Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Maybe I Should Stick With Books

This is the second part of the post that started yesterday. Click here to get caught up…or don't. This post could probably stand on it's own.



After the fiasco at Petco, where I assured them that I would not be locking my new mouse in a sex dungeon wearing a ball gag and attaching tiny nipple clamps, it was time to head to Best Buy to get my Kindle.*

* I'll bet you wish you had read the previous post now, don't you?

Like most men, I hate shopping and don't want to spend any more time inside a store than I absolutely have to. I walked into the store at 9:55, five minutes before they were technically open. By ten o' clock, I already had the item in my hand and found the nearest store associate to check me out.

He takes the Kindle and leads me to the back of the store. When we arrive at his station, he starts typing on the keypad of his computer. After a few minutes, he lets out an exasperated sigh, hangs his head for a moment and starts furiously pounding away again. This goes on for several minutes with him making the occasional grunt of disgust.

He finally looks up at me and apologizes, "I am so sorry. I have been gone a week for training and they made me change my password right before I left. I can't remember it."

He then walks off. I look at my phone and discover that it is 10:12. I had been standing there for close to fifteen minutes and that entire time he was only trying to log into his computer!

At 10:20, I am still standing there wondering where he has gone. I thought he was just going to get help and come right back. I step around the counter to retrieve the box so I can just take it to the front of the store to check out. Once behind the counter, he shows up with another store associate.

He apologizes again and the other associate logs him on before running off to assist another customer. He starts ringing me up and asks if I am part of their rewards program. When I advise him that I am not, he tells me of a few of the perks and assures me that it is free to join. I like free stuff so I agree.

He starts digging through the papers to the side of the computer and mutters, "They must have moved them." He immediately runs off to retrieve the required papers for the rewards program.

It is now 10:27, over half an hour since I entered the store. However, since he took the Kindle with him when he wandered off this time, I can't grab it to check out at the front. I scan the store trying to locate him, but can't see him anywhere. I head back over to the electronics section with the intention of grabbing another Kindle so I can take it up front and forget about the first guy. However, there are no more on the shelves.

I would have left, but I really wanted to buy it that day. Reluctantly, I head back to the sales counter to find that he has come back with the rewards paperwork. He apologizes again and hands me a clipboard with paperwork to fill out.

When I ask him what the papers were for, he advised that they were for the rewards program. I give them back and say I am not interested any more and would like to be on my way. He is obviously disgusted with me since he had taken the time to track down the paperwork for me, but is trying not to show it.

When he goes to scan my item, he discovers that the several minutes of inactivity, caused by him looking for the rewards paperwork, has caused his computer to log out again. He still does not know his password, but tries for several minutes before he tells me what is delaying him.

He looks up, apologizes for the fifteenth time since I have met him and darts off to get someone to help him. Not falling for this again, I take off after him and yell for him to stop.

"Give me the Kindle!"

"But you haven't paid for it yet."

"That's what I want to do, but you can't seem to help me with that!"

I remind him that I originally asked him to check me out a few minutes before ten o' clock. I then pulled out my phone to show him that it was now 10:47. He replied, "Give me a few more minutes and I will have you checked out."

Through clenched teeth I warned him that if he did not immediately hand me the Kindle, I would climb up on his checkout counter and start screaming for a manager. He handed it over. He then gave me a card to present to the cashier so he would get credit for the sale.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Well, I am the one who helped you."

I decided to walk away before I said anything further…or punched him in the spleen.

At the front register, I am asked if I want to join the rewards program.

NO

Do you want the extended warranty?

NO

Do you want any extra accessories like a cover or charger?

NO

As she starts to ask me the next question I cut her off and tell her that I have been in this store for over an hour trying to leave. I do not want anything extra. Just ring me up so I can get out of here.

She politely smiled, apologized and said, "I understand. We'll get you right out. Let's start with your last name."

"What? Why?"

"For the purchase. What is your name?"

I informed her of my counter climbing, manager alerting, screaming idea from earlier and told her how close I was to doing it again. Scan the item, swipe my card and let me leave. Why does this have to be so difficult?

Thirty seconds later, I was on my way out the door with my purchase proving that it could be done. I got to the car at 11:04. Since it had only taken me a few minutes to pick up the Kindle in the store, that means it took over an hour for me to check out. I thought technology was supposed to make things more efficient.

33 comments:

  1. I spent almost two hours at Best Buy trying to buy my iPad. I feel your pain.

    Great story, as always! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not just me then. Not a good thing, but makes me feel a little better.

      Delete
  2. Ugh! That is horrible! I can't believe the cashier guy had the guts to hand you that card for getting credit for the sale. That's insane. lol. We haven't done any major purchasing from Best Buy for quite a while so I cannot attest to the madness that is making a purchase. We have been making large purchases at either Microcenter in St. Louis or Scott AFB.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was insane. And I couldn't get the guy to understand what I was upset about.

      Delete
  3. That's why I spend most of my money at Amazon. I can't stand dealing with people in stores! What a brave man you are!!

    Also...What happened to the mouse? Did you leave it alone in the car for an hour? Bring it in with you? I have been worried sick about that poor little snake snack for nearly 24 hours!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I generally online shop. I only went in because it was right there and thought it would be faster. I was wrong.

      The mouse went in with me. I had him a carry box.

