09:27 – We did a Costco run and dinner with Mary and Paul yesterday. As we arrived at the restaurant, we were talking about how much we’d paid. Paul and Mary’s receipt had been for about their usual amount. Our usual amount is $250 to $350, but this time it was over $500. When I looked at the register tape, the reason jumped out at me. We’d actually bought four 2-liter 4-packs of Coke Classic at $4.99 each. The cashier had rung it up as 45 4-packs at $4.99. That’s 180 bottles of Coke, 360 liters, 360+ kilos, or about 800 pounds worth. Even if we could have fit that much into the Trooper, with the four of us and the rest of the stuff we bought, we’d have been so far over the Trooper’s rated payload capacity that the poor thing would probably have collapsed on its axles.
So I called Costco’s customer service number when they opened at 09:00 our time. The lady I spoke with said she couldn’t fix the problem on the phone, but if we took the register tape in the next time we went to Costco they could fix it there. She apologized for the error, but said they’d fix it no questions asked. I told her this was definitely a case where they’d have no doubt we were telling the truth, because we’d actually bought four 4-packs of Coke and been charged for 45 instead of four. She just started to laugh and said that was the most obvious cashier error she’d ever heard about.
She just started to laugh and said that was the most obvious cashier error she’d ever heard about.
And the door checker did not catch the error? So much for Costco’s intended purpose of the door checkers. One of the stated reasons is to make certain you got what you had paid for. The receipt shows a count of the number of items. Surely any idiot could tell the difference that 41 items would have made in the count.
You need to have a serious talk with the manager that the door checker in this case was really asleep on the job. Any bets that you had 4 listed on the receipt but actually had 5 in the court it would have been caught?
IMO, the door checker is some lame attempt at security. Since the checkout area is usually pure chaos (especially on weekends) and nothing is really bagged. It would be relatively easy for someone to load a flat-screen TV on a flatbed and, skipping the checkout, head for the door with it. Either that, or a customer is working in collusion with a Costco employee and they only ring up some of your merchandise at checkout (I believe it is called “under-ringing” and it’s a rampant problem at Big Box stores like Walmart and Super Target). So, they put someone there looking at receipts as you exit the store to intimidate and deter would-be thieves. They’re not particularly vigilant and I always chuckle to myself when they stop me and check my cart and receipt.
I just came back from the supermarket and had a very minor quibble. They charged the mushrooms I bought at $10.99 a kilo rather than the listed price of $8.99. They fixed the problem – said the cashier had selected the wrong type of mushrooms. No apology. I got a refund of the difference. Not so long ago if they overcharged you that item was free. Not any more, it seems.
“They’re not particularly vigilant and I always chuckle to myself when they stop me and check my cart and receipt.”
In the Seventies they could be very vigilant. I dunno if I looked like a crim back then but I was stopped on the way out of K-Mart by a security man – I was carrying a pair of my father’s old beat up shoes to take to the bootmaker. The door checker said “That’s okay Bill” to the security guy, but he still followed me in to the car park and asked again about these crappy old shoes. I explained and he seemed satisfied. But still, they were obviously years old so why did he think I’d lifted them?
When I worked fast food in the early 1990s we gave any customer that complained free food. We were a corporate owned store and not a franchise. A customer would call to complain (we forgot something, made something wrong, something tasted off, etc), we’d apologize, then write their name down in this book along with what free replacement items they were owed. Customers just had to come in, reference the book, give us their name, and we’d give them their replacement items plus throw in a few extras on the house.
Unfortunately, we ran into two problems. First, none of our competitors would do it. If you called them to complain they’d simply apologize, promise to speak to the employees that were working at the time of the incident to help ensure it didn’t happen again, and then that was it. No free food. Second, some of our less than honest customers began to realize they could just call and file a fake complaint anytime they wanted something free to eat. So, they started abusing the hell out of it. We tried insisting on a receipt, but then they’d just say we failed to give them a copy. So, we stopped giving out free food. If there was something wrong with your order then you had better notice it in the dining room or at the drive thru window or you were out of luck.
What was really sad (and funny) was the number of people that would come in and reference the book several months after we stopped doing that. I got such a kick out of looking them in the eye and saying, “No, you didn’t call last night and get your name in the book. There is no book. There hasn’t been for months.” People like that have no shame. They just shrug it off and head to the restaurant next door and try and scam them.
