Choose the 5 shopping gotchas suggested by readers that make your head hurt the most.
When the voting is done, we'll announce the top 10 most popular choices in another post.
(Photo:redandjonny)
]]>I HATE shopping at the Buckle because they always insist on giving you things to try on that you haven't asked for. For example: I went there for the first and last time to find a bathing suit. While trying on the bathing suit, the woman waiting on me put two shirts and two pair of jeans over the dressing room door that she "thought I would like to try on". I have worked in retail, I understand the value of add-on sales....but practices like this are just ridiculous to me.
]]>@Rectilinear Propagation: But, it's for your convenience!
]]>The big ticket item seems to be a separate issue - I don't tend to buy many of these, so I don't know, but others are saying that some places require your address for big ticket items. That's not the same as ID checking.
Like others have said, if someone wants my info or cc number, they are going to get it. I am careful. I am watchful. But this doesn't run my life. I know what stores routinely ask for ID. I don't just hand ID over to anyone. My ID doesn't even have my current info on it. But I have a life to live, too.
]]>Somebody puts some charges on your card as you. When you find out about it, you have to notify the credit card company, get a new card with a new number, and notify any companies you've got doing automatic bill payment from your card. When your next monthly statement comes, you need to review it and notify the card company about any fraudulent charges. At most, all this takes you a few hours.
Cost of your PII being used to leverage identity theft:
Somebody opens bank accounts, credit card accounts, loans, etc. as you. Runs up thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, of dollars worth of debt, bounced checks, etc., in your name. Warrants are issued for your arrest in states you've never been in. Your credit report is tanked. You spent months, if not years, cleaning up the damage; possibly you never fully succeed in cleaning it up.
Oh, and then there's the possibility that when you buy a big-ticket item, some enterprising clerk gives your address to one of his/her friends so that they can break into your presumably goodie-filled house and rob you blind.
If you think this is far-fetched because clerks can't remember the info they see on your ID, then you don't have a very good imagination. Another poster here who actually worked in a prosecutor's office has indicated that this is exactly what happens. Aside from that, someone who is actively scheming to steal info could quite easily set up a little system under the counter for photographing your credit card and driver's license without you noticing.
You're right that the risk of your charge being used to run up some charges is a lot higher than the risk of your ID info being used for identity theft. But when you multiply risk x cost for both scenarios, it's pretty clear to me which one people should be worried more about.
]]>I STILL find that less inconvenient than having my card stolen. Yes, I've had my card stolen and used. I wasn't held responsible for the charges, etc., but it was inconvenient, and rather than go through that again, I'm happy enough to show ID.
Now - Exposing your personally identifiable info. I'm going guess there are fewer cashiers out there trying to memorize your info from a quick glance at an ID than there are people stealing credit cards and trying to use them. I will admit that I have no hard data on this, but I'd guess this as I've shown my ID many times and never had my information stolen.
It all comes down to a cost/benefit analysis. Maybe you and I will simply have to agree to disagree. Our analysis of costs apparently comes out very different.
]]>@chemrebel: It did? Crap.
]]>@Ronin-Democrat: They ought to be able to if they work in a store that sells alcohol and/or tobacco.
]]>@Ragman: The machines at my local Kroger work well but that does happen occasionally. One time this guy was ignoring his kids while he was trying to check out and they kept climbing onto the bagging area. Cashier would have to come over, guy continues ignoring his kids, kids climb back on, repeat.
At one point I wondered if they were even his kids but they left with him.
]]>It doesn't happen nearly as often now that using your own bags is popular but it used to be that baggers would interpret, "Please use the thermal bags for the cold/frozen items" as, "Use the thermal bags first for all items". I would get thermal bags full of non-food items before I started putting the cold stuff on the belt first. They'd also overfill one thermal bag no matter how many I gave them to use so that not only could I not close it, sometimes the handles broke.
Maybe I'm picky but I wanted my food to survive the bus trip and walk home. Less of an issue now that I have a car but you still get the occasional bagger whose baffled or pissed you brought your bags and puts cans on top of your egg carton.
]]>@Gracegottcha: Who cares if somebody else uses your card? You aren't liable.
]]>All of this has been explained in other comments. Perhaps you should read them before commenting.
]]>I have to say my biggest regularly-experienced retail PITA is the grocery shrink ray. I buy a lot of freezer items, especially veggies since they're cheaper than fresh in my neck of the woods. For example, I just cringed in horror recently when the Kroger brand Pepper and Onion Stir-Fry blend went from 16 to 12 oz.
]]>If your bank won't give you an ATM card that isn't also a debit card, then find a different bank, because the one you're dealing with is putting their profit ahead of your money's security.
