Paying with a credit or debit card should be easy, right? However, that usually isn’t the case because every grocery or retail store has a different card reader machine. Many customers get frustrated because they’re all different and we get frustrated because they fail to follow the directions on the screen. If they just paid some attention to the prompts on the screen, things would be a lot easier.
Clueless Cardholder: When do I slide my club card?
Me: When the reader asks you to, or I can slide it for you.
Clueless Cardholder: Now what do I do?
Me: What’s it say?
Clueless Cardholder: Select payment.
Me: OK, what kind of payment is it?
Clueless Cardholder: Debit.
Me: Press debit.
Clueless Cardholder: Then what?
Me: Enter your pin number.
Clueless Cardholder: Now?
Me: Yes, now.
Clueless Cardholder: I pressed the wrong button. How do I clear?
Me: Press the clear button.
Clueless Cardholder: OK, then what?
Me: I think it’s asking if you want cash back.
Clueless Cardholder: I don’t want cash back.
Me: Press the NO button.
Clueless Cardholder: Where’s the NO button?
Me: Below the YES button.
Clueless Cardholder: It says THANK YOU.
Me: Here’s your receipt, have a great day.
Next customer…
Clueless Cardholder II: When do I slide my club card?
Me: …
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Guilty as charged. I don’t pay attention to the prompts. But I’m usually more worried about the bag boy stalking me to my car (I’m capable of doing it myself), flirting with my daughter (Eww!), and fishing for a tip (because I never have cash).
I always pay attention to the prompts. What gets me is when they hide the little pad in the first place. This was hilarious though. It was the same way when I worked in a convenience store.
I’m SO ASHAMED – that’s probably me!!! Sorry….
I’ve worked off and on at a small grocery store in Lancaster County, PA. For the longest time, we had this rediculous card swiping machine. The first problem I noticed with it was that it had this picture that was supposed to inform customers how to swipe their card. But the picture was so confusing looking that it actually, more often then not, prompted customers to swipe their card in the WRONG way. As if that wasn’t enough, there was another major flaw in it. The cancel button, which did nothing but cancel the order, had the word “No” on it. So, about every other debit order, when a customer didn’t want cash back, they would hit the “no” button and would have to start all over again. It was because of these horrible flaws that I would here 80% of customers mention how the card machines were diffent everywhere. I recently came back to this grocery store to work some holiday hours and noticed that they got new machines. This was a relief. I assumed that theire would be no annoying flaws on the new high tech machines that would confuse customers. Turns out I was dead wrong. On THESE machines, when it comes time to sign for credit, a message comes up that says “do not use pen” Of course we cashiers know that this message refers to not using a real pen as opposed to the plastic pen attached to the machine. But, because of this confusing message, the days when half of the customers are confused by our machines are FAR from over. But what can you do? Thier different everywhere.
And those are the people who are ALWAYS in the queue in front of me. Always.