMHO. Hardly anybody counts change back correctly. When this is done, there is no need for calculators and both parties can easily verify the exchange. Guess I'm old school on that score.

I'm one of those people that, if not making a terribly large purchase, will be totalling in my head all the way to the cashier. If I'm really good I have exact change in my hand waiting to hand to her before she is done ringing it up. They always seem suprised by customers that can add.

Ed, I can tell you live in a state without sales tax to have to calculate.

Quite often when paying in cash I'll hand over a calculated amount to get back fewer bills/coins in change. For example, I'll pay $21 when the cost is $6, so I get a $5 back instead of four $1 bills. More than once, I've had cashiers give me a puzzled look, and more than once I've actually had to explain why I was doing that...

Andrew

Being a cashier isn't exactly a glam job you know. You're being WATCHED, and I mean WATCHED. Retailers lose almost as much through employee thief as they do from shoplifters. A honest cashier is at a disadvantage. Better to be a cart rounduper like newportradio at half the pay!

I use a debit card for every transaction I possibly can, so I always have exactly the right amount. I hardly ever use cash anymore.

"Ed, I can tell you live in a state without sales tax to have to calculate."

True, true. I haven't yet decided if Oregon is smart or stupid for not having a sales tax. I spent three weeks this summer traveling through thirteen states, all with sales tax - you adjust pretty quickly. And I would have tried to ballpark the tax in my head if I had known what the tax was at any particular truck stop.

Vitalogy writes:
I use a debit card for every transaction I possibly can, so I always have exactly the right amount. I hardly ever use cash anymore.

I almost never use my debit card, unless I'm using a grocery store as an ATM machine (candy bar: 39 cents, + $40 cash back). Several reasons. First of all, some places charge a fee (gas stations, some fast food restaurants) for using one. Second, an ATM card is a step closer to my bank account. And if there's some dispute over something I paid for with a debit card, the cash is already out of my account and it's harder to get it back if there's a problem. With a credit card, if you are in good standing and have a good case, you simply call your credit card company and dispute the charge and they'll probably back you up.

I almost always pay with a credit card. I get cash back on my no-annual-fee Costco Amex card, and I always pay the balance every month. (I couldn't tell you the interest rate on even one of my credit cards, because I've never paid interest to a credit card company.) The only time I DON'T pay with a credit card is at local restaurants, who have to pay more to process a card than if I use cash. But for big corporations and chains, I don't care about that and just use my plastic.

Andrew

Which brings me to a "pet peeve TV commercial"... the current series of Visa spots, whereby a business is running-along smoothly, thank you, UNTIL some hapless stiff decides to pay cash instead of using his Visa card... and bringing the well-oiled machine to a standstill. How dare someone pay cash?!

It's for that series of commercials that I'll INSIST on paying cash. What do you think? Will those spots backfire on Visa?

LMAO! This thread is a treasure trove!

Mike, you are spot on! I also detest that commercial. In a way, the nature of the reaction of thinking people makes it fascinating. Will those spots backfire on Visa? Like a cartoon rifle. I love it.

I always use cash. Often, I have time to count exact change in situations where so many plastic people have clogged the works that there is nothing but grumbles behind me in line. It usually results in a happier mumble from someone in the serpentine mob like, "Now that's more like it." There is no such thing as a quick trip to Plaid Pantry or Burgerville because of credit cards. Never use your plastic at a small business, bar or restaurant. Andrew is right, it costs them money. Baristas, waitresses and barkeeps can be ripped off by management with your "tip line" too.

Home Despot must be charmed. I was on a trip for materials and watched incredulously as the lady scanned the top piece of relatively inexpensive thin ceiling board, clicked a few keys and charged us that price for the entire cartload. She also skipped an extension cord. The other rock was probably three times the price per unit, so of course I said something. She looked at me like I had stepped out of a saucer and said, "Oh yeah" -- and rang up the cord. Honest scout to the end, I pointed out in the stack that the rock was three different widths. She continued on ringing me up, took my cash, handed me the receipt and said, "Aw, don't you know they're all the same price? Have a nice day." Thank you miss, I did.

