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Customer Service or Following Policy??
I recently had a very frequent customer tell me a story of an experience he encountered at my store.
This person came in and made his regular purchase and was $.06 short. At the time there weren't any extra pennies in the penny dish, and no other customers to bum the $.06 from.
My employee asked them for the $.06 saying she could not do the sale because her drawer would be short at the end of her shift.
This customer went out to his car to dig through the seats and look in his ashtray. He came back in with only $.03 so he was still $.03 short.
Again my employee asked for the $.03 and stated that her drawer would be short at the end of her shift.
By this time the customer is feeling embarrassed and getting mad with the cashier....... The cashier finally made the sale.
When I heard this I was a bit frustrated with the situation. Yes, I understand the employee's point of view and not wanting to be short in her cash drawer, BUT...... REALLY it was only $.06 and this is a regular customer!
We do have a cash short/over policy. Our employees are responsible for balancing their cash drawers at the end of their shift.
I can imagine that my employee was thinking of this and also knowing this is a regular customer who buys the same thing most often and should know what it costs.
As I see it... this is about customer service.
If a customer is a little short I let it slide. It is more important to retain them and make sure they have a positive experience. If they are a regular customer and you feel comfortable you could mention they can make it up next time.
It takes a lot of $.06 to make a noteworthy shortage in a cash drawer.
Lara Smetana
Voyageur Bottle Shop (Pine City)
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