A Scan Scam

(A store I frequent is having a “stock-up sale”; canned and packaged goods are all on a cheap price, but “Must buy five” or “Must buy ten,” etc. I’ve gotten quite a few things and I get up to the register when the clerk starts scanning. I notice she’s doing something… wrong.)

Me: “Um, you scanned too many of those.”

Cashier: “No, I swiped it five times.”

Me: “Yeah, you swiped it forward five times, but it caught it on the backswing another three times.”

Cashier: “No, I only swiped it five times!”

Me: “It shows eight listed; I only have five!”

Cashier: “Whatever.” *grabs the next product and does the same thing*

Me: “Aaaand now that one shows seven. You scanned two extra!”

Cashier: *already getting to the cans of soup* “Dude, don’t try to scam me out of free stuff.”

Me: “Wait! Those are all different; you can’t just—”

(The cashier finishes up, and yes, she over-scanned the soup, as well as two other batches of items.)

Cashier: “Your total is [about $20 more than it should be]; cash or credit?”

Me: *pause* “Yeah, I’d like to talk to a manager?”

Cashier: “You’re not getting free things.”

Me: “I’m not paying for more than I bought, either!”

Cashier: “Look, dude, you’re the fifth person to try this scam on me today. I didn’t fall for them; I’m not falling for you.”

Me: *pauses to think* “Ah, I see. Okay, then, credit.”

(I pay the overblown amount, separate out the bags that have the excess or incorrect products, and go straight to the customer service desk.)

Me: “Hi, I was just over on register five and—”

Customer Service: “RRRRRGH! Let me guess. She over-scanned your order?”

Me: “And also scanned twelve of one can, instead of two each of five, completely screwing up your inventory!”

(The customer service lady apologized, and she had to void almost half my receipt and rescan all the soups. I apologized that she had to go through it, but from her reactions it sounds like I wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. On a related note, it’s been a couple of months and I haven’t seen that cashier again.)