Littlesongs: "Home Despot" indeed! Which brings to mind another TV spot peeve... the commercials that show the happy couple walking into HD (or Loews) and telling the eager associate that they want to "re-do the bathroom"... and the gleeful salesperson grins and says "let's get started!" as they all skip off in do-it-yerself bliss. Sorry, it just doesn't happen that way. In reality, if you can find a clerk who knows anything, they're helping 5 people ahead of you.

Q-Patrick-E: it's small world. I shop at Jim's Trading Post's "sister store" in Sheridan. The old fellow there (a nice guy) never knows where anything may be in the store, so it's the ultimate in "self-service". It's great if you like to spend time amongst the caverns and aisles of surplus hardware... AND if you don't mind running the risk of never finding what you want, even though you KNOW it's there somewhere.

On the other hand, you walk in the door knowing this in advance, so it's more like a stroll through a museum than it is a shopping experience.

Mike and QPE -- my Dad loves Jim's!

Ugh, I agree Mike, that ad campaign is downright silly. I also detest how they prey on the desires of the better half without any injection of reality at how much work that project will actually take! Nobody shows sawdust, drop cloths or smashed knuckles anymore. They are still a big part of most projects. :0)

Back in the day, if it was a real hardware store they would have grouchy old timers who looked at you like a dummy if you did not know exactly what you wanted. Sure, those guys could be tough. Once you'd spent a few bucks, asked smart questions, and came back, they would go out of their way to help. Now, many of the independents are gone, and you have to wait half an hour for the dejected worn out guy in the orange smock.

Big box stores are the same in any industry. There are good folks here and there, but many of the employees are total dolts. I have been enjoying a leviathan and hilarious thread about a large retailer of audio gear. Since it relates somewhat to the topic, I thought I might share. Here is a tidbit:


"These are questions I've gotten from GC employees. I work for an "industry standard" mic company so keep this in mind otherwise you won't understand.

1. GC employee: My customer doesn't like how long the antennas are on his "insert model for $4k wireless system." Will it still work ok if we cut the antennas in half?

Me: No

GC employee: Can I place an order for a pair of antennas?


2. GC employee: I'm looking for the invisible wireless headset.....

Me: Invisible?

GC employee: Yeah.

Me: Like you can't see it....invisible?

GC employee: Yeah.

Me: I'm pretty sure something like that doesn't exist

GC employee: I'm looking at a picture of it right here!


3. GC employee: I'm looking for an cardio headset mic for an aerobics instructor..

Me: Well zyx, and xyz are cardioid...

GC employee: No I need one that is CARDIO...ITS FOR AEROBICS!!!


4. GC employee: Do you guys make some sort of cable for your wireless mics?

Me: Like a cable to plug the receiver into your FOH board?

GC employee: No...so the singer can swing the mic around by the cable.

Me: Why not just get a wired mic?

GC employee: Why would he want that?"

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/112000-stupid-things- youve-been-told-guitar-center.html

GC employee: No I need one that is CARDIO...ITS FOR AEROBICS!!!

ROFLMAO! That's friggin' hilarious!

Edselehr
The answer to ur question re salestax is Oregonians are stupid. But then we've managed to find a way to get the same people to throw their money into the state treasury via spirit mt et al.

Been enjoying this thread. Don't want to take it off topic but this was brought up earlier.

I'd like to know if any poster is using credit cards exclusively. Not carrying a red cent on them. Also if this person is to the point where they don't have cash at home either.

Tom Leykis brought this up one afternoon. He now uses plastic exclusively and doesn't carry money. He also pays ALL is bills on-line and is thinking about doing away with his old mailbox.

Andrew, I hear you on the credit card vs debit card. Here's the deal though: My wife likes the idea of the money coming right out of the account, rather than accruing and paying it off in full each month. We don't carry credit card debt or car payments, our only debt is the mortgage. She thinks that if we start using the credit card for everyday purchases, that introduces a slippery slope. I know for myself it would not change my spending habits, or hers, but she just has an issue with it, so we use debit. This is what happens when you're married and combine finances! We don't keep all our cash in that account though, so in the event of a theft, it wouldn't cause us an issue, and I'm confident that US Bank would take care of me.

