In preparation for Christmas dinner, we shopped at our local Ralph's Supermarket. Ralph's is owned by The Kroger Company and is a relatively prolific chain out here in California. Their prices, we have found, are higher than some other markets, so we shop there for convenience as it's only a few blocks away, and also for items that can be purchased with cents or dollars off by using the Ralph's Rewards card.
As most of you know, shopping turns into a high-cost trip that fills your grocery cart with needed and frivolous items, but what the heck, it's almost Christmas, so let's get that spiral sliced ham, especially since we can save some money using our Rewards card. We fill up our basket with what should have been about $158 dollars in items total, but wait...there is a problem. The ham won't scan. The cashier tries to enter it manually, but it seems either she can't get it to take, or it simply won't go. So, she sends the bagger back to the meat department for a new label that will scan.
Here's where the trouble begins......
The bagger comes back with the ham and now the price is higher than when she left with it. Same ham, and the new label is pasted over the old one! When I questioned why the price was higher, nobody could tell me why, and the cashier started getting an attitude. I told her I was not paying an up charged price simply because they put a new label on the ham. So, she makes a big show of trying to punch in numbers and swiping the ham across the scanner again...and finally says my total is over $163. At that point I thought she finally had gotten it right. We paid and left.
Then as we're driving home, we discover the cashier screwed us. Yes, screwed us by charging the full price for the ham, by somehow overriding the Ralph's Rewards reduced price on the label. In return for her inability to scan the ham and not accepting a higher price for a new label (San Diego County Weights and Measures will love that!!) she simply charged us full price to get us out of her line.
I called the store twice to speak to the manager. Terminal hold, followed by rollover to terminal ringing both times. Finally called their corporate offices and spoke to a customer service person, who didn't seem all that concerned, but said she would place $5.00 on our Rewards card to make up for the overcharge. Big freaking deal. We'll use that card to get the money off and never shop Ralph's again.
As for the Rewards Card, Ralph's allegedly sent our $9.00 reward to our daughter who lived with us up until several years ago. But sent it to this address. We never saw it and we still get some of her mail. Personally, I don't think they ever sent it as she has a completely different card number. Great excuse that doesn't fly!
Don't stores get it? With times getting tougher, consumers not only have a choice where to shop, they're more likely to exercise it faster and tell others about their experiences bad or otherwise. We've suggested to numerous people they not shop at Ralph's and they agree. The new store is beautiful and it seems they let it go to their head and they're just not equipped to handle customer service like a normal business. This is not our first poor experience at this Ralph's, but it will be our last. We'll be headed over to Stater Brothers for our future shopping. No cards and no bull.
2 comments:
I never had any issues with Ralphs until the other night. I had a companion with me. She's 20 years old, I'm much closer to retirement. She accompanied me on my shopping trip.
At the checkout, she asked if I would buy her cigarettes and she would pay me back. No problem. So I asked the cashier for a pack. Now get this - she went from cashier to police persona. She demanded the ID of my companion. My campanion had forgotten it when we left. I told the cashier I was buying the cigarretes. She REFUSED to let me buy any without the ID of my campanion. I was outraged! How dare she dictate to me what I can and cannot buy. If she was so concerned I was doing something illegal, then call the police on me. I would have gladly waited if for no other reason than to rub it in her face! I saw the manager run and hide. I told them they could keep the groceries (at least they'd have to spend time restocking).
I went to Albertson's and actually found much better deals there, so I ended up saving money AND I was able to purchase the prohibited cigarettes without ANY gestapo drama.
The only thing I wasted was my time at Ralphs. Zich Hial, Ralphs. You just lost a regular customer!
I am a cashier at Ralphs and have seen these situations from the other side. When the scanner picks up the price on a discounted item, sometimes it picks up the wrong price. It is up to both the consumer and the cashier to make sure that you are getting the right price.When a customer has been overcharged, it is indeed our responsibility to make sure that they receive the correct sale price, and a good cashier and manager will make sure of it. I also always ask if a customer has received their rewards check in the mail. If they haven't, I ask them to call customer service.I would say that 90% of the time, the situation does get resolved. If not, I would suggest starting over with a new club card.I'm sorry that your shopping experience was not pleasant, but hope you may try again.As for buying cigarettes for a friend, we are given very specific guidelines for selling to anyone. Did you know that you can be arrested for buying cigarettes for a minor, the cashier can lose her or his job and have to pay a fine, and that Ralph's store could lose it's license to sell cigarettes? That cashier was only doing his or her job and obeying the law that we voters put into place to protect minors.
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