Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Sams

We do some shopping at Sam’s Club for bulk stuff such as diapers, dog and cat food, litter and other various items. One of the things that really bothers me about Sam’s is the whole post-checkout-checkout.

They usually have some person standing at the exit door checking your receipt against the items in your cart. What sucks, is that the line for the post-checkout-checkout, is usually 5 times longer than the register checkout lines. I just waited ten minutes to pay for my stuff and now I have to wait even longer just to leave the store. They already have my money for crying out loud.

The Sam’s PCC person (9 out of 10 times is a blue-hair) count the items in the cart, compare it against the receipt and they use a marker or pen to put a line through the receipt. And if you have a kid with you and the PCC person is being nice they will draw a “happy face” on the receipt. Wow! A happy face receipt. I am going to frame it and put over my mantle.

If Sam’s is so worried about theft that they require to have the PCC person double check receipts they should just design the store differently. Instead of having a huge open area, with people coming and going, where they require a person to inspect the purchases, they should just build a wall. I can draw my own happy faces.

21 comments:

Unknown said...

Jeepers, Bill. Who peed on your cheerios this morning?

(If you have more than one kid, they will argue over who gets to hold the happy face receipt. Consider yourself warned)

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Anonymous said...

yes yes and thousand times YES.

Walmart is doing this also, when you have an item that isn't "bagged" in your cart. Such as a large box of ramon noodle soups or big laundry detergent bottles...

If it's not bagged, they want to see the receipt at the door. Problem is the receipt got shoved in one of the 100 bags I just put into my cart (btw, whatever happened to bag boys who did this for you?) and have NO clue where it is amongst them all. But instead of just assuming since I just spent 300$ on groceries and the 4$ that is "unbagged" shouldn't pose a problem for my wallet, they dig through bags of items until they're all scattered and falling out.

- Jon
- Daddy Detective
- www.daddydetective.com

Effie said...

Here, I can draw a happy face too, but you'll have to wait in line for it (haha)
o o
^
\_/

Redneck Mommy said...

I'm hopping on your bandwagon this morning! I just went to Costco yesterday and I stood in line waiting to get out of the damn store longer than I stood in line waiting to pay for the damn items I wanted. Who ever thought of this system outta be sentenced to a lifetime of slow moving lines monitered by the blue haired crowd. For eternity.

Michelle said...

Just another reason to stay home and order online. I cannot stand to wait that way. With my three kids, at least one would be screaming, one would be running away and one would have a dirty diaper. I'm better off at home!

Odd Mix said...

The thing about this that baffles me at costco is that they don't realy check - they just do the eyeball estimate. I think they just really like drawing smiley faces.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you Bill! We also do a lot of shopping at Sam's, and it's so annoying to have to stand in that line just waiting to leave the store. Plus, I am 100% convinced that they're just doing it for show. I've only been shopping there for a little over a year now, but I've never seen anyone count my stuff, look at the receipt, and have to recount! Unless they advertise for people who can count like Rain Man, I think it's all just estimates anyway. How frustrating!

Anonymous said...

2 words - Pea Pod. Groceries to your door and put on the kitchen counter.

Anonymous said...

Our local Philly WALMART checks every receipt on exit, but not really close, in NJ they don't do this check, but do have a blue hair wave at you as you leaver BJs does the same as Sams Club in Philly and in NJ, but they punch the receipt and let your kid do it if so accompanied. Lowes and Home Depot do the checks in Philly but not in NJ. So SAMs and BJs are paranoild everywhere. Walmart only in areas with high crime or poor people. Lowes and Home Depot are also only paranoid where the poor are concerned.

Anonymous said...

:O (happy face with a round mouth)
:) (happy face!)

yeah...sam's club...I've never been there...will next time..I Love BULK ITEMS!

Anonymous said...

Next time pull your pants down at the post check out checkout. Give the lady a thrill. Ask her to put a smiley face on your right cheek.

Anonymous said...

I agree. The worst is that the line for PCC cuts off the people trying to get in the store.

And how the heck do you successfully steal a BULK item. Ooooh let me slip this years supply of deodorant under my coat. Or see if they notice this Firestone tire behind my back!

Lowa said...