Craig, we don't keep any cash at home. I usually keep about $40 on in my wallet, as does my wife. But, I can go months without using actual cash sometimes. We pay all of our bills online through our bank, which is super easy.

We stopped at the McMinnville McDonalds on the way home from Lincoln City. We went to the counter to order, and the guy behind the counter says, "Sorry, we're about to close. But the drive-through is still open."

So I said, "Ok, just pretend we're in the drive-through right now and take our order. I promise I won't tell anyone." The guy behind the counter just looked at me. He was speechless. He didn't know how to respond. So I said, "Just use the drive-though cash register." He still didn't get it. Frozen in incomprehension.

As far as I can tell, he's probably still standing there, frozen in fast food stupidity time, forever.

To sidetrack this thread even further: I'm headed for Italy in a couple of days. I've been to Europe before, but you always have to consider your money situation. (Besides being careful of pick-pockets.) Most Visa/Mastercards charge you a 3% currency conversion fee just to use their cards! My Amex is only 2%. My credit union Visa is only 1%. Using ATMs is usually easy for me - my credit union charges no fee for their use but the Italian banks will, and I think it's another 1% conversion fee. Still cheaper than trying to change currency here or there on my own.

You are supposed to contact your credit card companies before you leave to let them know you are traveling, so they don't think it's fraud and block them. My Credit Union Visa, unlike my other cards, has no way for them to record ahead of time that I am traveling. To use that Visa card overseas, they say I must first use the card there, then CALL them from overseas and say, "It's me, not fraud" otherwise they may eventually disable the card.

So I'm planning to use my Amex wherever possible (not accepted everywhere). However, I'm staying in some apartment/B&B type places this trip, and a number of them accept cash only (Euros) paid in full when you arrive. These places seem to have good reputations fortunately so I'm not worried about getting ripped off, but it's kind of a pain having to hit an ATM every few days to get a lot of money out to pay for the hotels.

Anyway, I plan to use my Amex for as much as I can, pay cash for almost everything else. At least my Amex has 1% to 3% cash rebate for use so it's almost even.

Andrew

Mikekolb--

From the pages of "2600", Winter 2006-2007 (23/4)~

"Dear 2600:
It looks like Visa is taking the first steps to demonise the use of money in their current commercial. They apparently don't want us buying things that can't be traced back to who bought it and when. If this line of advertising expands, soon if you pay cash you will be looked at suspiciously. I know some work has been done on this, but someone has to get a form of anonymous card money out into the mainstream market....
Barada"

And here is the response (cut by me for brevity and relevance. The most important points are still here.)
"People who pay cash are already looked at suspiciously in many areas. Airports are only one example of this.
.........

What's most humourous about the whole thing is that the people runing this ad campaign probably never thought anyone could draw inspiration from the chaos they illustrated........

We encourage people to use cash whenever they can, even if it's only to make a point."



True story~
When I was waiting at the airport for my cousin to return from his vacation last month, I went upstairs to the Wendy's at the food court to buy a hamburger. I gave the cashier (younger dude, possibly aged 16 or 17; likely his first job) $5.00, cash.

He looked at me almost like I was a terrorist or a politician or some other similarly marginal human subspecies. It was like he had never seen cash or something.

I had to tell him "Look dude, it's cash. Money. The very stuff that, in some format or other, is the very underlying basis of credit cards you apparently accept without a hitch every day."

He said he'd ask his manager.

He then reluctantly accepted the money and gave me my hamburger.

I mean, cashiers in places like that have done some pretty F'ed-up stuff before (an excellent example can be found pretty much anywhere you go at Vancouver Mall around Christmastime!) but jeez.......

True story, incidentally!!

F.Y.I., I don't have a credit or debit card. As long as I have any say in the matter I never will. I insist on paying cash myself too!!

I do most purchases on cards to take advantage of my x% cash-back from various cards(and pay in full every month), but I do make a point to tip in cash.

