Originally Posted by
GrenadaRoger
It's not always that simple...(1)in the law, a posted price is not an offer, rather it is an invitation to the buyer to make an offer, so there is no legal obligation to sell at the posted price (although a customer relations obligation yes) (2) price tags (if applied to products) often come off and then the product is put back in the wrong place by a browsing customer and often under a sign with a difference price, thus misleading subsequent customers (3) with computerized cash registers, bar code scanning and software controls, the cashier usually is limited as to how much price adjustment he can give you, for example $10 max per sale.
the thing to do was calmly acknowledge that you believe the cashier was following the rules as he understood them but request the store manager come to the register....do not escalate or make your interaction a ego-clash...and what you call smirking I would call uncomfortable embarrassment for the situation the cashier was in...he smiled and giggled rather than glaring and growling at you...
Lolz
We aren't discussing legalities here. Obviously I wasn't going to sue Target for $12. We are talking about expectations the customer has. The customer is not "entitled" or "difficult" for wanting a posted price honored, especially if that price isn't a mistake (as it wasn't in this case -- just a faulty system at checkout).
You're correct that I could've put an end to this standoff by just asking for the manager as soon as he refused to fix it. But he was rude from the moment I wouldn't reset the password, making nasty remarks like "That's okay, I have all day" when I told him the password resets always take a long time to arrive for me. He was also being extremely passive-aggressive by just repeating over and over that I needed to reset my password for the barcode, and completely ignoring my protests that 1) it takes too long and 2) it won't help anything anyway. I did spend a bit too long trying to reason with him, I guess. But it's not my obligation as a customer to deescalate. That's what the employee is supposed to do.
The manager said that all employees were very aware of the policy to fix Circle discount errors on the spot, including this particular cashier. He said that the cashier had no real explanation for why he put me through all that, other than "I made a mistake". So basically the guy at first thought he was being helpful (telling me to bring up the barcode and reset the password), and then decided he would punish me for "disobeying" him.
This wasn't a matter of an incorrect employee trying to "help" and making things worse. This was a guy who clearly was looking to make me frustrated and miserable until I did what he said.
The fact that he thanked the customer who berated/threatened me (in fact, thanked him twice) was proof that this was an intentional ego battle, and not just a guy trying to help. I knew it, the store manager knew it, HR knew it, and this guy couldn't even offer up a meager excuse for his actions. Basically he probably thought I would just walk out angry and not track down his boss.
F him.