Checking Out

[Handyjack]

Just bought some material for a project at a hardware store and had an interesting experience at the register.

When buying timber, long lengths I put on the car and make a note of the item number, description and number of pieces for when paying. Other items I just take to the register.

When I had everything that time allowed me to buy I went to an available register to pay.
First the nuts and bolts - four of one size, eight of another. Also twelve washers. The bolts were no problem, they were marked with a code, the washers however did not have a code. The book at the register did not have the exact item so the operator went and got the price off the shelf. There was no price on the shelf - "That's fine with me", I said. The operator thought for a moment and said "s***ff it" :)and moved onto the timber.
The treated pine - no problems as I had the code, however the Merbau decking became a headache. I did not see a code when picking the lengths and the operators book just happened to be missing the relevant page. :( His marvellous register took ages to find the right code :(( all the while other people are asking for help or wanting to pay too.

At last I could pay for the gear, tie the timber down and go home.
On reaching home and after unloading I studied the receipt and noticed that where I had eight bolts, I had only been charged for one. :):rolleyes:

I should mention that all this happened after 5 on a Friday.

And here is an image of the finished project.

[artme]

Washers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At Bunnies the 16mm washers are 30cents each and the 6mm washers are 22cents each, gal that is.

Cheaper to drill holes in coins!!!!!!!!!!!

[Handyjack]

On reaching home and after unloading I studied the receipt and noticed that where I had eight bolts, I had only been charged for one. :):rolleyes:

And here is an image of the finished project.

...and after finishing the project, of the eight bolts I had four left over. I will need to keep them for the next project as the receipt shows only one. :(

ps the client loved the finished project.

[Pac man]

You can return items at the big green shed for a credit without a receipt.
just sayin...

[Bushmiller]

Handyjack

When I saw this thread I immediately thought

"Oh s**t."

but I was wrong as I had the words of Hotel California in my head:

"You can check out any time you like, but you cain't never leave."

But all's well, and inadvertently, a good purchase. :D

Regards
Paul

[smidsy]

I remember years ago buying a 2 tables at Ikea - the way it works is you select your top and legs seperately.
I get to the checkout and put the small stuff on the counter leaving the big stuff on the trolley.
2 tables equals 8 legs, I put one on the counter and when he got to it I pointed to the trolley and said "there's 8 of them mate" - he acknowledged what I said and even looked at the legs on the trolley.
As I leave I'm tallying the bill (I don't keep a written track but a rough idea in my head of what I've spent) and thinking something doesn't add up.
Yep - 7 table legs at $7.50 each for free.
What am I supposed to do, scan the stuff myself.

[BobL]

:( His marvellous register took ages to find the right code :(( all the while other people are asking for help or wanting to pay too.
.

I just got back from walking out of Bunnings in disgust.

The queues were 10 deep and they only had 2 registers open (no self check out at this one) spying the service counter only has 2 people waiting I ran over to join that queue but that proved a mistake. The first customer was in dispute with the sales attendant. After a few minute the sales assistant called someone on the phone and had a lengthy discussion. Queues are now 12 deep and growing. You know how you look across and see where you would have been if you had stayed on the old queue?
FInally the guy with the dispute is moved aside, next customer moves into line. He had some timber that didn't scan so sales attendant punches in the number manually, no good, again, no good, again - no good, get the book out, finally a price, but now there is a dispute over the price, then the size, attendant gets out tape measure - the book seems correct, customer says it was on a rack marked X, calls over the PA for assistance at register X, yadda, yadda, drivel . . . . . etc

I just walked out.

[smidsy]

I've been using Masters lately and the customer service (at least at the one I use) is incomparible to Bunnings.
I remember being in Bunnings one time wanting among other things a certain size drill bit. None left so I called a staffer over to be told "if it's not on the shelf we don't have it".
She walked off, I happened to look up to the top where they keep excess stock and saw a box of what I wanted.
So I walked up to the counter where she was, dumped the $200 worth of stuff I'd already picked up and told her about the box up top - then I walked out.

Then again it's not just Bunnings, we refer to our local Mitre10 as a Mitre5 because it only ever has half of what you want.

[Lyle]

Masters at Maitland on Sun morn looking for a good strong garden fork. Asked a young thing if he knew about garden forks and was looking for a decent one to buy. "Yep I know all about them", When I asked him what the fork was made of he said 'metal'. So being correct as it was metal, I asked what type, stainless or mild steel. By the blank look I could tell he thought all metals is metals!!

So se;lected the best of the bunch and a few other essentials and headed for checkout. All self service!
Struggled with the scanning and paying with the card. Got home and found that I'd apparently only scanned one of the multiple items, eg 4 bolts = 1 bolt scanned, even though you could see that the receipt had 1 bolt @ 15c x 4 but came to 15 cents???
I even had another couple trying to help, but no staff came to assist.
Wonder how I'd have gone for 'shoplifting'?

[smidsy]

I have never had a problem with the auto check out, Morayfield Masters always has at least one staffer close by to help if it's needed - but at the end of the day, every store will be different. People are individuals, and as such the service is going to vary, if the service is seriously bad or a staffer is rude, you take it to a manager.

When I go in to Masters or (if I'm desperate) Bunnings the only help I ask for is the location of an item - and sometimes not even that since being a fat sod and needing exercise I'm quite content to walk around for 15 or 20 minutes.
If you want to pay as little as possible you go to Bunnings or Masters and accept the crap service.
If you need help or advice you go to your local hardware and pay a little more.

[BobL]

Back to a different Bunnings this afternoon.