Andrew, I realize it's too late for this trip, but Capital One charges no Foreign Transaction Fee. I applied for one expressly to use it when I'm out of the country.

Does anybody use travellers checks anymore?

"Does anybody use travellers checks anymore?"

My folks do. I mainly use cash.

(Although I really should start using traveller's cheques myself. I.M.H.O., a good habit to get into anyways.....)

Tadc writes:
Andrew, I realize it's too late for this trip, but Capital One charges no Foreign Transaction Fee. I applied for one expressly to use it when I'm out of the country.

I knew about this card, but I have had bad experiences with this company in the past, even though I have never been a customer of theirs. Long story, but I got a really nasty impression of them and don't want to do business with them.

Does anybody use travellers checks anymore?

Yes, but you generally get hammered on the exchange rate when you cash them. I used to take them to Europe with me for emergencies, since my credit union waives the fees for me, and I would just cash them back in when I got home. I didn't take them on my last trip to Europe. I used my ATM card instead all over the place and had no trouble, even in Eastern Europe.

Andrew

For those who have given up cash for the ease of credit cards, you need to read this from the FDIC during a storm emergency:

Cash

Power and communications failures prevented electronic forms of payment, such as debit and credit card use. Without electronic access to funds, credit cards, debit cards, and even checks became useless. Cash quickly became the only viable means of payment, but cash was often in short supply. Getting additional supplies of cash into storm-damaged areas where transportation was limited and security services stretched thin posed difficulties. Consumers and employees remaining in affected areas desperately needed additional cash to make critical purchases.

Meeting the challenge. The storms reveal the importance of proper planning for customer and employee cash needs, as well as consideration of distribution methods, storage locations, and security of the cash. Banks with comprehensive customer awareness programs to help prepare their customers for a disaster had a smoother transition to the recovery phase of their BCPs. Providing information on regulatory and other government resources and Web sites also helped customers identify other avenues for critical services.

Here's the website this came from:

http://www.fdic.gov/regulations/examinations/supervisory/insights/sisum06/articl e02_hurricanes.html

Sad story because it was one of my employees.

I walked back to my Schmizza at the airport to do a little surprise visit, see how things were going. My evening PIC had a hand-written sign taped to the front counter, saying "If you are on your cell phone, I will NOT wait on you!"

Needless to say, she wasn't my evening PIC anymore after that.

That's hilarious!

Sorry, I know it just had to chap your ass, but still...

Well .. it's funny in a way, yes. I still blew my stack ... guess what, it's an airport full of business travelers. They conduct business, ON THEIR CELL PHONES, while on the road. Bite the hand that feeds you, yeah that's smart.

That's why I like the Schmizza! Maybe they were a little misguided at the airport location, but I always get nice employees, and not robots, and way better pizza that that rip-off Pizzacato with snotty employees. Never go there.

And at least Brian's employee wasn't targeted by that idiotic moron Renee Mitchell in the "O" and fired from her job of 10 years by Starbucks Corp.

I wrote 2 "nice job" comments via email at Macy's the other day...one was for a male cashier in houswares who ignored the ringing phone (it was from another store) while ringing up my purchases. There's nothing I hate more than a person who stops helping me to help somebody on the phone while I took the trouble to go in, in person and BUY something. If I call a store to ask if they have a particular item, I always ask if they are busy right then, and have time to check. I am totally fine being asked to hold, or if the store can call me back, or asking if I can call back in a few minutes.

I think all sales people should be taught, or know, how to count back change properly too! It's not rocket science! D'oh!

"We stopped at the McMinnville McDonalds on the way home from Lincoln City. We went to the counter to order, and the guy behind the counter says, "Sorry, we're about to close. But the drive-through is still open." "

ARGH a pet peeve. If the sign still says open and the door is still unlocked, you're open. Plain and simple. If you're not open except for the drive-thru, lock the damned doors!

Went to the now-long-gone Boring Burger in Boring, OR during their opening week, just to see how the food was. Up on the menu board was the following:

Hamburger - 69 cents
Two Hamburgers - $1.39

I ordered one burger. Then ordered one more.

