Reduced Produce

Okay, so this past Sunday I worked at the Service Desk. I'm pretty much done training and just rely on the book keeper to help and answer my questions. This customer walks up. Here's how the beginning of the convo goes...

me: How can I help you?
her: I would like to return this (reaching into a bag)
me: Okay and do you have your receipt (because how we process the return depends on whether or not there is a receipt)
her: no I don't. I couldn't find it
me: no problem, and why do you need to return it ma'am? (this is a can of tomatoes btw)
her: Oh, I bought 2 and used the other and it tasted funny
me: okay no problem
her: I have these too (pulling out a couple sheets of paper)
me: okay (a little confused). And what are these ma'am?
her: Well THESE (pointing to a sheet of paper with 4 barcodes) were put at the bottom of the bag and some bagger put heavy stuff on top so they were crushed.

At this point I look at the labels, they are our reduced produce labels. When our produce is no longer Prime, but still usable, the produce department bags it up, slaps a label on it and sells it for next to nothing. That's what these were. But all she has are the LABELS! No produce!

her: and THIS one (pointing to the other sheet with one barcode), well as soon as I got it home it was no good, it was just pure liquid.

By this point, bluntly, I'm VERY suspicious. Because you see, this bag, all in the time it takes to get from the rack to her house has gone from: metal rack, into a metal grocery cart, onto a conveyor belt, through a checkers hands (and believe me, we aren't as careful as you'd probably like for us to be sometimes!), onto another conveyor, into a baggers hands (also not so careful), into a bag (and just for the record, OUR baggers are taught to put the dang produce separate and NEVER to put crushables under heavier items), then back into the basket, into the vehicle, and finally into the home where she unloads them and supposedly they are "pure liquid." I personally think that she or another person would have noticed the totally ROTTEN nature of this product at SOME point for them to be PURE LIQUID, you know??

So I ask the book keeper for help. She comes out, and asks the customer about her situation, and the story about the 4 barcodes changes from crushed to the stems separating from the produce. Hmmmm.... I dunno about you, but I personally am NOT concerned about the stems separating from most of my produce.

But it is at THIS point that I look a little closer at her labels and notice a date on them, of JUNE 4, 2009!!!!!!!!!!! It's AUGUST. She bought these TWO MONTHS AGO! No wonder she has no receipt!!!!! I wouldn't either. Of course I wouldn't try to return something that much later either! LOL

In the end, cuz that's just the way we are, we did the "return" and gave her store credit. It was only about $5.50 TOTAL anyway. So I really didn't feel like she totally ripped off the store.

BUT BUT BUT... oh yes, there is MORE.

She then went over to the reduced rack AGAIN, and proceeded to get more produce, bring it to the service desk and COMPLAIN ABOUT THE QUALITY. HELLO????? 3 small summer squash in really good condition in all honesty and a PERFECT tomato that is just soft enough for saucing, all for less than $1 and you are going to COMPLAIN????? OH MY WORD.

The produce manager came and took care of the situation. Turns out she just wanted the squash and didn't want to pay for the tomato. Sheesh. Oh well.

It all worked out. :)

More blogs to come, but first some moving must be done.