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Big Lots Informative - Some Info on Big Lots
Hello all, I currently work for a Big Lots store and have for going on 3 years. I will say I agree with a lot of the comments people have made on here. A lot of the policies the store has are pretty ignorant, but if you (the customers) are to ignorant and irresponsible to keep a receipt for a short period of time then it's your own fault. I have checked out numerous people that will buy something for their car, go out to see if it fits, then it doesn't and then come back in for a refund, and have already lost their receipt somewhere between the front of the store and their car;then they whine and complain, " oh I just bought it", "You remember me don't you", Yeah I do remember you it's only been 5 minutes, but what people don't understand is the employees have to go by company policy. Do you think every manager likes having to say "No sorry sir, I know you were just in here but I can't do anything without the receipt". No we don't but and in some cases the manager will look the receipt up if it has been a very short period of time, but we also want to keep our job even if it is not the job we would really like to have right now. We are just enforcing their rules, and usually it's the customer that gets rude before any employee because they are upset they can't return something or get a refund because of policy.
It's not the managers fault or the cashiers fault, it's the fault of a company that should have some better policies in place for certain situations. We can't bend and shape the policies for every customer and every situation that arises just to please everyone that walks in because every situation is different in some way. I know my store manager does a lot more then he is supposed to when it comes to making sure the customer is happy and won't call corporate. It's a double edged sword in retail at Big Lots, if you try to go by straight forward company policy you piss the customer off and they want to call corporate, but the manager doesn't want that to happen because even though he/she is going by company policy they will still get yelled at because they didn't please the customers every whim.
So then, at my location anyways, the store manager usually winds up giving in even though most of the time the problem is the customer not having a receipt, and should not get a refund anyways. It states clearly on the receipt, Returns accepts for 30 days with receipt and original packaging, it's not the employees job to keep customer receipts, it's your job as a customer and a responsible adult. But when a customer is in our store literally acting like a little kid that didn't get an extra cookie after dinner our store manager usually lets them have their way. I know there are different refund/return/exchange situations that are more difficult/complex to deal with but this is the most common.
Another issue that the customer base just doesn't understand is that Big Lots is a close-out store which means that a lot of item/furniture /patio furniture is overstock or discontinued items from other retail store and manufactures. This is especially true when it comes to patio-furniture, most of this product is the manufacturers previous year model inventory, so when Big Lots runs out they may or may not get the product back in again before the season is over, we can't just crap out another one to please you. We can't call the manufacturer because nothing is ordered at the store level, all product is ordered at the corporate level. The most we can do at the store is call another Big Lots location and see it they still have any in stock.
And I at the store I work at moral, is and always has been since I've been there, very low, because the store does nothing to boost moral or raise the spirits of the employees and when most of your employees are depressed it's going to show when dealing with customers and work productivity is going to suffer. But with the economy the way it is and jobs very limited we all know we just have to try and keep out mouths shut and try and keep our jobs no matter how depressing it gets. This is just my two cents and I could say a lot more but I'll leave it at this for now.
It's not the managers fault or the cashiers fault, it's the fault of a company that should have some better policies in place for certain situations. We can't bend and shape the policies for every customer and every situation that arises just to please everyone that walks in because every situation is different in some way. I know my store manager does a lot more then he is supposed to when it comes to making sure the customer is happy and won't call corporate. It's a double edged sword in retail at Big Lots, if you try to go by straight forward company policy you piss the customer off and they want to call corporate, but the manager doesn't want that to happen because even though he/she is going by company policy they will still get yelled at because they didn't please the customers every whim.
So then, at my location anyways, the store manager usually winds up giving in even though most of the time the problem is the customer not having a receipt, and should not get a refund anyways. It states clearly on the receipt, Returns accepts for 30 days with receipt and original packaging, it's not the employees job to keep customer receipts, it's your job as a customer and a responsible adult. But when a customer is in our store literally acting like a little kid that didn't get an extra cookie after dinner our store manager usually lets them have their way. I know there are different refund/return/exchange situations that are more difficult/complex to deal with but this is the most common.
Another issue that the customer base just doesn't understand is that Big Lots is a close-out store which means that a lot of item/furniture /patio furniture is overstock or discontinued items from other retail store and manufactures. This is especially true when it comes to patio-furniture, most of this product is the manufacturers previous year model inventory, so when Big Lots runs out they may or may not get the product back in again before the season is over, we can't just crap out another one to please you. We can't call the manufacturer because nothing is ordered at the store level, all product is ordered at the corporate level. The most we can do at the store is call another Big Lots location and see it they still have any in stock.
And I at the store I work at moral, is and always has been since I've been there, very low, because the store does nothing to boost moral or raise the spirits of the employees and when most of your employees are depressed it's going to show when dealing with customers and work productivity is going to suffer. But with the economy the way it is and jobs very limited we all know we just have to try and keep out mouths shut and try and keep our jobs no matter how depressing it gets. This is just my two cents and I could say a lot more but I'll leave it at this for now.
Comments:
Posted by Lord Rothschild on 2011-04-06:
Hey man very good and well balanced write up. You make some excellent points. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for posting it.
Posted by Prince-Caesar on 2011-04-06:
YOur last paragragh is very true because I always notice tat big lots, that most of the employees are not very friendly.