A few years back, I went to the cashier to pay my breakfast bill, which for two of us came out to about $22.

The young girl rang up $2,200.

I said, "That seems a bit high."

She looked confused and said, "But you had the special."

Not missing a beat, I quipped, "Well it wasn't THAT good."

Still not realizing what she had done, she said, "You have to pay for it anyway."

Then I pointed out the error and it still took her some time to figure it out.

I guess she is now a budget expert in Salem.

@brianl I would have totally blown it too! Good grief, it's the AIRPORT, not the freeway.

Edselher, if you go to the McDonalds at the downtown shopping center, the breakfast deals are more than if you order the individual components, by about 15 cents, it drives then bannanas, when you order sausage biscuit, hashbrowns and coffee, they will say you mean number whatever, it takes a while to get them to take the order individually.

Nwokie, have consumers gotten so lazy that they don't even recognize those things anymore? If McD's can pull that kind of garbage and get away with it, more power to them - the customer deserves to be screwed.

Or, is 15 cents not even worth the trouble anymore? One time I bought the wrong kind of salt and my wife had me take it back. The cashier gave me the weirdist look when I did a 38 cent return.

It isn't cost related, but KFC used to list their 3 piece meal as "Thighs and Wings".

I would ask them how you could have plural of both and only have 3 pieces.

It used to confuse the heck out of them. I'd get really weird looks like I was the one with an issue! (Which I probably was!)

"I'd get really weird looks like I was the one with an issue! (Which I probably was!)"

We know.

Sunday at around 4:15pm I was headed for "Olive Garden" for an early dinner before work but the parking lot was full and I didn't want to wait. Drove across the lot to "Honey Baked Ham". I ordered soup but they had just dumped it. They were closing in about a half hour (5pm). Then I ordered a ham pocket sandwich and coffee. "Sorry sir but the coffee has been dumped for the day". That's when I walked and here's the worriest part, the entire staff seemed relieved I was leaving! They could now continue cleaning up. Why didn't they close at 4:30pm?

My evening PIC had a hand-written sign taped to the front counter, saying "If you are on your cell phone, I will NOT wait on you!"

Anyone else ever been to Fireside Coffee at SE Powell Blvd. and SE 16th Ave.? They have a big sign as you walk in that says in part (don't remember exact wording) 'even if you disrespect us by talking on your cell phone, we will respect you by letting you finish your conversation before ordering.'

The absolute WORST... working in a call center, having to take calls from people who is also conducting their "important" business on their cell phone. So you ask if you're talking to them and they reply something along the line of, 'um, EXCUSE me, I'm getting my work done. I should be able to call in, tell you what I want, and you do it without asking all this other crap...'

At that point, they'd usually find themselves no doubt being greeted by "if you wish to make a call, please hang up and dial again..."

I'm outta call centers for good. Nobody in that industry is paid to put up with caller abuse (heck, most call center reps. work crummy hours; barely make enough to pay rent, utilities, and eat; have no control over the policy of the company they work for; yet get all the gripes and complaints from 'cuss-tomers' and have no way to "pass it up the chain" like the cuss-tomer is oh-so-sure the rep. should be able to do; have I mentioned the manner-less idiots that think because the rep. works for the company that the cuss-tomer somehow has a right to be as abusive as they wish, full and well knowing that if the rep. as much as raises their voice at said 'cuss-tomer' that the rep. risks commendation; all the while being fed this "teamwork company attitude" by the managers and supervisors that have seemed to never worked anything other than 8-5 M-F their entire life, routinely deny requests for personal days off and even some medical appointments citing "staffing;" those said supervisors and managers routinely, openly, and make a point of talking about how great their vacation was since they were able to spend time with their family and the rep. is at work sick with cold-like symptoms and forced to work during their kid's high school graduation ceremony; and those previously-mentioned supervisors and managers are sitting in the cubicle next to the rep., while the rep. is forced to read from a card "there is no supervisor I can transfer you to, there is a two business day timeframe in which a supervisor may call back from 8 AM to 5 PM if time permits" - whew, I think I covered all of it), and shouldn't have to.