A few months ago I had one of my favorite restaurants over charge me $600. I was really lucky I caught at checkout. The bill was $64.xx and I had left a cash tip on the table so all I was going to do was x-out the tip/total on the receipt and sign it. Lots of places now use credit card machines with tiny paper tapes that are almost impossible to read (especially for me without cheaters on). Obviously she bounced the hit on the six key. It was my debit card too.
I echo the couple of comments above that point out the “lame” door checker.
Generally Costco hires very competent people, at least they do at my local Costco. The only fault I have found is that there is a great amount of nepotism in their hiring practices so it is hard for a new person to break in. Normally businesses do not allow the hiring of family members, but Costco does, they just ensure that they are not in the same “management” line.
On the weekends the vast majority of door checkers are retired police officers (they have trained all the others in “loss prevention”). They are very courteous, but very thorough. You would think the skels would have figured that out by now (our Costco is over 30 years old), but there is hardly a weekend goes by that some skel is caught with something hidden under/in the toilet paper.
I think Indiana law interferes with that checking of the receipt on the way out. In any event, I have been told that no store can enforce it, and one can refuse to have things checked. That is definitely the case at Fry’s, because I was with a friend who is very big on privacy issues, and when they asked to see his receipt and look inside the bag, he just flat out said, “I understand that is not mandatory.” They confirmed it was optional, and he responded that he was not going to open his bag or show the receipt, and walked out.
I do believe exit checks are an unnecessary intrusion, but to me, so is music in any store or restaurant. I want to see how many thefts are caught by the exit inspection, and I want to see the statistics that show playing music in businesses, drugs people into buying more stuff.
On the cash register mistakes, my cousin runs one of the local banks. He told me years ago, not to use a debit card for purchases, except in places like Aldi, that take only debit cards. He said the process of getting a refund is the same as if you wrote somebody a check for too much money, and wanted it back — the solution is entirely up to the person who got the money, returning it to you. The bank cannot get your money back for you, like a credit card company can. Banks also do not want to function as intermediaries in the debit card process, so I suspect that means they work less rigorously on your behalf, than do the credit card people.
Credit cards, on the other hand, have a good record of resolving disputes — often before your card is ever debited. Aldi does have protection against an erroneous charge, as they display the amount to be debited, and you must confirm you accept that amount.
In the US, with credit cards, tips allow a restaurant to revisit the total you will be charged. I am not at all crazy about that. In Europe, the tip must be punched in at the time the card is swiped, so the total charge can never be changed after the swipe and initial entry. I like that. You have to declare how much for the tip when they bring the bill. In Germany, at least, tipping is only a recent thing, so not leaving one does not make you a hated customer, like it does in the US.
In Europe, the tip must be punched in at the time the card is swiped, so the total charge can never be changed after the swipe and initial entry.
A great idea. I wish that was done here.
Here’s the Obummer administration going all in on the race card. Can’t even spare a minion to attend a Two-Star General’s funeral.
Multiple shootings and deaths in Chicago. Yawn. Zzzzzzz.
@Chuck W – in most states a “membership” establishment (like Costco and Sams) is allowed to check receipts against what you have in your cart.
Regarding how effective checking receipts is is something that Costco keeps close to the vest. I can only go by the anecdotal stories told by the former Chief of Police (now in charge of my Costco’s loss prevention) that this Costco’s losses are substantially lower than all other retail (particularly non-membership not) establishments.
I do observe a fair amount of “profiling” going on. Sometimes I think I even detect a hint of Mossad training 😉 . Friendly “banter” can tell a lot about a person’s intentions.
In the US, with credit cards, tips allow a restaurant to revisit the total you will be charged.
I had my credit card compromised at Applebee’s. Two days after using a rarely used card at Applebee’s the card was attempted to be used in Mexico and was blocked. Card will be replaced but it will take 10 business days. Thanks VISA for nothing. When I had a Discover card stolen on a Friday night Discover sent me a new card that arrived the next morning (Saturday) via FEDEX.
He said the process of getting a refund is the same as if you wrote somebody a check for too much money
Not entirely true. Regulation E comes into effect on all electronic transactions. If the merchant and bank cannot prove you did the transaction you are not liable. Problem is that money comes out of your account immediately and that can cause some real headaches.
the tip must be punched in at the time the card is swiped
Cracker Barrel does this when you leave. The card is never out of your sight as you must leave your table and go to a cashier.
Yeah, but I think any business can go back and add a tip to the total after you leave the premises, thus changing the total. Just because they do it all at once while you are at the counter, does not mean they cannot go back and alter the transaction.
