Smile, You’re On Coupon Camera!

It’s a Friday, which for us means freight, and I’ve been in the stockroom most of the morning. I get called up to registers and tell the next customers in line, a couple, that I can help them on my register. They set four items on my counter, all four of which, technically, shouldn’t be on sale this week.

Wife: “Are these on sale?”

Me: “Well, these two could probably be considered wall or table decor, so I would say yes, they’re half-off this week.”

It’s a gray area, really, with these. They sit flat but also have a hook to hang. Usually, we explain the sale and then give it to them, especially if they’re going to make a big deal of it.

Wife: “Okay, and these?”

The other two items they have are crosses, which clearly hang on a wall and are on a separate sale from things that sit on a table.

Me: “These are considered wall decor and are on a different sale, so they’re not on sale this week.”

Husband: “Do you have that coupon?”

We’re not supposed to give customers coupons unless there’s something wrong with their phone or their printed copy doesn’t scan. I have no coupons in my drawer, and it’s busy enough that I don’t want to interrupt my coworker on the other register; plus, this gentleman has his phone out.

Me: “I don’t, unfortunately.”

The husband asks if I can download the store app to his phone and I tell him that technically I’m not allowed to handle customers’ phones, but they don’t need the app; they just need to navigate to the store website and that will also bring up the coupon. At this point, the line has grown, and there are two of us on registers.

Me: “Hey, [Coworker], do we have anyone else on registers?”

Coworker: “Um, [Coworker #2]?”

Me: “I think she’s on break.”

We paged an assistant manager to the front, which was not ideal today with us being short a few coworkers. Meanwhile, my customers had decided to ignore my suggestion of searching the store website for their coupon and only wanted to buy the two items that I’d rung up as on sale. Oy.

If I hadn’t been in view of a camera and it wasn’t audit season, I probably would have just downloaded the app for the customer, but if I’d done it on camera and that footage had been pulled within the next week, I’d have been in trouble. If I’d been a little more patient with them, maybe they would have taken the time to try my suggestion, but they were kind of holding up the line.