This entry comes complete with brand name identification. I am that happy with these companies! Ad infinitum, e pluribus unum, ad hoc, whatever, Buyer Beware. (obviously I never had Latin class)
My Christmas shopping was done last week. Where do I go on Sunday? To the mall, as usual, to meet Late to walk. She was - guess!! go ahead, guess! Late! Not too much, though. Maybe 30 minutes.
Since I am obsessed with my shoulder surgery and with getting everything taken care of in advance that I can, I decided to get child's birthday present. Her birthday is three days before my surgery. Martin Luther King Day. She loved getting her birthday off in school.
When we were in Toronto I borrowed her Bebe sweat pants to wear to read in while she slept. They are in bad, bad shape. There is a big ink stain on them and a hole in the lower leg big enough to drive a truck through. She loves them and wants to replace them.
Being the nice mommy that I am, I decided to hit the Bebe Outlet store. I might be nice, but I am also frugal. I found a nice sweat pants and zipper hoodie set for 50% off. They were on a rack with several different sizes and two jacket styles. I decided that they probably won't be more than 50% off after Christmas, anyway.
Imagine my surprise when the sales clerk rings them up, after I had to wait a long, long time for a young female to get her order done. The price was not what I had come up with in my head as 50% off. I asked. She told me they were 30% off. I assured her they were on the 50% off rack and not as a lone piece, but with a grouping, all the same.
She went to the rack, returned to me, and said they are 30% off and someone must have moved them. My eyebrows went up. Late told her she should sell them to me for the advertised price on the rack, since that is where they were, and in a full grouping. Saleslady says, oh no, they were in the wrong place. Someone must have moved them and I have now moved them all back.
I decided, after a bit of giving her my opinion to go ahead and get them, saving myself the hassle of having to return to get the same thing later. Saleslady agrees to mark the receipt so they can be exchanged 3 days after their normal date so child can get them for her birthday.
Crabbily, we moved out of the store, Late and I bitching to each other about unfair marketing practices. I said I was pretty sure the exact same thing had happened to me before in the exact same store. Suddenly, it hit me that the saleslady did not mark the receipt, so we headed back. Keep in mind, this was right after the store had opened - really, no one had time to move an entire grouping of clothing from one rack to another. And anyway, why would they?
Imagine my surprise to return to the desk to hear another lady, holding the exact same outfit, yelling loudly at the same saleslady (I didn't yell - I only voiced my opinion) that the outfit was on the rack for 50% off and that was the price she intended to pay. I opened my bag, showed the contents to the potential buyer, and said that I had just had the same experience. I smiled.
Saleslady did not hassle me about the receipt - she wrote down the date for exchange as I requested. I left before I found out the results of the buyer, but my guess is, she paid 30% off or didn't get it at all.
Obviously, the store personnel moved that grouping back as soon as I left the store, since I did see the saleslady move it while I was there to the 30% off rack.
Bear with me. That is only story number one. Story number two happened today at Best Buy. After having finished all my shopping, I rewarded myself by ordering some Pratesi sheets. I sure hope they arrrive as ordered! Then I had an unexpected expense.
I bought a CD (rare enough for me), Trans Siberian Orchestra, and tried to play it last night. No go. No matter what I did, it said NO DISC. Eventually I remember that is why I hadn't used the CD player in a few years - it did the same thing back then. So, a little while ago I went to Best Buy to get a new one.
I didn't want anything fancy, just a shelf stereo that has acceptable wattage, can do CDs, cassettes, and has a tuner. Speakers on each side, more than one CD. No big deal. The guy showed me what they had, and I asked if theyhad any sale items that are last year's model. Frugal, that is me. Turns out that yes, they did. It was $156 and had everything I wanted. I asked the young man to put it in the cart for me because the box was 13 kilos - I said, Oh, about 28 lbs - he said, I think, 27...the box must be marked with both? Anyway, he put it in the cart for me.
