I'm sure I'm not the only gas station shopper who has run into mismatched shelf and register prices.

I recently did one where the cashier's response represented one extreme, and that reminded me of the occasions where I experienced the exact opposite.

For this most recent one I chose 4 Tootsie Pops @ 29¢ ea. As posted elsewhere, I make a game out of the in-store cash purchases, trying to buy enough over the max reimbursement that the cashier returns a nice chunk of change.

They rang up @ 39¢, which seems to be the norm at most places. When I commented about it, the cashier checked the tag, yanked it from the shelf, and made the correction at the register. When I thanked her, she replied, "I don't care."

That instantly reminded me of all the times when cashiers have refused to address the error, with varying levels of b*tchiness (all gender identities).

In my book, they lose grade points if they don't honor the posted price. Extra points off if they're ugly about it. I'm unaffraid to give a zero.

I'm with you, Ses.

Either the cashier handles the matter promptly and graciously or they get dinged.

@sestrahelena wrote:

In my book, they lose grade points if they don't honor the posted price. Extra points off if they're ugly about it. I'm unaffraid to give a zero.

I'm no different. This will pretty much destroy their numeric ratings at the end with me.

I don't like rude cashiers. I've never given a zero, but I have marked cashiers down to 2 or 3.. except that one guy that ran me out of a station AFTER I got almost all of the pictures inside. I almost had to get the police involved in that one.

It is against the law for a business to not honor the posted price (if it scans incorrectly - gotta be scanned, not just entered in my hand) in Michigan. And if you don't point out the mistake before you pay, you take the receipt to the service desk and are given the difference in price back PLUS 10 times the difference up to a $5.00 maximum. Works well in theory (most big stores - Kroger, Meijer, Wal-Mart, Wal-Greens, etc do so without a fuss), but if the gas station refuses (and they often do), you can send a demand letter within 30 days and if they still won't pay, you can sue for actual damages or $250, whichever is greater. Google Michigan Scanner Law for more details.

Cool!

I read through the Michigan statues. I agree with the portion of the law that states prices must be displayed. The rest is government overreach. Mistakes happens, prices get input into scanner systems wrong, etc.

There are notable exceptions to the price display requirement, including consumer items that weigh 3 ounces or less each. This would rule out @CoolMusic's Tootsie Pops.

I think most people working in gas station, unless they are the owner, aren't going to care too much either way. They are trying to earn a paycheck and trying to get home to hit the crack pipe again.

@ServiceAward wrote:

..........................I think most people working in gas station, unless they are the owner, aren't going to care too much either way. They are trying to earn a paycheck and trying to get home to hit the crack pipe again.

Perhaps you were being facetious or endeavoring to seem "clever".

Nonetheless, your opinion of a gas station employee's life and "raison de travailler", is both demeaning of another and is so ignorant.

@French Farmer wrote:

@ServiceAward wrote:

..........................I think most people working in gas station, unless they are the owner, aren't going to care too much either way. They are trying to earn a paycheck and trying to get home to hit the crack pipe again.

Perhaps you were being facetious or endeavoring to seem "clever".

Nonetheless, your opinion of a gas station employee's life and "raison de travailler", is both demeaning of another and is so ignorant.

My experience is many of the people working in those jobs are on the pipe. I did not say all. THAT would be ignorant. Based on my experience the vast majority are. Your experience may be different. I have worked with drug addicts to help them forge a better path away from drugs (and alcohol, too). I know the look, the sunken eyes, and overly aged appearance, the jittery hands, and so on.

Truth is never demeaning. People don't like it, and that's fine, but I will always speak the truth and not apologize for it. The problem in our country today is people are afraid to speak the truth for fear of hurting feelings. I would rather hurt someone's feelings, then to engage in their delusion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/06/2024 07:24PM by ServiceAward.

It's too easy sometimes to blame people in worse circumstances than ourselves for having made some sort of poor choice that put them there. It helps us cope with the disparities we see around us as we struggle to maintain our own circumstances. Sure, there are some are addicts or recovering addicts, but the vast majority I see are young people in their first job, divorced women having to start over, single moms struggling to make ends meet, older people whose old jobs disappeared, women whose kids have grown up and they are just entering the workforce, some stoners, and, in larger chains, just regular people making a career of it until something better comes along. I do a lot or rural shops and big chains. Maybe it is different in other areas.

