Alternative Fats

I’m a personal shopper. I have been doing this job for nearly three years. When people place their orders online, I download it onto a handheld and I have to scan every item on their list. The handheld will not let me scan barcodes that are not on their list, nor can I just add random products to their order. Customers often blame us for their mistakes, but this one takes the cake. I’m putting away an order when a customer comes up to me.

Customer: “Excuse me?”

Me: “Yes?”

Customer: “My name is [Customer] and I had an online order earlier today and you people messed it up. It was only minor things, but you still messed it up. And now I have to come back here and fix it.”

I know I was the one who shopped this order and I didn’t mess it up.

Me: “What was wrong with the order?”

Customer: “First of all, you gave me unfrosted pop tarts when I ordered frosted pop tarts. And you also gave me fat-free chicken broth when I ordered regular chicken broth.”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m the one who shopped your order. You ordered unfrosted pop tarts, so that’s what I gave you. As for the broth, I know chicken broth can come in low salt and salt-free versions, but it’s naturally a fat-free product.”

The customer pulls the chicken broth out of the bag.

Customer: “No, you gave me fat-free and I wanted regular!”

Me: “That is the regular chicken broth. This is what you ordered. I have to scan in every item on your list, and both the broth and the pop tarts scanned.”

Customer: “They’re wrong!”

Me: “If you want, we can exchange the pop tarts for frosted ones easily. I’ll have to talk to my manager about the broth, though.”

Customer: “Fine.”

The customer storms inside to grab what she wants. I run to the customer service desk and give the CSM a heads up as to what’s coming. I also print out the order to show that I gave this customer exactly what she ordered. I hide close enough to overhear the CSM and customer talking.

Customer: “Hi. One of your shoppers messed up my order.”

The customer puts the “wrong” items on the desk along with the “correct” items.

CSM: “Yes, she told me what’s going on. She also printed out your order.”

Customer: “So you know she messed up. She gave me unfrosted pop tarts and fat-free chicken broth.”

CSM: “Actually, she didn’t. If you look here, these are the pop tarts you ordered. It says ‘unfrosted’ right there. That’s what she gave you.”

Customer: “Oh… It must’ve been the computer, then, because I would never order that. Who in their right mind would order unfrosted pop tarts?”

CSM: “Now, as for the chicken broth, again, she gave you what you ordered. This is the UPC here, and it matches the UPC on the container here.”

Customer: “But it’s fat-free! I meant to order this!”

She shoves some name-brand chicken broth at her.

CSM: “Okay, but this is also fat-free.”

The CSM points to where it says, ‘Fat-free on the package.

Customer: “It’s a different type of fat-free.”

CSM: “If you want to exchange the pop tarts, that’s fine. However, because you ordered the store-brand chicken broth, there will be a charge for this.”

Customer: “Okay.”

The customer paid and left. My CSM and I were left wondering what she meant by “different type of fat-free.”