This time I'm wearing my overalls and steel caps and have a layer of sawdust on me from a spot of milling - that must make me look like I know something. Young bloke in the bolt section asks me a question about bolts, says he hasn't been able to find anyone to help him. Get to the checkout and the guy ahead of me on the queue asks the register assistant about drill bits, she doesn't know jack - so I offer an answer, he's very happy and back he heads into the store. Next I go through and then while picking up my bits the guy behind me asks if the store sells chainsaw bar oil, checkout says "Dunno", so I said "Yes you do" and walked off.

[rustynail]

Walk into local timber yard, owner deep in conversation with customer regarding durability of certain timbers. Says owner to customer,"Here's the bloke you need to talk to, he's been ruining trees for years."

[Handyjack]

Bought a few items, again on Friday afternoon; chrome tube rail (1200 long), pillars for rail, box of screws and two pieces of timber 1800 long.
The box of screws were half price $5.01, (marked down) but despite me putting the timber on the counter it did not appear on the receipt. :)

No wonder stores have shrinkage. Staff can not see the items in front of them.

Earlier in the week at a small hard ware store I picked up 8 anka bolts worth about $2 each. Person at the check out charged me for hex head bolts at $0.43. :) I had told her they were expensive.

Now I am not trying to hide things but if it works in my favour should I bring it to their attention?

[smidsy]

This is a major ethical question - is it theft if they decline to charge you for an item.
I know if they tried to charge me with theft I'd be screaming blue murder for the staffer to get done as an accomplice.

[BobL]

I took a small inject HP printer in to get repaired and they said it would take a week but it took a lot longer and many phone calls to get any action. It turns out they had lost my printer and they said we'll replace it with a refurbished printer with a 3 month warrantee. Fine with me so I went and picked it up. A week or so later they called to say "your printer was ready for collection" - presumably it was our original printer - so I went in a got that one as well. There has to be some tax on stupidity or failure of systems to adequately check what is going on - doesn't seem to help much.

[rustynail]

There is a simple test here; Put yourself in the other persons position and ask yourself how you would like to be treated.

[Handyjack]

Bought a few items, again on Friday afternoon; chrome tube rail (1200 long), pillars for rail, box of screws and two pieces of timber 1800 long.
The box of screws were half price $5.01, (marked down) but despite me putting the timber on the counter it did not appear on the receipt. :)

No wonder stores have shrinkage. Staff can not see the items in front of them.

Earlier in the week at a small hard ware store I picked up 8 anka bolts worth about $2 each. Person at the check out charged me for hex head bolts at $0.43. :) I had told her they were expensive.

Now I am not trying to hide things but if it works in my favor should I bring it to their attention?

What I did not say in the above post, is that normally it is not until I have got to my car or home that I look at the receipt. If I was challenged in the store, I would point out that the item was presented at point of sale, very hard to hide 1.8m timber, and that their video would prove it.

[smidsy]

What I did not say in the above post, is that normally it is not until I have got to my car or home that I look at the receipt. If I was challenged in the store, I would point out that the item was presented at point of sale, very hard to hide 1.8m timber, and that their video would prove it.

I'm the same, I always have a hard time with returning stuff because unless there's a single item on there over $100 I don't keep and rarely even look at the receipt - I know in my head when I get to the checkout roughly what I've spent and the only time I question or check is if it's way out.

[BobL]

I'm the same, I always have a hard time with returning stuff because unless there's a single item on there over $100 I don't keep and rarely even look at the receipt - I know in my head when I get to the checkout roughly what I've spent and the only time I question or check is if it's way out.

I used to be like that but now I return stuff all the time. I learned from SWMBO - she does a fair bit of my clothes shopping - I hate clothes shopping. She brings home a heap of clothes I try them on and she takes back what doesn't fit or I object to wearing. Now I do the same with hardware and typically buy more of anything than I need and return what I don't use. Looking for some nice hard steel I bought a whole bunch of scraper blades tested them at work (the testing process leaves a tiny dimple in the steel)with the hardness tested and took back all, bar the ones I wanted.

[smidsy]

I remember dad returning a pack of rotten peanuts to Woolies.
He gave the young kid at the counter a polite but very forthright serve about how he could have been seriously poisoned because they were so imcompetent in selling rotten food etc etc.
The young kid let him rant and rave and then replied politely "I'm sorry sir I can't give you a refund"
Why the bloody hell not dad replied in his thick Manchester accent - because these are from Coles sir the young kid replied.

It was years before we let him forget that one....

[Robson Valley]

You just can't fix 'stupid.' I wanted a 1/2" (12mm?) Forstner bit. Dorky in Home Despot shows me a 2"/50mm and asked: "Will this do?" Honestly, I did not cry.
Believe this: the kid admitted that they don't stock Forstner bits.

Our local village hardware store prices nuts & bolts by weight. Done deal.
Once a week, they send in their "Pick List" which comes back on the Tuesday truck.
I order stuff, in it goes, they phone me when my goods have arrived. Beats the Hello out of the Big Box stores in the city.

[Handyjack]

You just can't fix 'stupid.' I wanted a 1/2" (12mm?) Forstner bit. Dorky in Home Despot shows me a 2"/50mm and asked: "Will this do?" Honestly, I did not cry.
Believe this: the kid admitted that they don't stock Forstner bits.

Our local village hardware store prices nuts & bolts by weight. Done deal.
Once a week, they send in their "Pick List" which comes back on the Tuesday truck.
I order stuff, in it goes, they phone me when my goods have arrived. Beats the Hello out of the Big Box stores in the city.

Did the kid know what a Forstner bit looked like and what it did?

Sounds like decent service from yesteryear.