Let me tell you a $1.20 tale.
Okay, so I misread the fine print. How much would it have cost the store to make me thrilled to be their customer?
$1.20
That’s how much the OfficeMax by me would have made… and how much did they lose? $1.30. And the good will of a customer.
How much is a customer’s happiness worth to you?
How much to have a customer think, and spread the word, and become an advocate for your business?
Would it be more or less than $1.20?
The scene: we went into OfficeMax to buy printer cartridge refills. We own, between us, 4 printers. That’s a LOT of printer ink, especially when my main printer takes $95 refills.
While we were there, front and center in the ^&**% store (you can tell I feel strongly about this, yes?) there was a dump table full of paper portfolios. Labeled
1-cent each/ Maximum 10
So I obeyed the rules, picked out 10 purple portfolios. Then proceeded to pick out (yes!) $189 worth of other stuff with the kind help of an excellent salesperson.
Turns out, I had to show ID that I was a schoolteacher to get the deal. So the cashier told me no, I couldn’t have these 10 purple folders for 10 cents. They’d be $1.30 for the 10, not ten cents.
It’s not that $1.20, the difference between my being a teacher or not, means that much. It’s the attitude. How much goodwill would the cashier have engendered, if she simply said, “Well, that deal’s supposed to be for teachers, but that’s okay, enjoy!”
This calls to mind what one blogger said recently:
How many times have we experienced great salespeople only to have our sale in jeopardy because of an impatient and rude cashier who takes the thrill out of buying?
Are your cash-register ringers empowered to make a decision like this?
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
I understand your feelings on the $1.20 folders, the problem is once you make an exception it becomes the rule or you have more angry customers. Example, the custmer behind you wants the same deal or my friend was in and she said you gave her the deal and so on. It’s not the $1.20 it’s much better. I work for a large company and believe me I would do things different to please a customer but my hands are tied. Someday I will own my own resale shop.
Thanks Gina, that’s precisely why I walked away from the corporate world… and I hope you get the chance to do so as well! And it is definitely a challenge, empowering a staff member who is “merely” the cash register ringer (a much more important position than most corporations will admit to) to make a $1.20 decision. Exceptions are what make…. people and businesses and even some corporations, exceptional. I know you understand this, and hope you will be able to live it, too, soon!
This is a great point. We actually had a customer have a fit (and threaten to sue-she was a lawyer) over $6 worth of feather hair extensions. Her 14 year old daughter had bought them without her permission and she felt they were “redicously expensive” and she wanted a refund. We don’t usually issue refunds but because she was so upset, we did. I personally didn’t agree with her bullying us, etc but I don’t want her bad mouthing us around town over $6.
We always try to please our customers but, honestly, sometimes it’s just plain hard. For instance, we’ve had a few issues of customers not picking up their (paid for) furniture in a timely manner. This is an issue for us because it takes up so much room and eventually costs us money when we can’t get other pieces in it’s place. We actually had a customer leave a chair for four months even though we contacted her repleatedly by phone and letter to pick it up. She would say she was going to come and not show, etc. She finally showed the 5th month. and we asked her to pay a storage fee. She refused and she did not get the chair. Did I lose a customer? I did, I’m sure but I also felt like we bent over backwards by storing the chair (and losing floor space which equals sales) for her. Some may disagree with what I did but sometimes, just sometimes you have to be firm. We are very, very clear now with signage and telling customers when purchasing large pieces that they MUST pick it up within 48 hours or there will be a storage fee. And of course, we do make exceptions all of the time when the customer has a reasonable request such leaving it for a week, etc. It’s hard to make everyone happy, all of the time. We can only strive to do it ALMOST always. :+)
Ain’t THAT the truth, Staci! I mean, would most of us hassle the merchant over $6 her daughter spent? There will always be unreasonable people around, and it is the lot of any retailer to deal with them.
Fortunately, most folks are good-hearted and mindful of their fellow citizens. We have to picture THEM in our minds as we deal with those who have less compassion, don’t we?
I guess my point, above, was: do you hire staffers who can think for themselves and decide what’s best for the company and its future… do you train them thusly, and allow them, without fear of censure, to decide issues on a case-by-case basis? I mean, come on, an honest $1.20 mistake?