Archived Calling for Authorization on a return.

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"Playing the system"?
As a former long-time GSA, I've never heard of this. Please elaborate.
 
With our return policy....in our store....we're told to take back all items unless they are clearly used and really messed-up.

Sometimes when we use a credit card to pull up for a return our computer will ask us what the price is (we then go to price inquiry and try that screen for a price if there is not a price listed on the label....this happens pretty regularly) and then we tell the computer the price.

When we use a driver's license to pull up a return, it will often do this same thing.....ask for a price.

Probably 95% of the days at GS go by without a gift card incident. When I do give out a gift card I tell my GSTL or GSA......they trust me with my judgement. The other day we had a guest issue with no one responding to help the guest....gave the guest a gift card.....told my LOD of GE and she was OK with that. Turns out that the guest was an ETL of logistics at another store.

The photo lab issues have decreased significantly since we FINALLY got our dry lab equipment printer.....haven't had to give out any gift cards or discounts for quite awhile.

Comment cards? I'll give them out and tell the guest to fill it out and then mail it in.....for if a guest fills out a comment card with anything but glowing remarks and 100% satisfaction the comment card seems to find the "round file" long before an LOD or HR can be given the card.


Usually our LODs will only come up if there is a guest present and the GSTL or GSA hasn't been able to help the guest out. Also, pretty recently one of our LODs was called to GS to help a guest, but a vendor was also at the store and the LOD said (and the guest heard this comment) she didn't have time to help and to get the GSA, meanwhile, it was the GSA and I who were calling the LOD.......ended up calling the STL to help out........rough day at GS.

As we're clearly not following "best practice" I'm not about to elaborate on how we play the system. (Sorry.)
 
With our return policy....in our store....we're told to take back all items unless they are clearly used and really messed-up.

Sometimes when we use a credit card to pull up for a return our computer will ask us what the price is (we then go to price inquiry and try that screen for a price if there is not a price listed on the label....this happens pretty regularly) and then we tell the computer the price.

When we use a driver's license to pull up a return, it will often do this same thing.....ask for a price.

Probably 95% of the days at GS go by without a gift card incident. When I do give out a gift card I tell my GSTL or GSA......they trust me with my judgement. The other day we had a guest issue with no one responding to help the guest....gave the guest a gift card.....told my LOD of GE and she was OK with that. Turns out that the guest was an ETL of logistics at another store.

The photo lab issues have decreased significantly since we FINALLY got our dry lab equipment printer.....haven't had to give out any gift cards or discounts for quite awhile.

Comment cards? I'll give them out and tell the guest to fill it out and then mail it in.....for if a guest fills out a comment card with anything but glowing remarks and 100% satisfaction the comment card seems to find the "round file" long before an LOD or HR can be given the card.


Usually our LODs will only come up if there is a guest present and the GSTL or GSA hasn't been able to help the guest out. Also, pretty recently one of our LODs was called to GS to help a guest, but a vendor was also at the store and the LOD said (and the guest heard this comment) she didn't have time to help and to get the GSA, meanwhile, it was the GSA and I who were calling the LOD.......ended up calling the STL to help out........rough day at GS.

As we're clearly not following "best practice" I'm not about to elaborate on how we play the system. (Sorry.)

I don't understand why it would ask you for a price when you pull up on a credit card. The only time it ever asks me for a price is if a use a receipt from another store on the same day and then you use the price from the receipt or if i use a drivers license and it's clearanced out.

People "playing" the system is what screws it up for other stores who actually follow best practice. We have a store in our district that do so many things that aren't best practice and it makes it crappy for us.
 
Currently at my store if a guest does not have a receipt and we can't find it through receipt look up we attempt with a D.L., but if that item has clearanced out of the system (item not on file) we deny the refund. Is that best practice?
 
Currently at my store if a guest does not have a receipt and we can't find it through receipt look up we attempt with a D.L., but if that item has clearanced out of the system (item not on file) we deny the refund. Is that best practice?

I would think so, seeing as you've made an attempt to do the return without the receipt. When doing a no-receipt return, the item would be returned for its lowest selling price. If the item has gone salvage, then there is no selling price anymore (if you scan a salvage item with a PDA, the sale price is shown as $0.00), so the guest should not receive a refund unless they have proof that X amount was paid (i.e. a receipt or gift receipt).

By no means are returns guaranteed without a receipt or gift receipt. There's probably some fine print in the "best practice" that says otherwise, but as far as I'm concerned, you're in the right. It even says on the back of the receipt paper:
Items that are opened or damaged or do not have a receipt may be denied a refund or exchange.
 
"Playing the system"?
As a former long-time GSA, I've never heard of this. Please elaborate.

Scan giftcard. $5 tgt coupon. Total.

Free giftcard.. ill sometimes do it if signing promo is incorrect/left up. Using price challenge is more ideal though since it will popup in pcv
 
So, pellinore, when I have a guest who says "they do it at the other Target", does that mean you're the other Target? :)

Ugh..."I'll just go to the other Target" or "the other Target has this, or does this." Statements that don't let me say anything that doesn't sound remotely snarky or rude.
 
Ugh..."I'll just go to the other Target" or "the other Target has this, or does this." Statements that don't let me say anything that doesn't sound remotely snarky or rude.

I think my comment would involve offering to give the guest directions to the other store.
 
"The other Target has paper bags."
"The other Target takes expired coupons."
"Find, don't take my internet manufacturer coupon that won't scan. I don't have time to wait for you to talk to someone else, so I'll just go to the other Target."
 
When you do a $5 GC and and $5 tgt coupon to offset the difference, you're creating shortage in your coupon-redemption account (forget the ###). That's what apology coupons are for! If you really want to do a giftcard, do a $6 gc and put two apology coupons in the transaction. If you don't do that, you're really fudging the system.

