For those of you who've noticed a large absence of updates, I guarantee it is not from a lack of effort on my part. I just haven't gotten any new crazies at my counter lately. However, I did have one thing happen recently that really rubbed me the wrong way.
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~As you may already know, for any transaction where a customer wishes to return or exchange an item without a receipt, an ID is required. For the ID, it has to be current and state-issued. If it is expired, the identification is not considered valid, and cannot be accepted.
An older woman had a dog collar with her that she wanted to exchange. The one she had picked up was too large and had since lost the receipt. In situations like these, I give the customer two options:
1. Either I can put the amount for the item on a gift card so that they can purchase whatever they need without returning specifically to the service desk.
2. Or they can go grab the item they wish to exchange for so that it can be traded out in one transaction.
This woman opted for Option #1. When I got to the end of the transaction where it asked for her ID though, I noticed that it was well passed it's expiration date. Due to that fact, I was not able to either return or exchange the collar because both transactions require the same information. The woman became agitated by my response and quickly asked for a second opinion.
It was early, so I went and found the only front-end supervisor on duty. This particular one is relatively new to her position and occasionally asks for confirmation on return policies before approaching the customer. After I explained the current situation at my counter, I immediately protested her decision to accept the expired ID. I was well aware that the problem was over a small, $8 item, but allowing an invalid ID for it is something I just do not like. The customer may as well have not even brought that stupid piece of plastic with her and asked for the same service. My super would not relent, though, and was adamant that I "take care of the customer" over such a small dollar amount. Instead of giving her a gift card, with the state that the identification was in, my super requested that the customer go and get the smaller collar that she needed. The woman grew more aggravated over the fuss, but still headed off into the store to fetch the desired collar.
Upon her return, I was overwhelmed with relief. She had brought back the new collar she wanted, but the walk must have changed her mind. The customer just 'didn't want to deal with all the trouble,' accepted the larger collar back, set the smaller one on the counter, and walked off. I was kind of proud of me for having made just enough of a fuss with my super to dissuade her from making me accept the expired license.
Out of all the things in the store that my higher-ups stress, having a current, valid, state-issued form of identification is up there at the top of the list. Things like spray paint, cigarettes, no-receipt returns, Sharpie markers, some over-the-counter medicines, alcohol, and high-dollar credit card transactions all require one of these accepted forms of ID. I may not have listed all the situations where an ID is required, but whatever the case, our store can get in crazy amounts of trouble if we don't follow procedure with them. So I really don't care that it would be my super who may or may not have gotten in trouble over the collar. I don't care that it was only $8. What I do care is that I saw a useless piece of plastic in place of the valid identification that she needed to have. I also hope deep down that that customer gets pulled over before she can renew her license. My super may be lenient, but cops aren't.
An older woman had a dog collar with her that she wanted to exchange. The one she had picked up was too large and had since lost the receipt. In situations like these, I give the customer two options:
1. Either I can put the amount for the item on a gift card so that they can purchase whatever they need without returning specifically to the service desk.
2. Or they can go grab the item they wish to exchange for so that it can be traded out in one transaction.
This woman opted for Option #1. When I got to the end of the transaction where it asked for her ID though, I noticed that it was well passed it's expiration date. Due to that fact, I was not able to either return or exchange the collar because both transactions require the same information. The woman became agitated by my response and quickly asked for a second opinion.
It was early, so I went and found the only front-end supervisor on duty. This particular one is relatively new to her position and occasionally asks for confirmation on return policies before approaching the customer. After I explained the current situation at my counter, I immediately protested her decision to accept the expired ID. I was well aware that the problem was over a small, $8 item, but allowing an invalid ID for it is something I just do not like. The customer may as well have not even brought that stupid piece of plastic with her and asked for the same service. My super would not relent, though, and was adamant that I "take care of the customer" over such a small dollar amount. Instead of giving her a gift card, with the state that the identification was in, my super requested that the customer go and get the smaller collar that she needed. The woman grew more aggravated over the fuss, but still headed off into the store to fetch the desired collar.
Upon her return, I was overwhelmed with relief. She had brought back the new collar she wanted, but the walk must have changed her mind. The customer just 'didn't want to deal with all the trouble,' accepted the larger collar back, set the smaller one on the counter, and walked off. I was kind of proud of me for having made just enough of a fuss with my super to dissuade her from making me accept the expired license.
Out of all the things in the store that my higher-ups stress, having a current, valid, state-issued form of identification is up there at the top of the list. Things like spray paint, cigarettes, no-receipt returns, Sharpie markers, some over-the-counter medicines, alcohol, and high-dollar credit card transactions all require one of these accepted forms of ID. I may not have listed all the situations where an ID is required, but whatever the case, our store can get in crazy amounts of trouble if we don't follow procedure with them. So I really don't care that it would be my super who may or may not have gotten in trouble over the collar. I don't care that it was only $8. What I do care is that I saw a useless piece of plastic in place of the valid identification that she needed to have. I also hope deep down that that customer gets pulled over before she can renew her license. My super may be lenient, but cops aren't.
2 comments:
i hate hate hattee when i make a decision and my boss overrides it. especially when the customer gets that stupid little satisfied smirk on their face like they win. grrr. glad you won that one :P
I am also glad you won. What is that at your work, that the supervisors do not stick to the rules, made buy your store itself. This is so frustrating. Good luck with dealing with this. I love your stories!
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