Old People Hell: Early Morning Math Lesson
From TLOKorra, TalesFromRetail
This just happened yesterday and it's one of the joys of customer service. I'm a cashier at a grocery store and have been here for about three years. The pay is decent, and I'm a few more weeks from getting my associates. Then on to hopefully bigger things.
It was a normal day I had just signed in, grabbed my drawer from the Teller, opened all my change rolls, then flipped the light on. I was bright-eyed, bushy tailed and ready to start the day.
I'm in the 15 items or less line and my first customer has exactly 15 items. She is up there in years. We'll just call here senior citizen or SC for short. I ring her up, she hands me a wrinkly ball of a coupon. It's expired by a year, I inform her. She takes it from me and checks herself, since I'm obviously mistaken. Then shoves it's back in her purse.
Me: That'll be 41.59, Ma'am.
SC: Pulls out a hundred.
Me: Deep mental sigh.
As you all know I just opened, my entire drawer is 1's, 5's, and change. So I ask SC to hold on for one second while I run to the teller. Have them break it down into 20's, I come back hand her $40 and keep $60 for the transaction. Her change is $18.41, I hand her the change and count it out for her. Give her the receipt, and wish her a nice day. Then turn to greet the next customer.
This is where the fun starts:
SC: I gave you a $100.
Me: Yes, Ma'am you did. I gave you $40 back earlier and then your change.
SC: But I gave you a $100 dollar bill.
Me: You did, but instead of using the whole $100, I kept $60 and gave you back $40.
SC: You gave me the wrong change. I gave you $100.
I explained it to her one more time, asked her if she would like me to call my supervisor, so she can verify that my drawer wasn't over. An she just looked at me, we had a bit of a stand-off, then grabbed her things and left.
On to the next customer, his item wouldn't scan. "That means it's free!"
Ughhhhhh!!!
--TLOKorra
Posted by Ilia on Tuesday, April 18, 2017 | Permalink
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Comments (4)
This is mental impairment as you age. Never give someone part back and then use the rest for a transaction, It's beyond them. The best way is to say the service desk broke the $100 for her, here are 5 twenties for the $100 bill 20 40 60 80 100. Tell them now we can do the transaction. Tell them the total and ask for payment from their hand. This will save problems in the long run. Notice the till was never opened until you could do the transaction. At the point of giving them 5 twenties they say there is a problem get someone else to witness the whole thing.
Posted by: Jofur | Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 10:48 AM
I absolutely HATE people who make small purchases to break $100 bills!
And to those who say, "It must be free!" when it doesn't scan....
Every time you say that to me, my will to live goes down more and more.
Posted by: Misty Meanor | Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 07:57 PM
It must be free. My reply was: Unmarked merchandise is $1,000. It always shocked their brain, and they had to think of a reply. Meanwhile I said I'll find out the price it really is.
Posted by: Jofur | Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 09:32 AM
I'm in favor of electro shock aversion therapy for those people, Misty. Every time the "joke" is said, the cashier delivers a mild electric shock, thus teaching them not to tell their "Oh so original joke"
Also, yes, Jofur is correct. Anytime you have to do that, either give them the 20's and then ask for payment, or ring in the 100 dollars that they gave you and give them the change all at once. As in, "Let me go break that for you. OK, so 20, 40, 60 80, 100. Now that'll be 41.69"
Posted by: TenebrisVenator | Thursday, April 20, 2017 at 12:13 PM