@Craig

I've seen this in action. Once in a while, some bank will take their payment systems offline. Credit systems continue to function, mostly, but debit ones are just not there.

Watched some guy load up a ton of food, then have to walk off as the ATM and register would not recognize his transaction.

Of course, I pulled out my cash, explained it's value to this guy, and left with my food.

In a serious emergency, those with cash are going to get stuff. Those on plastic might get stuff.

Ok....that's to far. I was channel surfing this morning and witnessed why our youth cannot count money. What was you first experience with money? A board game of some sort probably. They now have a Monopoly without cash. Each player just gets a money card and there is a little machine for deposits and withdrawls. Damn, i'll bet Visa heavily subsidized that one for Parker Bros.

Thought?
Comments?

The beginnings of a currency free society! No more paper of coins!

Train them young!

http://www.hasbro.com/default.cfm?page=ps_results&product_id=19783

Monopoly without cash?!?! BOOOOO! I always loved to wave that giant wad of phoney cash in my woe-be-gone opponents face when I had thouroughly beat him/her into the ground at Monopoly!

What are we supposed to do now when all of us Monopoly winners want to gloat? Dance for joy? Throw all of those green houses and red hotels into the air like confetti? I can't dance, I have no rhythm and if you lose one of those little house or hotel buggers in the carpet and step on it...oooh the pain....

When my oldest daughter was about 5, shes 28 now, I was laying in the bedroom, and she came in, and went up to the dresser, and picked up my wallet, looked at the coins laying on the desk, opened up my wallet, ignored the cash, took out a credit card, and said, "Mommy, lets go to the store".

The ol' cannon hurts the most with bare feet!

When I stopped in at Pro-Calibre on 4th Plain to get new MX gear last Friday after cashing my paycheck (in cash, incidentally. I will never walk out of the credit union on payday with out the green stuff in my wallet ;o) the guy in front of me in the checkout line was trying to pay with his credit card. It appeared that their credit card system was not working that day.

Her supervisor had to teach her how to write up a credit order on paper and to use a credit card imprinter because she apparently had never used one before. She did seem very surprised.

Meanwhile, after that was all said and done (some 20 minutes later) I paid for my new jersey and gloves, $44 in two green 20's and four green 1's and was out of there in about five minutes.

I mentioned to her that this is how people used to use credit cards in my era before electronic processing really caught on. (She looked to be probably no more than 17 or 18. Probably even still in school...)

Heres another angle on store clerks.....

Say the deli section says it closes at 9pm - just try to buy anything after 8:15pm....Actually had a clerk look at me at say "well then if I get THAT turkey out, I'd have to clean the machine again".

I am noticing more and more stores that think "closing time" means a turnkey moment when the staff all walks out the door, and that customers are long since gone. Good grief.

All this could be happening because the clerks are paid by the hour and the stores may want to only pay them for the hours the stories are open to save money. Those hours after closing are a loss if they're not making lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!

This thread is still a goldmine for the baffling and funny. Thanks everyone!

I think Craig is absolutely right. Most employees would rather close early than be chewed for milking the clock in order to actually get the place cleaned up. I know because I have asked this question point blank at a Safeway. This is one field where smaller places excel. I have almost always been served at the last minute in a little food joint, or independent grocer like New Seasons.

Craig also pointed out the very best tact before closing time in his earlier post. I am sure that Brianl would agree that part of the secret is ordering something really simple to prepare with no fuss. Craig empathized enough to do his part. If a simple microwaved pastry pocket and hot soup or coffee is too much for a place to handle, they really do not understand the value of return customers. They also do not understand how to earn a nice tip.

Another story ... with, ironically, the same ex-employee that I fired over the cell phone sign.

