Unfiltered Story #242195

My three year old twins are growing like Weeds recently and need new shoes again. I go to a chain store and browse the sale, as there is a special offer of 20% off selected shoes. I spy two boxes of the same shoes in just the right sizes, sporting an reduced sticker of 17€ next to the main sticker showing 25€. In addition to that, they have the other 20% off markers. That should bring both pairs together down to under 30€, which is a very good price for shoes of that quality. Just to be sure, i check the shoes numbers with the bar codes on the box and everything seems to be correct. There is even another pair marked identically in another size.

Happy to have scored a real good deal, we make our way to the cashier. My kids are allready wearing the shoes and are quite happily content, having been promised an ice cream treat as a reward for being patient while I looked for shoes.

The cashier takes a bit to appear, and two more customers wait when two women wearing the stores uniform appear. The one serving me scans the boxes and offers me her spiel about having them sprayed with water- and Dirtresistance sprays. I decline and she tells me the total:

Cashier: „That’s 40€ with the 20% Discount, would you like to pay with cash or card?“
Me: „I’m sorry, but I thought the shoes were 17€ each and then 20% off?“
Cashier:“No, they scanned for 25€ and with 20% off you pay 20€ per pair.“
Me: „oh but there is another sticker on the box saying 17€. The small green one?“
Cashier: „no, the green one is the 20% and I applied that.“
Me: „no, it’s under the 20% Tag.“ (which is loosely dangeling from one of these plastic strands that gets pierced trough clothes)
Cashier: „no, that’s not the price. It scanned for 25€.“
Me: „but it’s there and there are more shoes marked like that. Could you please check?“
The Woman behind me in line speaks up upon the wordless dismissal I receive: „You Must honour or if it’s on an official Price Tag like that. „

The cashier then finally looks at the price sticker and shows it to her colleague. She says she will call the kids shoes department and ask. I agree to let the woman in line behind me to pay her shoes while I wait. The other employee is on the Phone quite a while. She then turns to me.

Employee 2: „these are 25€. The other pairs have no further stickers on them.“
Me: „well, but there was only another pair and it had a sticker for sure. I made sure to check!“
Employee 2: „no, there were no stickers on the other shoes of that type, and you probably put those on yourself.“
Me: „I’m sorry?“
Employee 2: „well how else could these and only these two gotten the stickers? I understand that having more kids than you can afford is a burden, but you have to pay the correct price or leave the shoes if you can’t afford them at the NORMAL price.“

I am very embarrassed and just tell her I will take the shoes for 40€.
The Woman who spoke up for us earlier listened and turns to the cashier ringing her up.

Woman: „Please cancel the purchase. I am not shopping in a place that treats their customers like that.“
The by now two other waiting customers after her follow suit and leave their stuff on the counter. I feel empowered by that and speak my mind as well.

Me: „I hope you know I will never come back here again. I take the shoes as we need them and I can’t explain the kids why they would have to take them off again. If it was a mistake that the shoes where marked wrongly so be it. But saying these mean things in front of everybody to embarrass me was absolutely rude and inappropriate. And for having more kids than my husband and I can afford: Twins are rarely a thing that you can decide to have or not have.“

The Employee 2 is just looking angry and takes the abandoned shoppings back to the aisles. The cashier lets me pay, tries to be desperately nice and offers my kids candy. A very desperate attempt to make up for everything. I am still determined not to shop there again as long as I can avoid it.