Who here has worked in a grocery store (also a vent)

userdeleted

So by some miracle I managed to drag myself to the grocery store this morning, just to get some basics so that we don't all starve. I had a whole cart, got the check out, and realized I had left my $*#()@ wallet in the diaper bag but brought my purse with me. I rooted around and found my check book, but no ID. I have been in there like twice a week at least for over two years, so I figured I'd try my luck and see if they'd let me write a check without ID. The cashier called the manager, the manager said no, which I'll admit I was a little annoyed by, but I know that in reality this is for my protection and I have no legitimate reason to be mad about that. I should have asked for the other manager because I'm 99% sure that guy would have recognized me at least.

The real problem was that he offered to hold the cart for me, but I said I wouldn't be able to come back for quite awhile. I had to go right then and pick up the kids, they needed to get down for naps after that, and then I have a research study this afternoon and work right after that. So DH would have had to go pick up the stuff probably when the kids went down at like 8. The guy said that was too long and my only option was to have everything put back and reshop later!

So, my question, if you've worked in a grocery store, is there seriously a time limit on how long a cart can wait for someone to come back? I honestly was pretty ticked that because I made an idiot mistake that the 40 min I spent shopping was completely wasted and I still have no food in my house. Now DH is going to have to go tonight, so who knows what we're going to end up with. I feel like that was really terrible customer service. Is there a real reason that they were not able to just hold the cart for me? 

michelleaxo

I would be sooo annoyed. The least he could have done was put it in the cold milk storage area so that nothing spoiled until you were able to come back.

brideonjuly8

Huh.  I don't know. Usually they just wheel the whole thing to the cooler, but I'm not sure if that would have kept any frozen from thawing. 

Bummer!  And I've totally done that too, if it makes you feel any better.  

userdeleted

brideonjuly8:

Huh.  I don't know. Usually they just wheel the whole thing to the cooler, but I'm not sure if that would have kept any frozen from thawing. 

Bummer!  And I've totally done that too, if it makes you feel any better.  

I really should have asked if I could just put the two frozen things I had back and left the rest in the cooler. I was so mad at myself and the situation I was about to start crying (which I am going to go ahead and blame on the pregnancy) and I had to get out of there before I turned into a big weepy mess. 

amyliisa

brideonjuly8:

Huh.  I don't know. Usually they just wheel the whole thing to the cooler, but I'm not sure if that would have kept any frozen from thawing. 

Bummer!  And I've totally done that too, if it makes you feel any better.  

Don't know the answer but I would have guessed it has something to do with the perishables in your cart?  Honestly, it doesn't really seem that unreasonable to me that they didn't want to hold it till after 8pm.  There will likely be an entirely different crew of employees on duty, someone would inevitably not get the message that the cart was being saved for you, they'd wonder what it was doing there and end up putting everything back, which would make you have to re-shop anyway.  That would be my luck anyway.  I'm sorry, I know it's frustrating!

Your luck reminds me of mine - last night I was trying to make my annual photo calendars for all the grandparents on vistaprint.com.  I thought the 50% off deal ended at 11pm, and I was scrambling to get it done.  The photo upload system was really confusing me because each calendar, for different people, had different photos I was putting into it.  So to try to cut down my confusion, after I built one calendar, I deleted some photos from my library in and uploaded others that went in the next calendar I was building.  Got them all done by 10:30, only to find out that the photos I had deleted from my library, also got deleted from the calendars I'd already created.  I was able to add the photos back to my library, but there was no way to edit the calendars to re-add them.  I got someone on the phone from customer service, at 10:52, and she confirmed - no way to re-add them.  Have to start over and re-build those calendars.  UGH.  (good news is that I was wrong and the special ends on Friday, so I get to do it all over again tonight....)

userdeleted

MrsRosie:

ETA: I just realized the potential problem.  I only had to run home and back, and the cashier put the transaction on "hold" on the register.  I wonder if the problem was that the same cashier would be clocked out when you got back?

They hadn't started to ring anything up yet for me

MrsMillerTime

I don't think there's necessarily a rule about how long they can/can't hold stuff, but you were essentially asking them to hold perishables for 10+ hours before you came back to get it.  AND, if you didn't come back to pick it up someone from their store would have to (after 8pm when majority of the management/customer service staff is off work, mind you) put EVERYTHING back on the shelves.

