I am not one for confrontation. I shy away from arguements, and often put up with errors to preserve a peaceful life. If you think I'm a sucker you would have been proud of me yesterday.
It was about 7pm. I had done all my laundry, the washing up, had my evening meal and was planning on settling down to an old movie and a drink. Before I did, I decided to nip across to the local Co-op to pick up some margarine, bread and find out if there were any bargains on the 'reduced to clear' shelf. To avoid over spending I took exactly ten pounds with me.
Ok, with me so far?
I nipped up and down the aisles, finding bargains, but more importantly keeping a running total in my head. Not an estimated total, but an accurate total. I was determined not to go over the ten pound budget. Usually I'd just say: 'about a quid' or 'just under a fiver' but this time I was being very sensible. By the time I had finished, my basket totalled exactly nine pounds.
As I queued up to pay, I was next to the crisps and snacks. Just at eye level were big bags of salt and vinegar flavoured chipsticks - 65 pence a packet or 2 for a pound. Was this an omen? By buying two bags my shopping would be exactly ten pounds.
And so to the till. Have you been in a Co-op recently? When they ring up the goods they appear on a computer screen in front of you so you can see a running total. The idea is it's supposed to mean you won't need a printed receipt and so save paper, and hence save the environment (woo hoo)
Everything was rung through. Bread, marge, sliced ham and chicken, Rocket salad etc (not important but I know you like detail). Last two items, the two bags of crisps.
"That'll be ten pounds and two pence please"
Oops. Now, if I was carrying lots of cash I wouldn't have batted an eyelid. I'd just assume I'd made a mistake with my totalling and hand over the funds. But today, I only had ten pounds on me, no rogue two pence. There was also a queue behind me, so by now I was panicing. Do I ask for an item to be returned? do I plead for forgiveness? Do I beg two pence off the bloke behind me? Then my eye caught the end of the 'receipt' on the computer screen. The two bags of crisps had gone through at 65 pence each, but the 'multibuy reduction' was only 14 pence per bag. Reducing them to 51 pence each. I had been over charged two pence!
"That's not right, it should be exactly ten pounds" I said, handing over the money.
"Sorry, it's ten pounds and two pence." she replied, with a hint of defiance.
"Well you've over charged me for the crisps, they should be fifty pence a bag, not fifty-one" I said, with even more defiance than she had. I got my next point in before she could counter-attack
"It even says it on the bag, look" as I held up one of the bags.
"Oh, there must be a mistake in the computer" she said.
I was on the front foot know, so I carried on:
"You've got mistakes on your printed prices on the shelves too. Loads of them don't make sense, or are under the wrong product."
"Sorry" she said, obvious now she wanted to get rid of me. I was about to drop it but this was the best bit...
...The guy behind me in the queue launched into a tirade of his own backing me up!
"Yeah, he's right! Your Fosters 10-pack is over the price of the 12-pack, the price of Carling per litre is completely wrong, the cornflakes are 500g not 750g a box..." and so on.
I walked out of the shop, leaving the man to his rant....
...and I only paid ten pounds!
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1 comment:
I think you should have waited for that bloke that backed you up and offered him a chipstick.
It's the least you could have done! :-)
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