Anyone work in retail at holiday time?

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-22-1999
Anyone work in retail at holiday time?
14
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 7:34pm

Do you work in retail at holiday time? How is your store doing so far this year for holiday sales? What are you thinking when someone hands you their credit card to pay for a purchase? When someone makes a large purchase or buys an expensive item or an item you really wanted, how do you feel? Have you declined a sale to someone? Have you learned anything personally from working in retail in regard to spending?

Littlesbigs

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 8:50pm


I don't currently work in retail, but I did for years during and before college (Kmart and Toys-R-Us). It used to bother me when a card didn't go through. And as soon as I said, "They'd like me to call in the purchase for approval", the customer would look so shocked and embarrassed. I felt so bad for them because most of the time, the card was just fine. Most were understanding about it....but a few were very angry with me. It was bad for checks also that were denied. I can only imagine that checks have gotten more difficult with the new law saying businesses can treat checks like debits and withdraw the money without waiting days for the check to clear. As soon as that law passed, I knew that it would be hard for many families this holiday season.

Patty

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-16-1999
Mon, 12-06-2004 - 9:20pm
I too used to work retail (management). A number of times I would have to not only call in the card but actually pull the card and destroy it in front of the customer. It was horrible. I always tried to do it someplace where other customers could not see or hear what was happening. It was difficult to see people spend money they didn't have. Or to try to find gifts they could afford when you knew they didn't have much money to spend. I found that it did not bother me to see people buy things I wanted. I was pretty grounded about why I was working (to pay bills) and simply wanted make money. I have never been all that into buying things so watching people buy things I could not afford was not that big a deal for me. It was sometimes a conflict for me that I was paid spiffs by boosting people or getting them to buy more. I sold high end things like cameras and electronics so I seldom sold anything anyone actually needed.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 1:42pm

I worked for a Disney video kiosk at Christmas in 1999. It was the first year that Disney started releasing their movies on DVD, and they started with 9 all at once. DVDs weren't cheap in 1999, since they were still in the gaining popularity stage. My store sold the Disney DVDs for, if I remember correctly, at least $30 each, plus taxes. I had several people (the serious Disney collectors) buy all 9 at once - to a tune of over $300. At the time, I was struggling very hard, and sort of resented the fact that some people could just throw that kind of money around. Back then, $300 was my share of a month's rent.

Of course, just because these people were spending it, didn't mean they could afford it. I clearly remember one woman visibly cringing when I gave her the total, yet she bought them all anyway.









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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-21-2004
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 3:06pm
I gotta ask this question cause I've never understood it, but why would you(they) destroy a cc? I honestly don't grab the concept.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 3:15pm

Is it to prevent people from using it in other stores that might not call in the card? To help consumers from spending over their limit? I've wondered this myself.

Patty

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-16-1999
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 7:06pm
I think it was to prevent them from using them at other stores. Way back then not every store used an electronic scanner. I think under a certain limit we were not required to call anything in. The only reason people got caught in our department is that everything was so expensive that almost every transaction required follow up. The one thing was the you were paid $50 for every card you pulled. Heck of a way to make $50.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-21-2004
Tue, 12-07-2004 - 9:54pm
Ok still doesn't make sense to me since those people need to be responsible for their own actions. I would be Pi$$ed if someone did that to me but then again, I would never go past my limit. lol I just have never seen this happen before. I've heard of it happening but thought it was a old wives tale. lol
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Wed, 12-08-2004 - 8:13am
I think it has to do with the concept that the piece of plastic actually belongs to the cc company, not the consumer (check the 10-page agreements we all sign, LOL). I worked in a drug store in high school where I called in many cards (usually they just wanted to speak to the customer on the phone and make sure it was really them) and was asked to cut at least one. I was polite and discreet, even at that age. There are some valid reasons for seizing a card--could be that the card holder has gone significantly over their limit and is not paying their minimums (and has been ordered to return the card but keeps using it); or it could be that the account has been closed by either party and is just no longer valid. Once I was told on the phone that the card had been stolen, and was asked to try to stall/keep the 'customer' there until the police came!




Avatar for cl_beckymk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 12-09-2004 - 5:36pm

And here I thought it was because it was possibly a stolen card!


I know when I worked retail, it was always the possibility of having to confiscate a card (I never had to do it) but we were to give them a number to call, etc... to explain why or something of that nature.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-21-2004
Fri, 12-10-2004 - 1:24pm
See I was more thinking that the person just went over the limit and instead of just denying it they cut it. You gave a very good logical explanation though.
It just put the pic of dh in my head when he has gone over limit. Not much thankfully but even a dollar makes me mad lol. But it would still make me mad if they were to cut his card. I was thinking of that kind of scenario.

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