      Delete
  4. This happened to us when we were buying a car for our son. The newspaper advertised the price and we arrived with a cashier's check made out to the dealership---a cash transaction. We didn't leave with the car until five hours later. I swear I'm not exaggerating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no justifiable reason for that to happen.

      Delete
  5. Horrible! Yikes! Why does every store have a rewards program these days? Also, why do the cashiers all have scripts that are 5 paragraphs long? Sorry to hear about your experience. You should file a complaint, but then again, the automated menu will have you on hold for a good 38 minutes.

    You should get an extended warranty on your Kindle, though. Those things break easily. Plus, it'll save you from having to go through that spiel again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The extended warranty was for three years and as $20 more than the price of the Kindle. I decided to risk it.

      Delete
  6. Your a better man than me, I would have walked out. We went to Kmart once, shopped for half an hour, took it to the layaway department, pushed the button and heard the page for help at the layaway department and after 5 minutes with no help. I left everything on the counter and walked out. I feel they apparently didn't want my business. There is no way I would have waited that long.

    BTW - I got my Kindle Fire at Walmart, took about 5 minutes. Sorry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I pressed the intercom button at Wal-Mart once to ask for assistance of their PA system. That got help real quick. I had waited 20 minutes, I figured I had earned the right.

      Delete
  7. I'm with Jeff. I'd totally walk out. Especially since you had just picked up my nook which I had left behind.

    Barnes & Noble staff are incredibly easy to work with. Just sayin'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wanted it that day and it was the cheapest I could find it anywhere. The only thing I would change was how long it took me to get upset.

      Delete
  8. Technology doesn't help people who left their brains at home... or wherever the dude went for training.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also, I hope you let us know if it was worth all of that. I'm considering putting it on my Christmas list so I can always have some reading material at hand, that doesn't weigh 10 pounds and take up all the room in my purse. lol

      Delete
    2. So far, I definitely think it was worth it. I love it.

      Delete
  9. This makes buying the mouse sound almost pleasant Ha Ha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was. The mouse, while confusing, was a much better experience.

      Delete
  10. Oy vey. You should have gotten up on the counter just on principle after that. Would have served them right!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i was able to get out before it got ugly. Had it not been for the deal they were offering, I would have given up much earlier.

      Delete
  11. I wanted to slug the guy. This stuff makes me crazy. You were very patient; I salute you. It's never enough to simply purchase something. Now you have to get yet another piece of useless plastic to hang on your keychain and answer a battery of personal questions. I once told a check out person at a kids' clothing store that I didn't want to give her my email address and she was visibly offended. And I love the "is that all?" Yes, it is. I'm buying something. If I want something else, I'll be back. Oy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. K-Mart has gotten in the habit of this. They want my zip coed just to buy a pair of socks and don't understand when I refuse to give it.

      Delete
  12. I know where you are coming from. If I go intoi a shop I know exactly what I want and purchase it with minimum fuss. I made the mistake of going shopping with ex once (only once not counting grocery shopping).

    We were in the shop for almost an hour and at the end of it she didn't buy anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Luckily, I date a wonderful woman now who despises shopping as much as I do. We get in and get out. She does not draw out the process. We leave that for the store associates.

      Delete
  13. hi, i'm following the "i don't like mondays" blog hop. i would love for you to visit my blog and follow if you like it.

    http://www.blackinkpaperie.blogspot.com

    thanks
    new follower bev
    ps. i feel your pain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by. I'll come over to check it out.

      Delete
  14. I hate Best Buy - I will NEVER shop there again. The return policy is nothing short of a scam, and their computers shut down at the worst moment. I had one of their computers crap out just seconds after I swiped my card - which of course made the kid have to reboot, and do the transaction all over again. I said, "I'm not paying for that twice." Of course he assured me the transaction had been "lost" and it wouldn't show up twice. Guess what happened when I called the bank on the way out of the store?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I once bought a soda at a convenience store. When they handed me my receipt, it was for over 11 dollars. When I showed it to her, she said, "Oh the lady before you bought a bunch of stuff with her LINK card (Illinois Public aid) and it hadn't cleared off yet."

      I told her I didn't care about the woman before me, but this receipt says that I paid for her stuff. Despite me holding that receipt, she insisted that I had not been charged.

      I asked when she got off to ensure she would be there for a while, drove straight home, pulled up my bank account and printed off the $11 transaction that I just knew would be there and went back in.

      THEN, she was willing to admit, "Oh, I guess you paid for her stuff."

      Delete
  15. Yep. This is exactly why I do 98% of my shopping online. I hate people; salespeople top my list of People I Hate. Especially the not-very-bright salespeople...they make me all ragey-like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Couldn't agree more. I really hate a salesperson who doesn't know his product. If you represent the store and are selling a product, then you should know all about it.

      Then, they have the nerve to want the commission on a sale that they had nothing to do with other than being the one standing there.

      Delete
  16. And that is why brick and mortar stores can't make it anymore. Has anyone heard of CUSTOMER SERVICE? Not the fake, let me get you a rewards card or an extended warranty kind. The 'let me get you the hell out of here ASAP so you want to come back" kind!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. And that's all I want is to leave. I did not come to make chit chat or give your company any info so you can harass me for the next couple of years. Offer a decent price and get me out quick and I will be back the next time I need something.

      Delete

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