@mystery2me wrote:

It's too easy sometimes to blame people in worse circumstances than ourselves for having made some sort of poor choice that put them there. It helps us cope with the disparities we see around us as we struggle to maintain our own circumstances. Sure, there are some are addicts or recovering addicts, but the vast majority I see are young people in their first job, divorced women having to start over, single moms struggling to make ends meet, older people whose old jobs disappeared, women whose kids have grown up and they are just entering the workforce, some stoners, and, in larger chains, just regular people making a career of it until something better comes along. I do a lot or rural shops and big chains. Maybe it is different in other areas.

I'm not knocking them. I'm glad they are they working, and not stealing for their habit. There are the single moms, for sure, and there are also single moms who are crackheads. It's a very sad fact. The turnover rate at c-stores here is VERY high. When I was shopping regularly, the only people I saw on a regular basis are the owners or managers. Every day employees rarely last more than a few months. This is why many of the ones I dealt with had no idea what a mystery shopper was and didn't give an iota about it one way or the other.

Drugs are a MAJOR problem here. According to a law enforcement friend of mine, approximately 2/3rd of city residents have either a felony or misdemeanor conviction for drugs or some crime related to drugs (e.g. shoplifting). Fentanyl is here, but has not overtaken the crack. I grew up in a very nice neighborhood back in the 80s and 90s. I hardly recognize it now. There are no less than 3 houses where drugs are being dealt from.

@ServiceAward wrote:

@French Farmer wrote:

@ServiceAward wrote:

..........................I think most people working in gas station, unless they are the owner, aren't going to care too much either way. They are trying to earn a paycheck and trying to get home to hit the crack pipe again.

Perhaps you were being facetious or endeavoring to seem "clever".

Nonetheless, your opinion of a gas station employee's life and "raison de travailler", is both demeaning of another and is so ignorant.

My experience is many of the people working in those jobs are on the pipe. I did not say all. THAT would be ignorant. Based on my experience the vast majority are. Your experience may be different. I have worked with drug addicts to help them forge a better path away from drugs (and alcohol, too). I know the look, the sunken eyes, and overly aged appearance, the jittery hands, and so on.

Truth is never demeaning. People don't like it, and that's fine, but I will always speak the truth and not apologize for it. The problem in our country today is people are afraid to speak the truth for fear of hurting feelings. I would rather hurt someone's feelings, then to engage in their delusion.

Lord, where do you live???!! I have never encountered a convenience store worker that gave me any such impression.

@bradkcrew wrote:

Lord, where do you live???!! I have never encountered a convenience store worker that gave me any such impression.

In an area with one of the highest rates of non-Fentanyl drug related deaths in the country based on population density.

I thought meth was the new drug of choice. Not that it is any better. But kudos for your work with addicts. I'm sure you have made a difference in what is often a thankless job.

@mystery2me wrote:

I thought meth was the new drug of choice. Not that it is any better. But kudos for your work with addicts. I'm sure you have made a difference in what is often a thankless job.

I had two friends about 15-16 years ago, same profession as me, nearly die due to overdosing. They were together at one of their homes. Both were discovered barely with a pulse. I had another friend OD in prison. I'm passionate about this area. I can spot dealers, crack houses, users, from a mile away. I easily could have gone that road but for God's grace. I had to step away from some work I was doing through a church program here because of my business. I have a good friend who is standing in for me, and he works with them 3 days week. He's retired, so he has the time. The results of programs vary. They have to want to be done with the life. They will lie to your face while smiling. They'll steal from you, too. We had one guy who graduated from the program and now owns his own restaurant. He is doing great. Another guy, who was waiting to be sentenced, went through the program pre-trial because that can reduce your sentence. He graduated and I found out a few weeks ago he is living in Myrtle Beach, SC, high a kite with multiple women, waiting to be sentenced.

