The Customer is (Apparently) Not Always Right
Do you ever find that little things just rile you up? I went to JCPenney yesterday to exchange a set of curtains I had bought for my grandmother's birthday. The set I was returning and the one I was purchasing were both marked $15. When the cashier rang up the exchange, however, she announced that I owed $3.55.
"Why is that?" I asked. "Shouldn't it be an even exchange?"
"I don't know," she said. "That doesn't make sense, but that's how it rung up."
Upon further investigation, she determined that a new sale had begun, so the curtains were not the same price as when I had purchased them a week earlier. I told her that didn't seem right. If the new sale price had been less than what I'd originally paid, I'm sure the store would not have refunded me any money; then it definitely would have been an even exchange.
The poor woman looked like she was afraid I was going to yell at her. She apologized profusely and said there was nothing she could do. I reluctantly paid her the additional $3.55 since I had promised my grandmother I'd get the curtains for her. I politely thanked the employee, wished her a good day, and left the store, fuming to myself about how technology runs everything these days and people know longer know how to do simple monetary transactions (or in this case, retail price corrections) without the aid of cash registers.
I've worked retail before. I know how the system works. But I also know that from a customer service standpoint, when an item rings up improperly, there are either functions on the register to amend the price, or there are managers to call with the authority to make decisions.
Yes, I know that $3.55 is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, especially when discussing the value of gifts to grandmothers. But still, sometimes you just have days where the little things in life get you all riled up. Plus, I'm a penny pincher anyway, and that $3.55 was going to be my lunch money.
"Why is that?" I asked. "Shouldn't it be an even exchange?"
"I don't know," she said. "That doesn't make sense, but that's how it rung up."
Upon further investigation, she determined that a new sale had begun, so the curtains were not the same price as when I had purchased them a week earlier. I told her that didn't seem right. If the new sale price had been less than what I'd originally paid, I'm sure the store would not have refunded me any money; then it definitely would have been an even exchange.
The poor woman looked like she was afraid I was going to yell at her. She apologized profusely and said there was nothing she could do. I reluctantly paid her the additional $3.55 since I had promised my grandmother I'd get the curtains for her. I politely thanked the employee, wished her a good day, and left the store, fuming to myself about how technology runs everything these days and people know longer know how to do simple monetary transactions (or in this case, retail price corrections) without the aid of cash registers.
I've worked retail before. I know how the system works. But I also know that from a customer service standpoint, when an item rings up improperly, there are either functions on the register to amend the price, or there are managers to call with the authority to make decisions.
Yes, I know that $3.55 is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, especially when discussing the value of gifts to grandmothers. But still, sometimes you just have days where the little things in life get you all riled up. Plus, I'm a penny pincher anyway, and that $3.55 was going to be my lunch money.
posted by The Trojan Woman | 8:17 AM
1 Comments:
I agree with you... I worked in retail for over ten years and know that there are functions on the register that let you override and change prices. Sometimes it takes a manager's touch, though! By the way...you should have asked for a manager because it seems like this cashier was new..
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