]]>2) When things like what you described occur, it's often because of other factors, e.g., race. In such cases, the cop uses the refusal to show ID as an excuse to harass, but unfortunately, if not given that excuse, the cop might very well find another one.
3) The person to whom I was responding claimed that it was illegal not to *carry* ID with one at all times, which is rather different from the question of whether one should show ID if one has it when asked to do so by a cop.
4) I didn't say it was a good idea to refuse to show ID when asked to do so by a cop; it isn't. I just said that it's erroneous to claim that there is anywhere in the United States where carrying ID is required or refusing to show ID is a crime.
The time to refuse to show ID, if you have it, when asked by a cop, is when (a) you believe you're being harassed for no good reason, (b) you're aware that refusing to show ID may antagonize the cop, (c) you're willing to do it anyway for the sake of being a test case, and (d) there are witnesses.
If you are asked to show ID by a cop and you *don't* have it, then the thing to do is to politely explain that you don't have ID with you, not to get all snarky about it. Unless, as you pointed out, you want to spend the night in the clink.
]]>"SEE ID" Does nothing. It actually makes your card invalid. You're not liable for fraud, why does it mater?
]]>Most of these things annoy me and as a result I do the majority of my shopping on-line or at mom and pop retailes that know me because I live in the neighborhood and walked to their store.
I feel bad for many of the clerks that are required to up-sell the cutomer 50 million ways, most of the time I tell them so. Would you like to save 10% SadSam, my response "no thank you, I hate saving money by incurring debt or opening a store credit card that charged 25% interest but I know you have to ask." My crazy answers always get a good laugh and they no I'm not annoyed with them but with their company.
]]>2. Receipt check when leaving a store. "We hassled you the entire time you tried to buy a TV/electric drill/DVD in our store, now we want to make sure you're not stealing from us." I bet if you paid your staff more than .50 above minimum wage, your shrinkage would magically... shrink!
3. Christmas in September. Enough said.
4. Customers who write SEE ID on their cards, but don't show their ID when they present their card. Credit card transaction = 30 seconds. Credit card transaction with woman fumbling around in purse / hipster douche fumbling around in messenger bag = 2.5 minutes. Multiply by 5 people in line and RAAAAAAGE!!!
5. Poorly trained seasonal retail drones. At the very least, don't put them in the electronics section.
6. Checkout. I don't understand why self-checkout has to be massive fail so many places. My grocery store does it right - just enough self-checkout lanes to reduce the need for paid checkers, while also keeping enough staff who are capably trained to manage the self-checkout area. Apparently this is impossible for 90% of stores utilizing self-checkouts. (Then again, our grocery store checkers are unionized, and make a living wage. It's amazing what caring about your decently-paying job can do for morale.)
7. Rewards programs. I'm willing to be treated like an open wallet and then a shoplifter by turns in your crap retail store because I need something you are selling, today. I hope never to come back again, and no, I am not interested in saving 10% and eventually accumulating 50,000 rewards points so I can get a $5 gift card. Let me buy my things and leave.
8. Black Friday. What a ridiculous concept. Last year, people died in the mad crush of bargain hunters surging into Wal-Mart. Enough is enough.
9. "Reduced from MSRP." Otherwise known as the markup-then-markdown discount. Search the Target tag to learn more about how the laws of the universe don't seem to apply any more.
10. Consumers. That's right, you. You are nearly always inattentive and ill-informed, often rude, and usually obese. Your children's manners are offensive, and when you attempt to discipline them, I can see where they get it. You think you're special, and that you deserve 120% of the attention and ability of everyone that has the great honor of serving your cheeto-stained self as you bumble through life. Surprise!: You're not special. You're a meatbag with a wallet. When you have to ask the clerk for the name of the store you're in, maybe it's time for some self-reflection. Especially if it's embroidered on their shirt.
This is why I gave up on shopping in stores long ago, especially during the busy season. Everything is cheaper on the internet, and it's almost impossible to find a truly thoughtful gift at Wal-Mart, anyhow.
]]>Sure, you just might win a lawsuit if you have the money to pursue one against a stonewalling DA and police department... but chances are, you'll just get arrested, spend a night or two in the clink, and have to deal with any injuries you suffer by yourself.
Also, if you write SEE ID on the back of your credit card, is it REALLY that hard to present the ID and the card at the same time? Sheesh. If you're really interested in security, and not just creating annoying little "tests" for retail drones, you'll do everyone a favor and help move things along with your preparedness.
Thank you, that is all.
