Time You Enjoy Wasting Is Not Wasted Time

So today after work I needed to pick up milk and cheese. I ran to the supermarket that is closest to work figuring it would be the quickest in and out. However I did not plan for the sheer deception and apathy that awaited me. I walked to the back where the cheese was, and decided on the pre-shredded mozzarella since Karen was making pizza and I didn’t feel like shredding the cheese. I noticed at least 6 signs proclaiming the store brand cheese was 2 for $4.00. I figured that was a pretty good deal so I grabbed two packages, got my milk and went to checkout.

Now this particular store is notorious for having checkout lines lit (the lit sign usually indicates the line is open) but no one actually staffing the line. This time though someone actually came to the line when they saw me approach. Perhaps this trip would be different? Maybe I could get out without any hassles or getting pissed off.

How wrong I was. She scans my items and tells me my total is around $12. No way. 2 for $4 + $2.99 for the milk is $6.99 and there’s no way I’m paying $12. So she checks and wouldn’t you know it the cheese I grabbed, the cheese that was right next to all of those sale signs, isn’t the cheese that is on sale. So I have to go back to the back of the store to get the right cheese and then checkout again. Of course by this time there is now a line, so I have to wait. While I am waiting the cashier asks if I’d like to speak to the manager since I had mentioned I’d like to lodge a complaint. I can tell the cashier is disgusted and figures I am an idiot. The manager comes over and seems unable to understand why I am upset by his stores deceptive placement of non-sale items right next to the sale signs. I am sure that they do this on purpose since if people are buying a lot of things they might not notice if there bill was a few dollars more. But alas I only had the 3 items so they couldn’t trick me. However, Mr. Manager, here’s a customer service tip, from me to you. Even if you have no intention of following up with it, the correct response to my complaint would have been along the lines of “I’ll look into that. Perhaps the signs were placed in a confusing manner.” The correct response is not to act like it should have been obvious which items were on sale. Obviously it was confusing, so to act otherwise is just insulting. So next time I’ll happily drive down the road to that other store, your competitor, the one you should be trying to keep me from going to instead of making me hate your store even more.