I had one of my many Roadmaster failures in the super-busy stretch leading up to Xmas a couple years back. Had to rent a car, which I charged on my Amex card that had not been used for anything for a couple months. Now the car rental place had only one person working in the office, a young guy, who had to have everything on the card, including the security number — all of which he wrote down on paper. I did not even owe them anything until the rental period was over, but 2 days later, Amex contacted me and asked if I had placed a $400 online order with Walmart for various items that looked like Xmas gifts. I have never, ever ordered from Walmart online (still haven’t), so the answer was no. I have always had a minimum of 3 cards to choose from. They sent another FedEx, which arrived 2 days later, which was not so bad. I would not be caught without at least 2 cards, specifically because I know there is no immunity from a card that is not working for some reason (and an increasing number of businesses are no longer accepting Amex).
I will not mention the rental company involved, which I no longer do business with. I am with Hertz for all those needs now.
Obama co-opts coders:
The White House Gives Up on Making Coders Dress Like Adults
“They’re starting to look official now, aren’t they? They’ve got suits and everything.”
I got door checked at Wal*Marts the other day when I bought two new large memory foam dog beds.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/PAW-Memory-Foam-Dog-Bed-with-Removable-Cover-Brown-Dogs/35194053
We’ve been fighting fleas this summer and the wife threw out the old ones. My dog sure does like the memory foam for long naps.
In Europe, the tip must be punched in at the time the card is swiped, so the total charge can never be changed after the swipe and initial entry.
In Europe, unlike the US, the credit/debit card never leaves your sight. They either have you rung up at the register, or they swipe the card with a wireless unit at the table.
Here’s the Obummer administration going all in on the race card.
The administration is mourning the loss of one of their own, a promising young thug-in-the-making whose criminal career was tragically cut short.
The administration is mourning the loss of one of their own
All the officer did was move the thugs existence deadline up by a couple of years.
To hear some of the speeches at the funeral, such as “Michael Brown’s blood is crying from the ground, crying for vengeance, crying for justice,” is troubling. They have convicted the police officer and now want revenge. They are not seeking justice.
And this “Michael was a big guy, but he was a kind, gentle soul, and before he left this Earth, the day that he was killed, he was out spreading the word of Jesus Christ,”. I guess they have not seen the video of the thug shoving and threatening the store from whom he was stealing.
Al Sharpton proved again he is nothing but an agitator and contributes nothing to society. Trayvon’s parents are seeking more fame as both are functional idiots who cannot put together a complete sentence without coaching.
Now I see there is going to be a show on the fall programs called “Black-ish” with a 100% black cast. I wonder how the NAACP and ACLU would feel if a program was to be on in the fall called the “White-ish” with a 100% white cast. Oh wait, that would be racist.
“Can’t even spare a minion to attend a Two-Star General’s funeral.”
Imagine how their minds would be blown by having to decide between the punk’s funeral and a two-star black general’s funeral….
A ten-hour day today, starting with a phone email at 05:20 for a crashed laptop. Then I got hammered throughout the day, right up until I left, no wait, until AFTER I left and was back on the road home, with another cc’d email from the CFO. Home on the road at 18:00. Windows Boot Camp all day, pretty much, topped off by ninety minutes of MySQL Workbench Boot Camp from the former full-time IT guy there last year, before the two kids. Maybe an hour spent on Linux today, CentOS 6.5, which runs the bulk of the operation and apparently rarely has issues….hmmm…where have I seen and heard of that before….hmmmm….
And more Boot Camp coming up in the next day or two with their one Mac (mini-Mac) box, running some arcane operation with FileMaker Pro 9, which generated half a dozen emails from the CFO to the outside consultant who messes with it and cc’ing me.
And one of the kids sent me his recommendations for IT there in the near future; it was pretty much spot-on, too. Kid just graduated high school, is barely five feet tall, if that, and probably weighs under a hundred pounds, and looks about 35. Not sure what ya call that condition but seems like he’s got it. Sharp as a tack. I had to beg him for some help this morning via email, LOL, but he replied with the goods.
Pea-soup ground fog on the way in this morning, plus multiple dead skunks stinking up this top third of the state, and the sun in my face throughout. Plus first day of skool with multiple bus and cah delays. Sun in my face all the way home, with the usual bandit douchebags who just can’t stick to the 50-MPH on a decent state highway but must pass half a dozen vehicles at 90 MPH.
WSJ nooz squirt just now:
“Warren Buffet is helping finance Burger King’s planned takover of Tim Horton’s.”