Shelley,

Ya wanna borrow a few of my FOUR KIDS!?!?! LOL

Like Circus Kelli said, if you have more than one, they argue. Sometimes I have some of my kids hold the stupid thing all together. It is unreal what kids will fight over. Then they argue about who she meant the happy face FOR.

She drew that for ME!

NO!! She looked at ME when she was drawing it!!


*sigh*

Luckily my two oldest ones have grown out of this and the 6 year old is catching up. So soon the 5 year old will get to hold all the stuoid smiley face receipts that she wants to!

The best idea is to go by myself:)

Kami said...

BWAAAHAHAHAHAHHA.

Yeah, they do that shit at Costco, too.

Anonymous said...

Bill,
You'd be amazed at how much stuff my buddies stole from Sams Club when it was called Pace. They worked there but they could get just about anything I wanted from there.

Unknown said...

The Sam's post-checker checkers that I have encountered rarely count all my shit and don't hold me up at all. :P

Marilyn said...

Several years ago I almost dropped my Sam's membership over this. I wrote a letter to some big wig about it stating that I am a PAYING MEMBER of this "club" and am treated like a darn criminal for heaven's sake. I outlined the whole hassle right from walking in the door. I have to get my card out to show. Fine, I put it back in my wallet and do my shopping. Then the whole check out mess begins. Haul out the card again before we can even start the checking out. I had bought some of their insulated bags since we were living in Phoenix where the temperature was 100 degrees, I didn't feel like my ice cream would survive well on the trip home. They would not let me put the stuff in the bags at the check out. I had to wait UNTIL I WAS OUTSIDE!!!! Kind of defeated the purpose. And of course having to get the card back, but that back in the wallet but BE SURE to keep it out for the door checker. I told this big wig that I had shopped in many place in my life, that some gave a pretty pink bag when you bought something and went out the door, some places put it in a plastic grocery bag before you go out the door, but none of them did all this malarkey. I ended up getting a call from the local manager who apologized but sited losses etc. I too recommended that they redesign the checkout area of the store. They ended up giving me a year's free membership. My son worked at a similar place once and they did it so that they could establish EVERYONE "get's checked" so that when someone they are suspicious of needs to be checked out they can't be accused of picking people out of the crowd. I suppose it makes sense in a way but it sure ticks me off each and every time I go there. My husband said just don't go but I guess I love the misery!

Anonymous said...

Now that you and "Mimley" have gotten the whole Sam's routine off your chests, do you feel better? I love "Circus Kelli's expression, " Who peed on your Cheerios this morning". Love it! I will surely use that one in the future. Never heard it before. What on earth could that blue hair do to you, if you just walked out. Blue hairs can not run fast. Half the time, they can't even walk fast. Do they walkie-talkie to a muscle man or a weight lifter to come after you? I don't go to Sam's anymore, cause I'm a White-Hair myself. The store is too large an area for me to cover. I get a backache walking from one end of the place to the other. You guys are awesome! I laugh so much when I read P&B. Thanks for the fun!Bill, who peed on your Cheerios this morning? Love it!

Anonymous said...

I am totally against the PCCs. And I put an end to it today. I went to Sam's; spent $220; and left WITHOUT showing my receipt. The "gentlemen" blue hair at the door Held out his hand (for the receipt). I said, "No thanks." He then said, "M'am, I need to see your receipt." I said, "No. I paid for these things, they belong to me, and you have no right to check my receipt." And continued walking. He did nothing.

I understand WHY they do it. But is infringes upon my rights as a US citizen! THEIR cashier already checked my buggy and rang up everthing. How dare they treat me like a common criminal! I will not stand for it any longer. And God help them if they come after me or touch me! Not only am I a former police officer, but now I manage a law firm. Think of the lawsuit!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I run the Member Service Dept. at a Costco warehouse. We're not checking to see if you are stealing. We are checking to make sure the cashiers are doing their job properly. 90% of the time i find errors that favor the member. I am also aware of the coupon items and often save members money. Of course, I do like drawing happy faces, it's one of the highlights of my day. BTW, there isn't a single person w/ blue hair in my dept. just thought you'd like to know this.

Anonymous said...

UH, Mr. Costco "runner of Membership Dept.", you can kiss my butt. I have heard that lame reasoning before. We are not as dumb as you think we are. This is nothing but a hassle on honest people to weed out the few bad ones. Get a real job or come up with a better excuse. PLEASE!!!