Grrrrrrr.... the arrogance

[Jim Murphy]

This occurred yesterday and it still bugs me.

Generally, I can plan well. However, from time to time, events beyond my control require me to depart from my well-planned day and venture forth. So it was yesterday that I determined that I had a paucity of carbonated sugar water (Coca Cola... can I say that on the air?) So, with refined dead dinosaurs becoming more expensive, I chose to take the short hop to my local convenient merchant with the express purpose of purchasing a half gallon (actually, two French litres) of Cokie-Cola.

A very large display proudly advertised the fantastic sales prices of $1.69 for the bottles. Wow, that's rich, I thought, but then again, I knew I was paying for convenience.

As I stood in line behind a gentleman intent on increasing his net worth in this world by participating in the North Carolina Education Lottery and purchasing less than a penny's worth of cardboard for $5, not to mention a pack of Newports that cost him $4.61 (with tax), I mentally calculated the cost of my purchase.

Since our fine state government decided that carbonated sugar water was not food, the tax is our regular sales tax of 6.75% instead of the normal 2% on food. For those of you who don't know, the 2% is not going to the great State of NC, it's assessed by your local county, who seems to believe that you should be taxed on eggs and milk which are already overpriced due to the conversion of corn to ethanol production (and don't get me started on that... not right now, anyway).

Now, I try to calculate the cost of my purchases within a penny or two in order to stave the onset of dementia. Use it or lose it, I've always heard, but for the first fifty years of my life I didn't know that applied to your brain.

Anyway, for me, at least, calculating 6.75% of $1.69 and adding it back is more than I can do instantly in my head. So, I break it down. There's 7 cents on the dollar, and 7*.69( which I round to .7) and that equals 49 which is a nickel on the extra 69 cents. 7 cents plus five cents is 12 cents. I can't add 12 cents to $1.69 in my head, so I add the dime, which makes it $1.79, and then add the remainder 2 cents, taking it up to $1.81.

Clerk asks for $1.91. Uh oh. Brain gas? I recalculate. Still comes up somewhere near a buck eighty one.

I ask, "Did you ring that up at $1.69?"
"No, $1.79."
"There's a big sign over there says $1.69," I say, pointing to the sign, fully aware that it's on sale for 99 cents at Food Lion.
"Yeah, we haven't changed the sign yet."

He took my $1.91.

Wow. What a marketing ploy. Put up big signs advertising one price, charge more, and then admit that you haven't found the time to change the sign. So, as I left, sworn that I had frequented my local convenient merchant for the last time that I'm on this earth, I thought, there's an old saying, that when somebody says it's about the principle and not the money, they really mean it's about the money. In this case, it really was about the principle.

Thanks for listening.

[FredP]

ahhh but you can take comfort in the fact that its gonna git worse!

fred

[ptt49er]

Sounds like horrible customer service!! I've spent the last 6 years working for a grocery store, in situations like that, the customer is ALWAYS right. If we mess up, shame on US...sorry you had to deal w/ an eye - d - ten - tee

[Glennbear]

Very succinctly put Jim!! A recent visit to my local video store put me in a similar mindset. I usually purchase a "discount card" $45 worth of rental credit for $35 or some such number crunching. Anyway, at the time of purchase I of course paid sales tax. The other day I got three movies and had them debited against the card, lo and behold the balance left reflected the three rentals plus SALES TAX !! Bringing this to the attention of the clerk brought an immediate befuddled look and consultation with the store manager. The bottom line.............I got a credit back on the card and the manager was on the phone to their computer/credit card machine guru when I left. Scary thinking how many other poor souls have overpaid

[rcorne01]

Actually I believe per state weights & measures he needs to sell it at the posted price.

[Keye]

What really boils my blood is the sign that says "minimum purchase of $xxx to use your VISA card". Unless things have changed the contract with VISA says they will accept the card for any amount of purchase.


Sorry to steal your thread.

