Return Hell: Custys Demand Cash For Bloody Mattress

From Pennyslut:

Hey ya’ll, half of this story is from a coworker, but I’ll be posting in the first person as if it all happened to me.  I don’t want to post anything on her behalf without a disclaimer in case management stumbles on this page, because it is a pretty identifiable story.

Anyway, we work in a well-known retail store going through a MAJOR change, so far, I’m loving the change. It has been REALLY difficult at times, with most of us almost quitting, but I’m glad I stayed on board.  Anyway, the return policy is the only thing I cannot stand…we don’t have one at all.  We’ll return any item at any point in time without a receipt, even if it is worn, stolen, 9 years old, etc... 

My managers have told me even if the items say “OLD NAVY” (not us) on the tag, we are to take it back if they’re insistent that they purchased it from us, because we don’t want to upset anyone.  Corporate says they expect 1% of people to abuse the system.  I’d peg it at about 10 or 15%, but really, it is more about the number in dollar amounts rather than the number of fraudulent people.  The ones that do it KEEP doing it, driving MY numbers down so that almost every single day I am in the negatives :|

Enter TC– trashy couple.  I’m alone at the register when TC comes in the door;  I can hear them yelling from outside of the mall doors.  The man walks in with tubes and bandages all in and over his face, and the woman is holding an unpackaged air mattress that is halfway in its box.  

“I want to return this.  It has blood on it from my boyfriend getting stabbed on it.”

My jaw hits the floor…I’ve returned some questionable stuff before: bathing suits without hygienic liners, underwear that ‘doesn’t fit’, shoes that have clearly been worn for years.  But I can’t even fathom what possessed this woman to think it was socially acceptable to return a biohazard-laden mattress involved in an attempted homicide.

The man/would-be-homicide victim interjects: “AND I need cash back.  We can’t get the receipt because our house is on lockdown because it’s a crime scene.”

I recover as best I can, and explain that without a receipt I can still do the return, but it would be given on a store credit only.  If they wanted, they could wait until they could retrieve the receipt, as it doesn’t matter how long ago the purchase was.

TC man starts FREAKING OUT.

Leans over the counter, points at the stiches going up his neck and yells “I JUST GOT STABBED! AND YOU’RE GOING TO DO THIS TO ME!?!?”, and starts yelling the same mantra to all the customers in the vicinity.  TC woman starts throwing police reports and hospital records all over the counter to prove that the event happened. (lady… your boyfriend has gruesome stiches and tubes coming out of his face.  I believe you. That isn’t the issue here.)

(It’s hard to imagine that such classy couple with such a positive demeanor and such a well-developed sense of social expectation would ever be the victims of a violent crime. . .)

Seeing this is going nowhere, I call over a manager.  She is also shocked, but due to our return policy, her hands are tied.   I get it, not her fault.  She could lose her job if she refuses.  She somehow talked them into taking the store credit, and processes the return.  She puts on gloves and takes care of the item according to corporate standards.

But I am left with so many lingering questions….. How did they get the mattress out of the house but not the receipt?? Did they bring it to the ER with them?  Did I just become an accomplice in the disposal of homicide evidence?  And why does corporate train managers to dispose of biohazards??!?

The next day, the same manager tells me “Don’t worry, if you want, you can request an HIV test, and the company will pay for it.”

Reassuring.

--<33 pennyslut

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Kiddo]

I really hope this was reported to the police at some point, even if it was just to give them a heads up. May your coworker never have to deal with shit like that again and that couple never return to the store.

[The Last Archimedean]

Two words...

HELL.

NO.

[derrr]

Good idea to report it to the police, because it is part of a crime scene.

Also, disturbing. If you have the ability to complain to corporate, do it. Their stupid policy put you in danger and make sure you get a test done.

[Hellraiser]

Her husband just got stabbed and somehow returning an air mattress is a priority at this point? WTF people?

[Jami]

I got sick to my stomach just reading this. I can't imagine how awful it was for you to experience it. Frankly, if I were you not only would I have reported it to the police, but threatened coroprate with a lawsuit for emotional/mental distress due to having to handle a bloody mattress due to poor return policies.

[cashykat]

Omg, why didn't someone call the police at the store?!? That was probably evidence from their house, gah.

[CashierBtch]

I'd take the manager up on that offer for the test. Just in case :\

[Karebear]

It does seem highly fishy that they got the air bed out, but their house is on lockdown...Could be just an excuse as to why they don't have have a receipt though. People do tend to come up with some weird excuses I have noticed.

Perhaps if you took the test the big heads would realize that they should put some sort of policy in. Course, they don't have to handle it, just the nobodies on the registers. Ugh.

*huga*

[photoslave]

wow. just... wow. i'm surprised they allow biohazards to be handled by employees. everywhere i've worked, blood had to be dealt with by a company that specialized in cleaning up biohazardous material.

[LadyLatte]

This sounds like hell. I SO would have called the cops from the store to make sure it wasn't evidence! Of course it's easy to say that just reading this I cannot imagine the craziness of having to deal with it right then. Ugh, WHY was returning the mattress the priority if he got STABBED?? May you never have to deal with anything that bad again!

[NC Tony]

I've said before the assholes in corporate should be forced to work in the store on Black Friday. I think the assholes in corporate should also be forced to work returns for a month, just to see how many people are ripping off the system. Then, of course, if you really wanted to be an asshole, get your friends to come in and return random crap. Especially if they have the "We'll do returns on anything, even if you don't have your receipt, didn't buy it here, bought it back when Richard Nixon was president."

[L]

I don't think that's right at all. Besides, what the was the reason behind the return; I caused this thing to be damaged so you should give me my money back and eat the cost? I think not! And I agree, how'd they get the mattress out? Sounds fishy and I think a call to the police is in order, as long as that won't get you in trouble!

[simar]

I don't understand how corporate can allow a return for something that was not bought from your store, without a receipt or is many years old. How can you put a proper price value on it? Are you supposed to guess a price? Or if you do know the price of it, is that still valid for something that is obviously warn?

And corporates expected 1% of misuse, will that be coming out of their pocket or yours?

[pennyslut<33]

simar, good point. i'd like to say their pockets...but my lastest round of hour cuts say differently!

[Queer Geek]

I would have taken down as much info about this couple, return the mattress (corporate says it okay) and report this to the police. Something is off here.

[angie]

I also worked for a retail store (when I lived in New England) that had no return policy. I had one guy take the shoes off his feet and hand them across the counter for me to return and then walked out in bare feet with his $80 for the shoes..crazy..

[Mattresses India]

Return policy is quite dangerous in some cases. To avoid this problem, most of the shop keepers fix the board in front of the shop which states that "No bargain and goods once sold cannot be taken back". This is actually safe and good.

[Humor_Me]

That is fucking unreal. I agree with everyone that the mattress should never have been returned and that the police should have been called. Also, with that return policy, I could start making a fortune. All I would have to do is go to thrift stores, buy some clothes, and get money back. I could afford air conditioning next summer, my own internet, high quality dog food, A CAR! Just think of the possibilities!

[Amerisleep]

Going to a king tempurpedic mattress to the floor has done some damage. ;) My flight leaves back to LA tomorrow. A beautiful long vacation almost