Cool. All you Canadians will soon have the pleasure of Flame-Grilled Triple Whoppers across the wide continent, just like us. And be fat as elephants. Just like us.
And oh my goodness! Just got another work email from the CentOS box about the gun guys’ AK products shipping out; a boatload of them, parkerized, with some earmarked, apparently, for that three-letter outfit that operates outta a certain site in the great Commonwealth of Virginia. And yers truly keeps track of the serial numbers for the ATF, just found out today.
WTF did I just get myself into here…?
I think you’ll be just a peachy fit. I can’t imagine you going back to that big blue consulting firm who repeatedly absconded with my conference rooms at The Chemical Company in the old Osram light-bulb factory in East Berlin, because, well, English is not nearly as important as whatever it is they do. The chemical people actually had to kick big blue out, because they just would not leave after the office was up and running just fine without them. Big blue did all the job interviews to get things rolling there, if you can believe that. I was not part of their plan, so of course, I mattered not to them.
Who knows, you might trim down to svelte proportions yourself with all that exercise equipment around. Latest thing my kids are into are adjustable-height desks. Work half the time sitting down, and half standing up.
WTF did I just get myself into here…?
Mystery? Intrigue? Lucrative but dubious arms deals? Exotic women of questionable virtue?
Should you find yourself succumbing to temptation, Mr, OFD, keep in mind that sage advice from I-forget-who: Never steal anything small! 🙂
Nothing like hitting the ground running, Mr. OFD. Like back in the Mil, eh? In some ways I envy you. I never had a position in the Army that didn’t challenge me. Ah to be young again. Uh, how old are you again?
@OFD: Sounds like what’s to be expected, when a company turns over its IT staff so fast. Bailing, while trying to find time to plug some of the holes in the hull. You’ll get there in the end…meanwhile, you definitely know that you’re needed!
Speaking of the state of Society in the US, have y’all seen this article about the gratitude exuded when people voluntarily offer help? The author carefully avoids being too specific about race, but it’s pretty obviously a mix of hispanic and black. From what I know of hispanics, having grown up in New Mexico, I expect they were the least of the problem.
@brad: Jesus wept.
@medium wave – my feelings exactly
@brad – thanks for the link, too too true, and it will only get worse.
Well, the Romans eventually figured out that bread and circuses are unsustainable and ultimately ineffective, indeed counter-productive. It’s a pity that so few of our “leaders” have any familiarity with history.
I will bet Walmart will not do that voucher thing, ever again. People do not value the things they are given for free. Yeah, second-hand stores that Salvation Army runs, do a useful thing for society, but why EVER give it away for free?
They also need to re-evaluate who ‘underprivileged’ is. Nobody around me who uses EBT cards looks underprivileged to me. Recently, I saw some younger folks (20’ish) load up 2 grocery carts with stuff that was clearly party time food (and they even talked about it openly while loading up), then pay for it with EBT (the clerk asked if it was EBT, and they responded yes), and take it all out to a new-looking SUV.
Poor is not poor. There are people who really, really need the help – and appreciate it. They seem to be in the minority. My last trip to the US, I was shocked at how many people paid with EBT. As y’all say, they generally were buying expensive stuff, including lots of snack foods. Followed by the cash payment for ciggies, wine and beer. Clearly, budgeting was not on the radar.
Any as Chuck says: if it’s free, people don’t value it. Work for that EBT card, say, 2 days a week, no excuses and no exceptions. There are plenty of unpleasant but necessary jobs. People who need the help will be willing enough (and motivated to find an alternative), those who aren’t willing must not really need it.
Yes. As usual, the genuinely vulnerable and deserving poor get zip most of the time, and the scumbags as described above in several posts make out like bandits. And brag about it and laugh in our faces. Severe beatings would be too good for them; add several years in a hard-labor construction job, say, rebuilding the nay-shun’s infrastructure and maybe they’ll sing a different tune. During the Soviet era they had fat old women hauling wheelbarrows full of concrete and bricks to rebuild after the Red Army and the Wehrmacht had battled over that ground. And guys like Solzhenitsyn doing even worse labor under horrific conditions. Our piggies just keep nuzzling at the trough the rest of us pay for.
As I have maintained before, the problem with Communism is not that it is the work of a godless devil, as I heard during all my younger life, but that collectivism does not build wealth — for anybody. Not even the state. That resulted in a LOT of manual labor, because there was no wealth being generated to invent, build, or buy machines. The Berlin wall was built by guys with wheelbarrows, mixing concrete with hand tools, not pouring it into forms placed by cranes and filled from cement trucks.