I went to checkout and it had a very long line. I waited. Waited. Patiently; I had no place else I had to go right away. Finally I get a new girl, just opened a line up. She scans the box. Tells me it's $216. I said uh, it was $156, I think? (I realized that my memory has issues.) She said no, it's $216 with tax. I thought, hm, that is a lot of tax. She told me it was $216 pre-tax. I thought for a second, and then told her no, I was pretty sure it was $156, but still allowing for my leaky brain. She went to check. I told her I did not put it in the cart, that the guy did, so it wasn't my error.
She was gone long enough for me to go over to Circuit City and get something else, but I waited patiently. I kept wondering how stupid I was going to feel when I found out I was wrong.
She finally returned and said OH, look, the guy grabbed the one on the shelf next to or under it or something like that, and brought the $156 tag with her. She said that was a different one, and did I want the one he gave me?
I almost said what I was thinking, but I said I wanted the $156 one, not the $206 one. Bait and switch? I don't know. I really don't. Are they smart enough there to do that?
She was gone long enough for me to find some date, go out a few times, start a family, and send the kids off to college. I was still patient. I know the sales people take a lot of hell this time of year.
Even so, both times, I can't help but wonder. Honest mistakes or unfair marketing practices? It definitely is a good idea to pay attention.
9 comments:
Humphffffffffffffffff! I listen to the salesperson's (my kid) side of the story every day! Although she does tell me in a case like yours her store would give the person the quoted price (what the customer tells her). She does this because she would rather override a price and shut the person up then listen to them argue with her. Her store likes to kiss the customer's butts. Although she has had to deal with customers who are trying to put one over on her, for example: lady tells her that her Kohl's dollars blew out of Kohl's bag that had a hole (defect) in it. And a manager from another store said it was ok for her to get the amount on the Kohl's dollars off her stuff. HUH??!!!
It's madness this time of year anyway! Don't get me started with the lack of help and the messy dressing rooms!
Rose~
"The customer is right" is a thing of the past. These things happen all the time....and the general sentiment seems to be "sucks for us" (the buying public)
they are good at that at best buy i say bait and switch its unfair and i agree watch the prices. when is your surgery again? how long will you be laid up?
Deb
I honestly HATE shopping this time of year. I've bought several things at Best Buy and haven't had any problems and yes, I watch the prices closely. And for the sale prices, I simply let them know they WILL honor the price listed. I also walk over with them so they can't pull a fast one on me. I may seem quiet but, I can be such a bitch at times!
Monica
I hear ya -- that's happened to me more times than I care to count!!
The only store that handles that situation properly in my opinion is a grocery store here in Florida...Publix. If an item rings up wrong (or should I say differently than what it was marked), AND YOU NOTICE AND POINT IT OUT, that item is FREE.
I watch every single item in every single store ring up ever since the day I noticed a charge of $27.50 for a 4-pack of tuna that should have been $2.75. Luckily, I caught that one. Now, I don't trust ANY store!!
:) Carol
I am surprised that I haven't had that problem this year, but Pig and I have survived 3 mall trips, the flea market, every walmart and target on the east coast, and all kinds of other stores, so far so good!
hugs,
Kathi
I am surprised that I haven't had that problem this year, but Pig and I have survived 3 mall trips, the flea market, every walmart and target on the east coast, and all kinds of other stores, so far so good!
hugs,
Kathi
Rose makes a good point about people scamming stores, but I've also had more than a dozen situations where I caught a store putting non-sale items on a sale rack. I've also caught ToysRUs putting defects back on the shelf. Less than 60% of all defective gifts are ever returned, so all the store has to do is keep putting them back on the shelf to make more money. It's better to just tell the clerk you don't want the item and shop online. You can always dispute the item with your credit card company later, if needed. Just don't use a debit card.
I think some of it is done accidentally on purpose...and if you are buyng more than one thing, it is harder to keep track of what the total should be...I have had to argue with almost everything I have bought. Circuit City advertised something free with the purchase of the "Pirates of The Carribbean", and they did not give it to the guy in front of me, so I asked (for him) and the kid went and got some. Wouldn't you know, he gave it to the guy in front of me (who thanked me profusely for speaking up), to me, but not the lady behind me...what the heck is that? It's like you have to carry the store ad around with you to all of the stores you are going to! That is a lot more work for us! Jae
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