[DaveO]

Life is really rough You should have bought a 16 oz. bottle for $1.29...explain that

Dave

[CaptnA]

the laws of false advertising may come in to play.
LOML has educated me on this. She has spent her adult life working in retail. There are laws that require that an advertised price be upheld. Typically, there is a limit - you can't purchase more than a reasonable amount of a product at an erroneous price. It usually isn't worth a legal battle - and most advertised prices - as in sales flyers carry a disclaimer.
An in-store price usually isn't protected by a disclaimer. That is simply false advertising or their mistake. Once brought to management's attention it is a matter of repricing or taking erroneous signs down.
Some reputable stores offer up to 5 of a mis-priced item free when brought to their attention - often up to $5 savings.
The customer is no longer always right. They're made to feel like a 'mark' by some businesses. And it isn't right!
A decent manager will help you. Often there is no manager on duty in small stores. Lucky to find a clerk that can ring a register and make change. COUNT YOUR CHANGE!
I'm not above asking for a manager - and I'm always ready to walk out. Often much to the chagrin of LOML. I don 't make a scene (usually) but I'm not there to be taken advantage of. A customer walking out won't change a store or its policy - but I have 250 firemen in my department, 60 volunteers in my other department, 3500 firemen between the two counties that love a cause - not to mention family and friends. I can 't make anyone not shop somewhere - but I'm vocal enough that I share good and bad experiences and they do the same. We don't have a 'black list'... but if you'll screw over my brother firefighter, you'll do the same to me.
How do others handle such things?

[Mike Davis]

I almost hate to mention this because of the onslaught I know it will bring and I really don't want to take away from Jim's wonderful prose. But, Saturday I was in Tractor Supply with my wife. She usually buys and I help put things in the cart that are too heavy for her to lift. When I see this nice green tool box that says $199 and I think that sure is a lot for a tool box. Then I realized that I must have said it out loud because she said, "Which One?"

Now I don't really need a new tool box but I have been putting up with the same tired worn out bottom drawer for 10 years and it would be nice to have all my mechanic tools in one place. So, I says this one here.

"How much is it?"

$199 but that's just too much. But she allows as to how I haven't had anything new in quite a while and I do need to organize things better so I should get it.

But when I lift it up to go up to the cash register I notice that the corner is bent. And I am firmly against buying a new tool box with a bent corner. So, I find a manager looking guy and ask him if there's another one in the back. He looks at the tool box and offers me 10% off to take it. I'm in no mood to buy more work and I tell him so.

He goes off for a while and comes back with a sheepish look and says the computer shows two in stock but the other one is not in the back. Well, we look around for a while and finally I find it under a drill press turned backwards where you can't see the drawers. And hanging on the side is a tag that says $179.

"Must be old stock" he says "does it look alright? No dents? Everything there?

Yep

"OK, well I have to let you have it for the price marked."





I like Tractor Supply.

[DaveO]

It has always been said the a happy customer will tell a few friends. A unsatisfied/unhappy customer will tell anyone who will listen, and possibly some that won't.

Dave

[jeff...]

Originally Posted by Jim Murphy

This occurred yesterday and it still bugs me.

Generally, I can plan well. However, from time to time, events beyond my control require me to depart from my well-planned day and venture forth. So it was yesterday that I determined that I had a paucity of carbonated sugar water (Coca Cola... can I say that on the air?)

A very large display proudly advertised the fantastic sales prices of $1.69 for the bottles. Wow, that's rich, I thought, but then again, I knew I was paying for convenience.


Since our fine state government decided that carbonated sugar water was not food, the tax is our regular sales tax of 6.75% instead of the normal 2% on food.

Thanks for listening.

That's our tax dollars hard at work - carbonated sugar water is a not food - I wonder how much it cost to figure that one out?

[Bas]

Jim, don't get mad. Get even. My favorite game is to wait for the cashier to ring it up, and then start the messing of the mind. For example, the total is $17.85. Hand over a twenty. And fish a penny out of the penny jar that nearly all stores have. Watch the mind slowly start cranking, beads of sweat appearing as the underused brain cells desperately try to figure out what the penny is for. Extra style points for using two pennies.

[TBone]

It's the fact that the Coke is pre-packaged that makes it 6.75%, not the fact that it's not food. Unless it's changed since enacted, all pre-packaged and prepared food was full rate.

[Ray Martin]

I've had the old price switch pulled on me too. I always ask for the manager. If the manager refuses to do the right thing, I leave the items on the counter and walk out. They can put the items back on the shelves themselves.

Ray

[DIYGUY]

Little old lady walks into the neighborhood butcher and asks Mr. Schwartz "how much are your lamb chops?" He tells her they are a special today - only $5 a pound. She replies "Huh! That's not a special, Goldberg's down the street has them for $4 a pound." Please, he tells her - buy them from Mr. Goldberg. "He is out of them today" she replies. "Well, if I was out of them then mine would be $4 a pound as well" he sweetly tells her.

Henny Youngman but likely not his to begin with ...