I am leaving work, right before closing (like 5-10 minutes prior) ... walking away slowly and observing. She had just been promoted and I wanted to see how she was doing, etc. A Southwest Airlines ramp guy walks up .. I see them converse for a bit, and then I see him walk away. I go back and ask her what had happened, and she said that he wanted three large pizzas and she told him that she couldn't do it. (Honest mistake, it was literally closing time.) I told her to hold on, ran downstairs into the SWA ops office to find him sitting there with a phone book laid out, him looking in the yellow pages to find someone who can deliver to the airport. I told him to put his phone book down, whatever he wanted I would make myself and apologized.

$75 later, he's walking downstairs with four pizzas. He also tipped a ten spot, which I told my employee to keep. She thought I was showing her up, I told her that this was a lesson of my expectations of my store and how we did business ... she got that message loud and clear.

I know that a lot of places are excessively anal about "clean-up" time, and a lot of employees want to just get out of there. If they can't comprehend the simple idea that the CUSTOMER IS WHY WE ARE IN BUSINESS and we do whatever it takes to serve them (if the open light is on, you're open dummy!), then maybe they should find employment in another field. I don't fault the hourly employees at all in this case - they either work for someone who doesn't care about that customer enough to ensure that their ENTIRE inventory of items is available until the closing bell, or their employer hasn't made it well enough known of their expectations. Sure there is the notable exception knucklehead kid, but there's an awful lot of knucklehead managers out there too that are just in it for the paycheck.

It's the difference between focusing on making money, versus making customers. If you can make customers you'll never have to worry about making money. Plus, you feel better at the end of the work day.

Briani, I am just curious what you would have said to that employee the next day when you saw her time card had 30 minutes extra after "closing" if she had made those pizzas.

BrianL, great stories and it's obvious you know how to run a business. Sending the customer away fully satisfied is the only way to go. I love the SW Airlines story. So unusual in this day and age.

My wife owns the largest window covering company in the state and she will do most anything to have the customer happy, even lose money on the sale. Her repeat and referral business is gigantic.

One of her customers worked for a major local hospital complex which included retirement villas. When it came time for them to do some work with window coverings, the employee told the management people to call her, to not even bother getting bids. They did and she does work for them every month now, no bid, just bill them upon completion. The interesting thing is that the customer wasn't a very big one at the time, just a couple of small shades. The fact that she was treated extremely well with just a small order turned into a large client with ongoing business.

I am amazed at how many people don't understand these basics anymore.

The problem is, that the person that actually deals with the customer, doesnt understand the overall intent. What in the military we used to call the commanders intention. You have to know the overall mission intent, so you can properly follow out orders for a mission.

A fast food co, is in buainess to make money, it does that by providing food to customers, and a level of service to get them to come back, and get their friends to come.

brianl,

here's a solution to your customers-on-cellphones problem.

http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm

ps: don't try to smuggle this on a plane.

"Briani, I am just curious what you would have said to that employee the next day when you saw her time card had 30 minutes extra after "closing" if she had made those pizzas."

Well, the $75 extra in revenue more than covers the $4.50 extra it would have taken for an extra half hour in labor to clean up. Seems worth it to me ... maybe I am in the wrong here. Besides, all she had to clean up was a couple of utensils and the makeline where the pizzas were made. Ten minutes, tops.

I don't put much credence into clean-up time, etc ... as long as the customer is being served. That takes precedence over all. If I see good reason why it took an extra half hour to get out of there, well that's fine, I have no problem with that!

Whether it's pizza, or fast food, or radio sales ... whatever it is, we're in the PEOPLE business. It isn't about making a buck nearly as much as it is about establishing relationships. In my situation, behind security and with a very captive audience of passengers and some 13,000 PDX employees, that is CRITICAL. If you establish that relationship, you get paid on the back end. That $75 "nuisance" has made us literally thousands of dollars in large orders alone from the Southwest guys, along with their increased business throughout the day during their lunches, etc. There's lots of choices for that customer, no matter where they go. It's my job to make sure that not only do I grab that customer, but I get them to come back.

I know a Subway that seems to "GROK" that. During the lunch rush, say from 11:00 to 1:00, their make line as you call it is usually staffed with five people. The line can be out the door but only takes about six minutes max to get your food. If they get a rep for slow service they stand to lose tons of business to the three other food places right next to them.