[McEngle]

I went to ALbertsons today with great success (saved $120 spent $82 on a months worth of groceries thanks to this site)! Unfortunately, that wasn't the issue. The cashier was perfectly helpful and pleasant to me, we had a nice genuine conversation about what else? Couponing.

As I was getting everything situated to go, the woman in line behind me had one bottle of Juicy Juice and the same perfectly pleasant cashier yelled, "you should know you can't get Juicy Juice on WIC!" It was loud enough for all three lines to hear because the woman replied, "another cashier had told me it was WIC approved" The cashier asked, "who?" and the woman pointed at the cashier next to us. Then the cashier yelled across the aisle, "did you tell her that juicy juice was WIC approved?"

I left feeling very bad for this woman who was publicly humiliated and confronted by this cashier. It's weighed heavy on my heart all day. I am kicking myself now for not buying that juice for that woman just to to pay it forward to show her that compassion and kindness still exists. I am tempted to call or write about this experience because in this day and age, people are suffering financially. They don't need some cashier treating them like a burden to society. I am torn because the cashier was so nice to me. Should I complain? If so, how should I go about it?

[fancy1]

Wow, sorry to hear about your experience. I'd say... do what you're comfortable doing. It's a tough call and I've always hated calling out good employees. BUT, I'm also one of those defenders of the little people, the rescuer of the kittens up trees....
Let us know what you decide.....

[lattegirl]

That's unfortunate. Sometimes I think the cashiers don't think of the embarrassment they could cause by their actions or words.

[cddwil]

wow, what a horrible experience for everyone involved.

[cundiff2001]

I would go to the manager and tell him/her exactly what you told us. You don't want to get her in trouble, but she needs to learn a little compassion and how to be a little more discrete when dealing with such situations. That lady might not return to that store because of the situation and that will be lost sales for the store.

[McEngle]

Update: I went to ALbys today and while I was there a floor manager asked me if I was finding everything alright. I told him I was, but if he had a minute, I would like to share my last shopping experience with him. I told him what happened and expressed that I did not want to call anyone out because I was not sure if there was some history with this particular customer. I advised him that perhaps they need to be more sensitive and discreet with people on assistance because it could happen to any of us and I know that I would want to be treated the same as any other customer. He thanked me for my input and said that he would be bringing this up in a staff meeting and implementing a code of conduct in regards to these situations. I felt like he was genuine. On a related note, since I had technically complained, I felt like I had to balance it out. I had recieved such friendly gracious service at BBW that I took a few minutes to email a compliment; but on that letter, I did name names!

[lattegirl]

Great job!

[Mantha]

It sounds like you handled that very well!!

[bjanddee]

That is a very good thing you did. My sister has lost her job, as has her husband, due to the economy, and has had to get food stamps. i also tell her about any coupon deals i find, to help the food stamps go farther. It is hard for her being unemployed and having to go on assistance, as i am sure it is for everyone. It doesnt help to get humiliated in front of the world. Thank you.

[cddwil]

on your update, nicely done on how you handled the situation!

[Michele625]

Awesome that you followed up! I personally love Alby's and since becoming a coupon-addict I find that their customer service tops all the other stores. Their cashiers really are fantastic about coupons!

The fact that the cashier you are referring to demonstrated complete unprofessionalism, it is important for management to know that. I had a long conversation with our local manager when I was there the other day and she asked me to please contact her personally if I ever leave the store unsatisfied with an experience (we also had a conversation about my experiences with Qs at WalMart and Safeway!)

I thing you handled it perfectly. Probably confronting the cashier right then could have caused more embarassment, but making sure to follow up becuase in your heart you knew it was the right thing, was perfect. In this day and age where everyone is competing even harded for our dollars, customer service MUST be at the forefront!

Congrats to you and a "pat on the back" for taking the time to let the mgr know, but also to give him warm fuzzies about their good service too!

[funwithrebates]

You did the right thing. I grew up on food stamps, and it was really tough back then as it is now. That was when my mom taught me to use coupons and such. I have been using them ever since.

The cashiers at my Albies are usually very nice about coupons. I even have a favourite checker who also uses coupons.

[roseminxe]

Originally Posted by Michele625

Awesome that you followed up! I personally love Alby's and since becoming a coupon-addict I find that their customer service tops all the other stores. Their cashiers really are fantastic about coupons!

The fact that the cashier you are referring to demonstrated complete unprofessionalism, it is important for management to know that. I had a long conversation with our local manager when I was there the other day and she asked me to please contact her personally if I ever leave the store unsatisfied with an experience (we also had a conversation about my experiences with Qs at WalMart and Safeway!)

I thing you handled it perfectly. Probably confronting the cashier right then could have caused more embarassment, but making sure to follow up becuase in your heart you knew it was the right thing, was perfect. In this day and age where everyone is competing even harded for our dollars, customer service MUST be at the forefront!

Congrats to you and a "pat on the back" for taking the time to let the mgr know, but also to give him warm fuzzies about their good service too!

I too find that Albertsons over all the stores I shop at has the best customer service--they are always for the most part looking to please the customer :-)

[amandatockert]

okay, I don't shop this store and am in a different state if it matters, But in Indiana the Juicy Juice is shown in the cheater form for WIC participants to know what they can buy.
I'm glad you stood up for the shopper. Alot of times them food is for the baby and I know I will go through alot to feed my son, but the first time I used the WIC voucher I felt like a criminal

PS hubby and I are both working and we still qualify. You'd be amazed what some of the living wages in different areas are.

[couponfairy101]

wonderful thanks for ur post -- kindness still does exist in the world -- its truly sad sometimes when u see such disregard for other shoppers -- thanks for pointing it out to the manager -- i pray he found a way to express to his employees how to handle this in a more pleasant manner