Posted on 11/02/2011 5:43:43 PM PDT by Morgana
PORTLAND, Ore. -- A woman in Portland said her local grocery store refused to allow her to pay for her shopping cart items with $32 in loose change.
The shopper, who was too embarrassed to use her name, said the clerk at the Save-a-Lot store would only accept $5 of the change, claiming it was store policy, KATU reported.
The woman told KATU that she tried to use her loose change at another area grocery to buy her family food -- a Fred Meyer store -- but the manager there directed her to a coin exchange machine instead, where the fees run about 10 percent.
She said the Fred Meyer manager later agreed to cover the exchange machine fee after she started sobbing.
Representatives from each of the stores later apologized for the incidents, and advised that store employees and managers would be retrained on checkout policies -- specifically that all payments, cash or coin, were accepted.
(Excerpt) Read more at wlky.com ...
LOLOLOLOLOLOL
I showed this to my Dad just now. Dad is a chemist. I asked him what that math equation means. His best guess is that the man who wrote the check owed about .01 cents. Or something every small in that area.
EBT's in the area are used mostly for crack, and traded for cash, in MOST major cities.
I agree with you. There are ways around most things. It’s how you approach them that matters. Times I have opened my wallet and seen a $50 bill and a $5 bill when my purchase was less than $5. I always politely say “I do have a $5 but it would be really helpful if you could take the $50, however I understand if you can’t”. 9 times out of 10 they take it.
A preemptive request is usually very effective.
A clerk worth hiring or keeping can count through $32 worth of pennies in eight minutes or less. Pennies are counted in fives on a flat surface.
There are probably some here who don’t know about Save-A-Lot. They are a “bag it yourself” operation. They carry minimal name brand items, and you are expected to bring your own bags, buy them, or be fortunate enough to find discarded cardboard boxes in the store.
They don’t carry groceries out for the disabled, etc. They say they will try, but my experience is they have only a few registers, hardly any extra employees, and they throw the groceries around in a way that makes you happy just to get out to the car. The pay off for all this is deeply discounted prices on a regular basis. The store is always full.
I can understand BOTH the cashier not having time for the coins AND the woman showing up with very little money. I’ve see both at our local SAL.
Haven't bought anything and feelingf a bit blue. Go to the machine anyway and press "start" "finish", it'll thank you for shopping there.
He is very smart. It is .002
I’ve never understood why people aren’t clear on the concept of “legal tender.” If I am a storeowner, I can refuse your payment of a $100 bill for a pack of gum.
Heh, I had to do the math to figure out the value of the check. 0.002 dollars total. -1 plus 1=0. Cute. Although you could mathematically argue that it’s not EXACTLY 0, but approaches it.
THANK YOU FOR THAT POST!!!!
Been there, done that!
I posted this because I was angry that here are those who would do this to her or anyone.
The stores changed their policies and the problem is fixed.
The trouble is when some smart alec tries to pay in pennies in order to harrass.
If you go into a party store in the middle of the night, they aren’t likely to have the change to break a $100 for a purchase under $1.
You got 0? I got at least .01
Meaning the check was for about 1 cent or near that amount.
No sales tax here in OR. I didn’t think most states taxed food, though.
Cindie
Handy hint: Go to the bank, get some paper coin rolls, and roll the stuff up before you get to the cashier. Also, stamp or write your name & phone # on the rolls. (If any of the rolls come up short, they’ll know who to call.)
how about the concept of “if I have to take 10 minutes to count up all your change, I will lose several other customers and even more money”
“I can refuse your payment of a $100 bill for a pack of gum.”
That would make me suspicious. I would whip out my counterfeit detector pen and check the bill. If I see black would have the secret service on the courtesy phone in New York minute.
Chances are this is the only time the cashier will ever have anyone with that much change going through her line. Maybe the only time this YEAR in the stores.
Why not just take the change and move on?
IF this type of transaction goes on regularly, then let the stores devise a fast method for faster checkout.
I understand paying with coins, I guess (no banks nearby to get bills?). But could she not at least have rolled the coins first? This would have sped things up immensely. Why is her time more valuable than the cashier’s? (and those behind her in line)
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