Meth is popular in some places, like in the town where my mom is from. The whole town is meth heads. She wants to move back there cause her mind is stuck in the 1950s. We keep telling her it is no longer the same. The good people left. There is no family there anymore.

@ServiceAward wrote:

My experience is many of the people working in those jobs are on the pipe. I did not say all. THAT would be ignorant. Based on my experience the vast majority are.

You said "most" in your original post, implying, at the very least, that more than half the clerks you encounter are meth addicts.

Then you said "many" when confronted, only to follow that up with "a vast majority". Can't have it both ways.

Please clarify: what percentage constitutes a "vast majority"?

Regardless of the number, I refuse to accept your premise as truth.

You expect us to believe that for the last 50 gas stations you've shopped that a minimum of 26 clerks, and possibly many more, were meth addicts?

Where do you live???

Pretty sure the only truthful way to present the point would be to use the word "some".

@CoolMusic wrote:

@ServiceAward wrote:

My experience is many of the people working in those jobs are on the pipe. I did not say all. THAT would be ignorant. Based on my experience the vast majority are.

You said "most" in your original post, implying, at the very least, that more than half the clerks you encounter are meth addicts.

Then you said "many" when confronted, only to follow that up with "a vast majority". Can't have it both ways.

Please clarify: what percentage constitutes a "vast majority"?

Regardless of the number, I refuse to accept your premise as truth.

You expect us to believe that for the last 50 gas stations you've shopped that a minimum of 26 clerks, and possibly many more, were meth addicts?

Where do you live???

Pretty sure the only truthful way to present the point would be to use the word "some".

If I had to put a percentage to it, I would put it between 40%-70%, depending on which town and/or rural area I'm in. If you're asking about the city where I live, I would put it at a minimum of 50%. It is mostly crack here, but there is some meth, too. I will add some additional context, I am referring to places I shop. If I walk into the Sheetz, it is generally a more put-together place and better quality employee working. Stations that don't have c-stores (e.g. car repair centers) don't suffer from this problem. I had about 20 Valero stations I'd regularly audit, spread out across 5 towns, including where I live. I cannot think of a single Valero that didn't have a crackhead behind the counter. They are all owned by the same guy. I don't think he knows how to hire anybody other than a druggie. I can even take you to one of his Valero's right now where clerk's actively sell illegal drugs. That's in town here. It is well-known, and has been going on for years, long before I started auditing them. The police do not care. They do not have the resources to handle that, but even moreso they've adopted liberal policies where they do not enforce laws unless it is something like armed robbery or murder. Want to treat my 25mph street like a NASCAR track? Go right ahead. They don't care. It's not the officers per se, it is the mandate from the Chief, who gets his orders from the mayor and city council.

I do not need to justify any of this to anybody. Believe it, don't believe it. I don't give a rat's ass either way. I understand this may not been an issue in every single place in the country. It IS a problem in many small towns and rural areas in certain parts of the country.

It's none of your business where I live. I don't need any more stalkers. There are already enough creeps on here who do that.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2024 08:45PM by ServiceAward.

Oh, the Valeros I've shopped have been some of the sleeziest brand- name stations I've seen. I usually get the impression that gas and snacks are NOT what they're selling the most of.

The Circle Ks appear to be the most "wholesome" lol.

First of all no addict buys fentanyl. They are buying herion to replace the opiod they are addicted to when their prescription runs out. Fentanyl is just cheaper for the dealers to cut whatever they're selling

I have a friend who got addicted after he fell off a roof. Four rehabs later and a ruined marriage, he's clean and a counselor at the rehab that helped him get clean.

Most fentanyl overdose deaths are because it was added to a drug users wouldn't expect it to be in.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2024 03:30PM by wrosie.

@ServiceAward wrote:

If I had to put a percentage to it, I would put it between 40%-70%, depending on which town and/or rural area I'm in.

So your use of "vast majority" was not truthful...

@sestrahelena wrote:

Oh, the Valeros I've shopped have been some of the sleeziest brand- name stations I've seen. I usually get the impression that gas and snacks are NOT what they're selling the most of.

Here, Sunocos and Citgo are just as bad. I hate when I check Gasbuddy and the cheapest is one of those locations.