The Customer's Always Right?

My Mother loved to grocery shop, it was the highlight of her week, armed with her coupons it became an adventure.

I, on the other hand, hate to grocery shop, however, let me say that I’m a very frugal shopper, I use coupons and take advantage of sales.

The other day there was a sale on fruit juice…buy one, get one. It was advertised in store's flyer and the shelves in the market were loaded with stickers announcing the ‘deal’. I selected two bottles…a buy one and a get one. Simple enough, wouldn’t you think?

After completing my shopping, I proceeded to the self check out. I enjoy ringing up and bagging my own groceries, that way when my bread is flattened under the potatoes, I have no one to blame but myself! Well back to my story…when I rang up the juice, it didn’t deduct the second bottle, so I clicked the ‘help switch’ and waited patiently for assistance to arrive. Finally a woman showed up and after explaining to her what happened, she told me that the second bottle would be deducted at the end of my purchases. All the other buy one, get one items came off right away, but I didn’t want to argue, so I continued to scan.

This was a stock up week so I had quite a lot of groceries, and after I had paid and bagged everything, (in my eco-friendly green cloth bags), I checked my slip. Of course, it had not deducted the second bottle of juice.

Now the woman that assured me “it will be taken off at the end”, sent me to the service desk, and I explained my juice tale to the young lady there. From that point the conversation went like this:

Clerk: You must have read the sign wrong.
Me: I don’t think so, there are several signs on the shelf and I made a point to read them.
Clerk: A lot of people don’t read the sign right.
Me: The sign is not that difficult to understand, it says BUY 1 GET 1.
Clerk: (Sighing.) I’m going to have to look it up.
Me: Okay, thank you.
Clerk: (Grabbing the flyer and unable to find the ad, calls another young woman over.) This woman bought the wrong juice, she says it’s on sale.
Me: Your flyer says it’s on sale along with the signs on the shelf.
Second Clerk: Well you must have bought the wrong juice.
Me: If you can’t find it in the flyer, why don’t you check the shelf?
Clerk: (Practically yelling.) Here’s the problem! You bought a Cranberry and a Pomegranate that’s why.
Me: The sale is on all flavors.
Clerk: If it were, it would have taken it off. I’m going to call that department.

I was trying my best to be patient but I was really getting annoyed, the tone of the clerk’s voice was so condescending and she must have thought I’d understand better if she spoke louder, or maybe she thought I was deaf. Several minutes go by, and I know my ice cream was melting.

Clerk: (Having checked with department.) It’s just the 100% juice that’s on sale.
Me: (Pointing at bottle.) That reads 100% juice.
Second Clerk: Then you must have picked up the wrong brand.
Me: (Totally ticked, at this point.) Excuse me, but I do know how to read. If you would just check the sign on the shelf you would see for yourself.
Clerk: We had them check the signs.
Me: Please just give me a refund.

Meanwhile another woman comes out of an office and both clerks practically pounce on her, she spots the juice bottles and before they can speak, she announces. “If you’re going to ask me about the juice, there’s a problem with the computer, it’s not taking off the second bottle.”

With that, the clerk glares at me, goes to the register and gives me back the money for one bottle of juice. Then she bags one bottle and hands it to me, “You’re all set.”
Me: May I have my free bottle please?
Clerk: I just gave you back your money.
Me: Yes, thank you but you still have my free bottle.
Clerk: (Loudly.)But I gave you a refund.

Thankfully, the woman from the office returned, and after she explained it twice to the clerk, she handed me my free bottle. Neither said thank you or sorry for the inconvenience…so much for customer service.