Archived Returning stuff to buy it back at clearance rates?

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xxTheDudexx

Front of Store Attendant
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Apr 19, 2012
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So the other day I was at the guest service desk. I'm on tonight again. Anyway, this guest comes in the door with a giant shelving unit still in the box, unopened. He walks past my desk and into the store, then later shows up at the service desk saying his wife was at another store. He said she was likely to buy a different shelving unit but asked if he could buy it back if his wife decided not to buy it. He was all huffy and puffy because of his wife's indecisiveness. I was a fool and told him it wouldn't be a problem so long as it didn't get put back out for re-shop. Big mistake.

I accepted the return only to then realize the item he paid almost 100 dollars for went on clearance for 28 dollars and change. What likely happened was he or his girlfriend came in and saw the item on clearance and he ran back to confirm it before doing the return. Sure enough he was back 10 minutes later still huffing and puffing at his "wife's" indecisiveness to buy it back and took it to the check lanes with the clearance sticker that came off the printer.

Clearly this dude was just taking advantage of the system. Had I known that item was on clearance, I'd have told him it had to go back out onto the sales floor first to be repurchased before he could buy it back. I learned my lesson. I'm going to start doing that from now on. Just wondering, does anybody else have any tips to prevent stunts like this?
 
As a general rule of thumb the rule is we never let anyone buy anything back from the guest service desk until it is back on the floor until we are absolutely sure that it's not clearance or an online only item (which is repackaged at a heavily discounted price). If the guest ever asks about buying it back we offer to do a post void on the return receipt but we never resell it to them at the clearance price.
 
I agree with watchdog9000, if he wanted to buy it back I would tell him he would have to wait until it made its way back to the floor(which could be hours). I would then proceed to make sure it didnt make its way back for a while. Otherwise I would be happy to post void it and get it back to him for the price he paid. I hate it when people do this!!
 
We dealt with this on a regular basis as several women would buy clothing that had gone clearance (30%) but would wait until it went final (70%) to 'return' it & attempt to repurchase it. If it was small enough to go in a bin, it stayed for the day. Larger items were sent to BR until the end of the day. ETLs were all on board with it, too.
 
Wow, I never thought about a post void. That's an excellent ideas. Thanks for the tips. I'll call my GSTL over to do a post void from now on. I didn't sell it to him, I just angrily (without showing it) gave it back to him and he went through the check lanes with it.
 
We had this happen during Christmas, however this involved an online only toy that a guest had purchased, and then returned JUST so they could re-buy it at the extreme discounted price that happens with such online only items. I put the kabosh on that by telling the guest service TM to just keep it up there at the counter for 24 hrs before putting it back out on the floor.
 
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