I get that the situation suuuuuuuuucked for you but I don't think you can really be too pissed at the store. 

userdeleted

MrsMillerTime:

I don't think there's necessarily a rule about how long they can/can't hold stuff, but you were essentially asking them to hold perishables for 10+ hours before you came back to get it.  AND, if you didn't come back to pick it up someone from their store would have to (after 8pm when majority of the management/customer service staff is off work, mind you) put EVERYTHING back on the shelves.

I get that the situation suuuuuuuuucked for you but I don't think you can really be too pissed at the store. 

Blaargh. Well when you put it that way they sound practically reasonable. Now I can only be mad at myself. Where's the fun in that? 

Nessia

MrsMillerTime:

I don't think there's necessarily a rule about how long they can/can't hold stuff, but you were essentially asking them to hold perishables for 10+ hours before you came back to get it.  AND, if you didn't come back to pick it up someone from their store would have to (after 8pm when majority of the management/customer service staff is off work, mind you) put EVERYTHING back on the shelves.

I get that the situation suuuuuuuuucked for you but I don't think you can really be too pissed at the store. 

I worked at H-E-B as a cashier all through HS and College and my mom has worked for them for as long as I can remember.

1) They totally could have accepted your check without ID, especially if it has your DL# on it or you have it memorized. They run checks through one of those check clearing things that makes sure you haven't had bad checks before.

2) They could have held your groceries until 8 by putting them in the cooler. They have plenty of staff (as long as no one calls in sick) in the evenings to return items to shelves.  They plan for this because there are always a lot items that need to go back that have accumulated throughout the day. They usually place all the non-perishables in a certain area and at night when it does slow down they'll have people put it back. Many nights when I was working until 10, 11 or even midnight I would be pulled from the register to return items.

3) If it was H-E-B, it was just bad customer service and not standard procedure.  The only excuse I might give them is if you were visiting a "ghetto" H-E-B where they do deal with a lot of bad checks or people saying they'll come back when they don't. You know the H-E-B's that have lo-jacks on the carts.

amyliisa

Nessia:

MrsMillerTime:

I don't think there's necessarily a rule about how long they can/can't hold stuff, but you were essentially asking them to hold perishables for 10+ hours before you came back to get it.  AND, if you didn't come back to pick it up someone from their store would have to (after 8pm when majority of the management/customer service staff is off work, mind you) put EVERYTHING back on the shelves.

I get that the situation suuuuuuuuucked for you but I don't think you can really be too pissed at the store. 

I worked at H-E-B as a cashier all through HS and College and my mom has worked for them for as long as I can remember.

1) They totally could have accepted your check without ID, especially if it has your DL# on it or you have it memorized. They run checks through one of those check clearing things that makes sure you haven't had bad checks before.

I'm pretty sure the ID policy has gotten much more stringent recently, more due to stolen/fraudulent checks than hot checks.  In my job we get a lot of check forgery cases, and our HEB up here used to be the WORST about checking ID and letting people pass stolen/forged checks that didn't belong to them.  It could be dependent on the specific store but I know that in recent years our "ghetto" HEB has adopted a zero tolerance policy on photo ID with checks.

SaraLouiseBride08

All I have to say is, how were you not totally sobbing?! I would have been a mess, and well beyound "almost crying." I'd say you handled it pretty damn well!

L L CG

I did that once at the CC HEB.  They put it in the cold storage for me and DH went and got it after work.  The manager you encountered was a douche.

L L CG

MrsRosie:

This happened to me at the Parmer/Mopac HEB, but my wallet was at home.  They took the cart with all my bagged-up groceries and stuck it back in one of the walk-in refrigerated areas.  They were totally nice about it and said it happens all the time, absolutely no problem.

ETA: I just realized the potential problem.  I only had to run home and back, and the cashier put the transaction on "hold" on the register.  I wonder if the problem was that the same cashier would be clocked out when you got back?

Who cares?  They could have re-rung it up.  Still no need to make her re-gather all of the items.