Posted by azRider on 2011-04-06:
two thumbs up!
Posted by Ytropious on 2011-04-06:
I agree OP. Customers should NEVER get angry at a worker because THEY lost the receipt. I don't make the policy but I'm sure gonna follow it to keep my job.
Posted by Starlord on 2011-04-06:
I totally agree. I may not agree with policy, but ina time when PhDs are flipping burgers or slinging a mop, I am not going to risk losing a job if I have one. I have seen some store employees that have the patience of a saint, dealing with a customer who is foaming at the mouth angry because the employee doesn't give them a ne TV becaushehey had got stolen and they don't have the receipt from when they bought it. that was a hypothetical situation, but the seen have been on that level of stupidity.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-04-06:
I witnessed something interesting this past Christmas season at a Big Lots. Here is what happened:
I walk into the store and the guy walking in behind me reaches around and opens the door for me. Very nice. He has nothing, NOTHING in his hands when he enters the store.
I go about my business and do my shopping and go to the check out counter.
A customer in front of me has outdoor Christmas lights with him, and tells the cashier he needs to return them. The cashier asked him for his receipt and he told her he didn't have the receipt. She explained to him, that he needed a receipt for returns. Now, this customer didn't argue or anything, he was very understanding and said, 'Oh, ok...I'll check around the house and see if I can find it, thanks.' Very nice right? Well, not really...I left the store behind him and realized this was the same customer that held the door open for me EMPTY HANDED when he entered the store. So, yeah he pulled a fast one on her. He came in without anything, went down the aisle and picked up the Christmas lights, goes through the check out counter and walks out with free lights. Smart cookie, security cameras wouldn't really pick up on it because he didn't just walk out with them, and security wouldn't think he'd go through the check out if he was ripping them off so they really wouldn't have paid any attention. The guy robbed them and the cashier unknowingly helped him. (I priced them the next day when I was there and knew how many he tried to return he got away with about $30.00 worth of outside Christmas lights).
BTW: The Big Lots that I shop at has the bestest employees! They are always very helpful, friendly and I've never seen them in a bad mood, I love our Big Lots!
I walk into the store and the guy walking in behind me reaches around and opens the door for me. Very nice. He has nothing, NOTHING in his hands when he enters the store.
I go about my business and do my shopping and go to the check out counter.
A customer in front of me has outdoor Christmas lights with him, and tells the cashier he needs to return them. The cashier asked him for his receipt and he told her he didn't have the receipt. She explained to him, that he needed a receipt for returns. Now, this customer didn't argue or anything, he was very understanding and said, 'Oh, ok...I'll check around the house and see if I can find it, thanks.' Very nice right? Well, not really...I left the store behind him and realized this was the same customer that held the door open for me EMPTY HANDED when he entered the store. So, yeah he pulled a fast one on her. He came in without anything, went down the aisle and picked up the Christmas lights, goes through the check out counter and walks out with free lights. Smart cookie, security cameras wouldn't really pick up on it because he didn't just walk out with them, and security wouldn't think he'd go through the check out if he was ripping them off so they really wouldn't have paid any attention. The guy robbed them and the cashier unknowingly helped him. (I priced them the next day when I was there and knew how many he tried to return he got away with about $30.00 worth of outside Christmas lights).
BTW: The Big Lots that I shop at has the bestest employees! They are always very helpful, friendly and I've never seen them in a bad mood, I love our Big Lots!
Posted by localgod on 2011-04-07:
DebtorBashor, thank you for pointing out what most of us in retail already know. They come into the store empty handed and try to return something they've stolen for cash, gift card, etc. It's the most common form of shoplifting currently; along with the shoplift, pass off, and return teams. It's very common and why most retailers are requiring receipts for returns currently. Big Lots usually has very low margins, so they are usually without LP officers; making them a popular target for shoplifting teams.
Posted by Buddy01 on 2011-04-07:
At my store (not Big Lots) the same people somewhat regularly steal a lot of expensive clothing at one store and go to another to return it. It is always the same people--it was a gift and they never have a receipt. Sometimes they demand corporate's number. Some nerve. The last time we actually returned the merchandise, called the other store and found they tried to return the merchandise there. So we just canceled the gift card after the fact. I imagine they got quite a surprise when they sold the gift card and found it had no value.
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-07:
If these comments don't make people understand why stores require receipts, then nothing will.
Posted by DebtorBasher on 2011-04-07:
I know most people are aware of the scammers who walk in empty handed and pick up something from the shelf and try to return it for cash...but the case I described was something different to me...because knowing you need the receipts and not having one, allows them to walk out of the store with the merchandise they didn't even pay for....whereas before, they would get the cash.
Posted by Venice09 on 2011-04-07:
DB, if someone is more interested in keeping the merchandise instead of getting cash, this would be the thing to do. Maybe this guy slipped and fell when he was hanging those lights and ended up with a hospital bill.
Posted by Nohandle on 2011-04-07:
I've never personally witnessed what DB did but I've heard war stories of folks stealing things within the store and going to the customer service counter and demanding a refund. Obviously no receipt, nothing. Those types of folks are not in the least intimidated by anyone. They have it down to a fine art.
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