Just give me a sticker already!

When you just need one item and so you quick stop at a store thinking… “Shouldn’t take but a few minutes, in & out and on my way.”

Oh, but when you’re in a hurry and not in a familiar part of town or in a store you never frequent…a quick stop turns into an argument that leads to yelling.

Here’s how it went…

Me: I don’t need a bag, it’s one item, I can carry it.
Clerk: Sir, we need to put your item in a bag so you can leave the store.
Me: it’s only one item, I don’t want a bag, I’ll carry it
Clerk: Sir, we don’t want you to be arrested for shoplifting
Me: why the hell would I be arrested for shoplifting, the exit door is like 20 feet away and you have no security and you are clearly seeing me purchase the item
Clerk: its store policy that everything being purchased gets bagged
Me: clearly you’re just doing your job, but I don’t want a bag, and by not taking a bag I’m saving the store money
Clerk: Sir, shall I call the manager?
Me: can’t you just put a “sold sticker” on my item so I can get the hell out of here?
Clerk: we don’t have stickers, we have bags.
Me: and idiot workers too.
Clerk: that’s it I’m getting the manager
Me: well, I’m taking my item that I paid for without a bag and leaving!

I make it to my car and the manager starts yelling at me for leaving the store without a bag even though I have the receipt proving I paid for it.

Classic example of having rules too rigid for customers to follow.

In some States, you have to pay extra for bags.

Here they are forcing each and every customer to take a bag or be accused of shoplifting.

If you were the customer in this store being argued with by the clerk, then yelled at by the manager how likely would it be that you would ever return to the store?

Not likely at all.

And for most people, all it takes is one incident where they feel they weren’t treated with respect and they never return.

So forcing customers to take a bag which they believe helps a customer somehow…is actually causing the customer to not want to return.

Not smart.

Seems the common sense department of the store has been replaced with “one size fits all, you will accept it or else” rules.

And that’s a problem.

Too many entrepreneurs try that approach and then wonder why clients aren’t returning.

Yup, the rules are too rigid.

Learn to be more flexible.

Had the clerk not insisted I needed a bag, not argued with me or told the manager, who in turn yelled at me…and just let me take my item after purchase out the door, I would have been on my way incident free…and happy. And likely to return.

But nope…now they are on my shit list and will never see me in their store again.