Archived Couple questions for a new team member

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Hello fellow Target team members. I've been apart of the crew for a little over a month as a cashier and I have started to encounter a lot of things that are "rare" cases when being a cashier and I have a couple questions that I was wondering about so that I avoid problems with LODs and whatnot.

My first strange situation that I encountered was with a guest last night that came over to me and asked me if he could get cash back and I let him know we have an ATM, but he said he didn't want to use it and so I told him that to get cash back you need to purchase something and he said okay and since there was no one around I was kind enough to direct him to the candy section behind my register because those were really cheap, so he put a candy bar down and I checked it out and then gave him his cash but then as I handed him the candy bar and he said no you keep it I don't want it I just honestly needed cash. And I said oh okay and put it down near the handheld scanner. Afterwards I told one of the other cashiers what happened and they said that was nice of him, but I asked if I could really keep it and not have to worry about being in trouble and she said yeah, you should be fine if he paid for it, it's only a 79 cent candy bar not an iPad. That was a relief...but then I got concerned again because on break I asked another Team Member who works in the Starbucks while she was closing up and she said, uhh that's weird...I'd be careful with that. So after asking those team members about it I got two very different answers and I didn't have the chance to ask an LOD or anyone else because it was late and there were only about 3 of us working the front end. But I did end up keeping it though! Still haven't eaten it...don't know why. Paranoid about it I guess???
So all in all what do you do in situations like that where the guest buys something really cheap and hands it back to you saying you keep it. I suppose it depends on the item, but I would never be like yeah buy me stuff I will eat it all! lol...I just want to know what to say and do with that guest.

And then for my second situation. People have been going crazy buying Suave and Vidal Sassoon shampoos/conditioners lately. Mostly because they have been on sale and have coupons stuck to them. I was wondering the rules to coupons at that limit because I was told something about 1 manufacturers coupon and 1 store coupon and whatnot per transaction and I wanted to know the exact rule on coupons because with these sales going on lately, there are a lot people that come to my line with a lot of bulk sale items that have many coupons as well. And then there are the "extreme coupon" guests as well so I wanted to get it right, and as I said before...not get in trouble!

Sorry for the long message guys, but really curious about those occurrences...especially the guy with the candy bar. I mean I took candy from a stranger...lol. But thanks for reading this and getting me an answer! Our store is very, very laid back compared to other stores, but I just don't want something silly to become a big problem which is why I want to hear your feedback from other stores!
 
Candy: MrKN is correct. CYA. When AP sees the event on camera, they will interpret the candybar as a Paid & Left then you would be deemed a theft from a guest. So notify the GSTL/GSA.
 
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It wouldn't be theft from target (since its paid for), but from a guest (same with keeping promo giftcards). so it would be HR issue, still could get you fired. Most likely they won't see it, but yea just bring it back in, give it to gstl, or your ETL-AP/APL/APTL. I know my boss (ETL-ap) would be like "yea, whatever, eat it, or give it to me and I will" but either way you told them, and they know about it.
 
If someone tries to give you something, just say "thank-you, but I can't accept it.....I could lose my job if I take anything." Or, if you help someone put items in their cars and they go to tip you....say the same thing...."I can't accept anything..... it is part of my job to help out guests."

It is helpful to pull your hands away from the guest because then they can't put the item in your hands.

Last year at christmas I had a guest come to me to give me a box of candy....I told her that I couldn't accept it....she said that it was just a $5.00 box of candy...anyway, my GSTL was nearby and I asked her about the candy...she tried to call an LOD on the walkie. She got no response. She just told me that it was fine to take it...and that she'd take the responsibility of it if any issues came up. I think that what helped the situation was that the box of candy was wrapped and had my name on it....so there would have been no question as to where it came from.

I've been at Target for seven years and this past christmas was the very first time someone gave me a gift. It was very thoughtful and made me feel good that a guest appreciated me so much.

I've had guests try to share their candy or a stick of gum....I've accepted those (with a guest that I'd seen at the store a number of times).....that's how I learned that peanut butter M & Ms were so good! Also learned that the "Extra" gum flavors aren't to my liking!
 
Last Christmas I had a guest come through my line, and he was desperate for his antacid as a kid is for their candy bar. As he was opening it, I told him I understood because we had Mexican food catered in the break room that day (must have been Black Friday). He immediately took one and offered me one out of the bottle. I declined. He insisted. I would have been a fool to say no a second time. My GSTL and another SrTL thought that was a great reverse vibe moment.
 
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Here is a link to Target's coupon policy: http://www.target.com/HelpContent?h...arget_coupon_policy/target_coupon_policy.html

In a nutshell, it's one Target coupon and one Manufacturer coupon per item. Guests can also use Cartwheel coupons from their mobile phone, which can be used in conjunction with another Target coupon for the same item. Target also sets a limit of 4 identical coupons per household, per day (unless otherwise noted). So, with your extreme coupon guests, they could buy 10 of the same shampoo, but only use 4 manufacturer, 4 Target, and 4 Cartwheel coupons. Also, since the policy states "per day," they shouldn't be allowed to split their purchase into multiple transactions for the sole use of adding on more coupons. (I think Cartwheel coupons have a slight exception where the limits are 4 identical items per transaction and 6 transactions per day. At my store though, we only allow guests a maximum of 2 transactions per visit).

If you get guests trying to use coupons for travel items, be sure to read the fine print, as many of them will say something like "excludes travel size." If it doesn't state this, follow the 4 coupon limit and be sure to adjust those coupons down so that guests aren't getting anything extra beyond the value of the item.

Lastly, (and this is rare) if you notice a guest who just used a lot of coupons go to the service desk immediately after leaving your lane, it's a good idea to inform your GSTL. If may be nothing, but once in awhile we get guests who use a lot of coupons and then go to the service desk to immediately return those items. Since manufacturer's coupons don't always attach to the specific item, the POS won't necessarily deduct the coupon's value on a return. Some guests figure this out and use it as a loophole to get free money. Experienced Service Desk TMs will usually pick up on this, though.
 
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Yeah, I let the GSTL know today and she just kind of shrugged it off and said eat it...we'd have to get rid of it anyways if it's been paid for. So that's good...I hope. They are way too laid back at my store. I even spoke with the girl who is AP about it and she giggled saying I was fine. I've seen our cashiers being offered chips from a guest and they took it and the GSA laughed and said that was nice of him. Weird, huh?
As for the coupons, today actually I noticed a guest trying to use the third party coupon app which said something ridiculous like 10$ off a purchase of 20 dollars or more on up&up beauty products. So I flicked on my light knowing it was fake and got the GSA over. All in all, I think I will be alright. Still not touching that candy bar just in case. Things like that always come back to bite you in the butt.
 
I actually asked other team members about being offered things today too and for some reason they are very relaxed about it as long as it isn't tips or expensive products obviously, but little food...no problem. They just get mad about not getting redcards. lol, not quite sure if I'd feel comfortable being offered anything else though. hahaha
 
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