I have no compunction in letting the world know when something isn't right in the realm of my relationships with retail establishments. I also like to tell of good things, and am doing so here. This involves a trip to the local Dillons on a Saturday afternoon. Going grocery shopping isn't my favorite thing to do in my list of chores, and doing it on Saturday afternoon is worse than normal. But it had to be done, as it was getting rather bare at the Plank home. And no, I'm not going to have someone shop for me or do it online. I'll pick out my own bananas, thank you.
I got the required things, and a few extra. I figured about 80 dollars or so was in my cart. I found a check-out line that didn't seem too busy, staffed by a woman I casually knew, and I knew that she knew that I was a long-time shopper at this store. After the people ahead of me finished and left, I sidled up to the credit card pay thingy and saw that the screen said, “continue checking out.” That didn't look quite right, so I pushed the “cancel” button and it went away and the “fresh” screen came on, allowing me to enter my shopper's reward. Sarah began checking me out, and we engaged in some conversation about why she was at the register instead of where she normally works. She said that there were four call-in's today and she was “recruited” to man (excuse me, woman) a register. She said she didn't do it often, and it was apparent in her movements. They weren't as “polished” as someone's would be who did that job all day long. We talked for a couple of minutes while she checked me, and a nice young man sacked my groceries after asking if plastic was OK.
While she was checking me, I went ahead and ran my card through. When she finished, she handed me the receipt and we finished our conversation. I left.
When I got home, I discovered that I had been charged over 200 dollars for about 80 dollars worth of groceries. It didn't take me long to realize that the people prior to me either never paid, or Sarah never rang up the payment. Recalling events, I think it might have been the latter. I found the dividing line between their groceries and mine, and went back to the store to see if I could make it right. All the way there, I was rehearsing what I would say and what I could say if the person at the help counter didn't believe me. I was just hoping Sarah was still there if I needed her.
I went in, went to the help counter, and gave a sigh of relief that Landon was manning the counter. He and I are also acquainted with each other through my long-time going to that store. I explained what happened, and Landon immediately began adding up the rogue charges. He entered the total in the register, added tax, and I swiped my card for a refund, signed a receipt to give back to him, and expressed by desire that Sarah not be held to account for this error. He assured me it was not a problem and she would be fine. He said he did not have to fill out any forms or make any report, other than the original receipt I gave him. I thanked him profusely and left.
A couple of points here...and lessons.
1. Check your receipt BEFORE you leave the store.
2. Do your best to befriend those you notice in a store who are stable employees. You may need them at some time in the future.
3. Don't jump to conclusions about how a scenario will play out. You will probably be wrong anyway.
4. Thank God for people who trust you when you say something.
Dillons, Sarah, and Landon did good Saturday. They deserve to be recognized.
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