Keep up the good work!
 
If you want to get technical about the apology coupons..... They are only to be issued for a "technology" related incident for example your register crashes and you have to move to another lane and rering everything. This is really the only time one should be given. For all other issues that can't be resolved by yourself or by the LOD a comment card should be given, NOT A GIFT CARD!!
 
Three problems with the $3 apology coupons.

1) They are in a locked drawer so you need to get the GSTL or GSA over to open the drawer.
2) We often use the coupons over at Starbucks for issues there.
3) We often don't even have the coupons.

It is so much easier and efficient giving the gift cards to guests. At least the gift cards are always available!


I agree with Static. It hurts your coupon account which is very limited and used only to cover for the ocassional messed up coupon, there is an assessment on that and if a DTL visit walks it and you come up red your toast. It will also affect the company when it comes to taxes, all gift cards need to be taxed when being requisitioned, and you should never ring up a gift card and 0 it out with a target coupon it is against BP. If we could do that then there would be no need to follow up with tons of paper work and keying to give a TM a giftcard.
 
I agree with Static. It hurts your coupon account which is very limited and used only to cover for the ocassional messed up coupon, there is an assessment on that and if a DTL visit walks it and you come up red your toast. It will also affect the company when it comes to taxes, all gift cards need to be taxed when being requisitioned, and you should never ring up a gift card and 0 it out with a target coupon it is against BP. If we could do that then there would be no need to follow up with tons of paper work and keying to give a TM a giftcard.

Final Warned a TM for doing this
 
With our return policy....in our store....
there is the issue with your store, ALL stores have the same return policy unless you are in a rare state that adds to it. the only time a store can choose to restrict or open it at their discretion is the new coupon policy, and thats to stop those pesky coupon scammers. Also i think you and your team need to read the training guides as you are even missing the most basic knowlenge. When the computer is asking you the price of an item there is a reason, its not in the system! those items should never be returned you will flag all over AP for this. Also price inquiry is not always accurate and should be used with the best judgment possible.
 
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So, pellinore, when I have a guest who says "they do it at the other Target", does that mean you're the other Target? :)

Yes it could be me.....but you can tell the guest that my store.....storeX....doesn't follow best practices, and we (meaning your store) are sorry, but our store does follow best practices.

This sometimes happens at our place.....guest will say, "But they did it at another local Target" We just respond by saying that store isn't following best practices......and best practice is...............and the guest is ok.
 
We have a store that is 20 minutes from my store and we have times when guests say "they did this at Xstore" or "Why can't you match their clearance prices on items?"

I even had a woman go through my lane who told me that she had done a Tax-exempt transaction before even though she didn't have her proper paper work. She said that she knew her TAX ID number and that was all she had needed to give. I told her that we can only do Tax exempt with the proper documentation. She wanted to see a manager....GSTL came over and said that we are not permitted to do TAX ID without the proper paperwork. Well, she wasn't happy, but she paid full price for her stuff.

I"m sure that all stores get those guests who tell you that "they did it at another store." All we can do is just tell the guest that we follow best practices.
 
We have a store that is 20 minutes from my store and we have times when guests say "they did this at Xstore" or "Why can't you match their clearance prices on items?"

I even had a woman go through my lane who told me that she had done a Tax-exempt transaction before even though she didn't have her proper paper work. She said that she knew her TAX ID number and that was all she had needed to give. I told her that we can only do Tax exempt with the proper documentation. She wanted to see a manager....GSTL came over and said that we are not permitted to do TAX ID without the proper paperwork. Well, she wasn't happy, but she paid full price for her stuff.

I"m sure that all stores get those guests who tell you that "they did it at another store." All we can do is just tell the guest that we follow best practices.

If they have their Tax ID we can do it.. There is a reason that we scan their Gov. ID, and retain the certificates they sign for auditing purposes. The only thing we really need the paperwork for anyway, is to obtain the tax id. Typically people aren't going to lie about something like tax exempt status, and its not really something we should be enforcers on. Just like we don't enforce copyright photos at Photo anymore.

On the other hand, I've had a lot of people who forget it, and I let them know that we do need their Tax ID # to process it as tax exempt, but I let them know that they can come back and do a Tax Refund at service desk at a later time ;)
 
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Yes it could be me.....but you can tell the guest that my store.....storeX....doesn't follow best practices, and we (meaning your store) are sorry, but our store does follow best practices.

This sometimes happens at our place.....guest will say, "But they did it at another local Target" We just respond by saying that store isn't following best practices......and best practice is...............and the guest is ok.

I know, pellinore. I just had to tease you a bit. I'm sure we do some things at my store that would raise eyebrows at another store, but since it's just normal to us I don't know what those things are.
 
I know, pellinore. I just had to tease you a bit. I'm sure we do some things at my store that would raise eyebrows at another store, but since it's just normal to us I don't know what those things are.

Thanks for your vote of support. I was beginning to think that everyone was against me.

I know, BP is what is supposed to be followed....but one thing I often think about is how Hardlinesmaster keeps reminding us that "not all Target's are the same." So sometimes we bend the rules....or break them...to make things right.
 
I guess with the new vibe you won't have to call for an authorization.
Just do the return to make the guest happy and force it through if necessary.
 
I saw a few new"vibe" cards posted in TSC.
I guess that there's a film to watch that explains this new program.....what, does it just make the two types of gtc and safety cards easier to write? Or is it a whole new "rollout?"

Hopefully as you say, the new vibe we won't have to call for authorization.......does that mean that they'll be getting rid of all the call center people who can't speak English in a way that we can understand?? If true then we team members have had a HUGE impact with these changes!

I'm looking forward to learning about VIBE!!!!!
 
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