]]>My credit union is cashless. If I want a withdrawal, I have to use the ATM (and so, my debit card) - or go to my CU, get a money order for a bank that they have an agreement with. That's an awfully big hassle, but their rates are good, and I am happy with them. I don't ever use debit for anything else. But were it stolen, I'd be properly screwed.
]]>It should be against the law to have a Going out of business sale, unless that is what they are doing.
]]>Otherwise, university would trump egregiousness in factoring the top ten. i.e. loyalty cards become the number one annoyance, only by virtue of most everyone grocery shopping on occasion. Even though most people might find them less irritating overall as compared to the aggressive hawking of extended warranties or mail-in rebates.
]]>A little over a week ago, I rang up my own order without problem, but made the mistake of noticing that a checkout coupon from a previous visit would allow me to get some candy I wouldn't buy otherwise nearly free.
But since the machine could not trust me to scan and deposit my own coupons, it asked me to give them to the attendant. No attendant in sight. No way to void the item myself either. Waved the coupon in the air trying to attract somebody's attention. After a few minutes, someone stocking the shelves noticed me and shrugged.
So at that point, I walked out, leaving everything sitting where it was. I wonder if they noticed it before the ice cream melted? Contacted the store via their website that same morning about the experience. Have yet to get even an automated response from them.
]]>I bet they've also run the numbers and found they make more money by aggressively pushing store credit cards than they lose due to customers shopping elsewhere because of said tactics.
]]>However, while the point is to force to you wander aimlessly through the store in hopes that you'll find some new impulse items to throw in your cart while you're figuring out where they moved the coffee aisle to, I wouldn't call it a "Gotcha" in the same sense as upsells at the register, or hidden fees negative lower prices and such.
]]>Some supermarkets have added the self scan registers, but those are usually limited for people who are only buying a few items. If they dared to limit the full service registers there are plenty of markets nearby to go to instead.
I suppose if I ran into a receipt checker and didn't fell like waiting, except places like Sams where I agree to the check as part of my membership, I'd walk out with my goods. If I was hassled by security, and they had no cause to suspect I was a shop lifter, I might show the receipt to them in the lot, tell them that they have no right to touch my property or go back in, return the goods and make sure I tell the district supervisor why they lost a sale -- depending on my mood.
The checking for ID for a credit card purchase is actually not allowed in NJ (more precisely the store can't refuse to complete the CC purchase if you don't show ID). Of course stores violate that and its usually not worth fighting (I don't like giving out personal info, which my ID has, to strangers). Saying no to phone number requests and upsells at the register usually works.
]]>Being upsold or sold the credit card is my major pet peeve. Charity donations fall under that. I had a facebook friend gripe recently about the people who said no to her "discount card for charity" sales pitch -- I held my tongue, but it made me really angry. No, I don't want to buy your card even if it will pay for itself if I spend $X. Maybe I wasn't planning to spend $X. That doesn't make me a jerk even if it's "for charity."
But mostly I hate the credit card sales because I feel awful for the poor cashier who's going to have her hours cut because not enough suckers said yes.
]]>@Trai_Dep: Hilarious! I'll have to try that one.
]]>What I could never figure out is why employees are constantly pushed by corporate to do things that any person who has EVER been shopping would find intensely annoying. Do corporations ever field test these policies before enacting them?
]]>You didn't include my biggest annoyance:
Clerks who don't care what the customer wants and are only concerned with shifting product.
]]>Merchants are not "legally" required to reject cards without signatures
There is no requirement under law for a merchant to reject a card without a signature.
There is an agreement between the merchant and card provider.
There is a world of difference between the two.
]]>and when it comes to my FSA account, i only have an option of using a debit card. which is how i paid for my prescription this morning, which i was thinking of when i wrote this.
if someone took that card and used it i'd be in a real bind since i don't check the balance daily like my other accounts. and when the pharmacy goes to ship my insulin, if there's not enough money in there, i don't get my meds. not that i worry a lot about someone charging my entire balance up in cough medicine and band aids, but it's technically possible and weirder things have happened to other people before
]]>From now on I will just give them 867-5309. Love me some 80s music!
]]>Debit cards do not benefit consumers. They benefit banks.
In fact, you will have MUCH better luck with your chase visa than with a debit card, because you won't be trying to convince your credit union or bank to put money back into your account. Chase doesn't get your money until you pay your bill, and if charges on your bill are fraudulent, you simply don't pay them.
]]>And just think, with these you-scan things, a new generation of teenage boys will be spared the awkward-condom-buying-moments that every man in recorded history has experienced. God how I wish they had existed when I was in high school!
]]>Unfortunately every store that practices this horrid "security measure" implies through their actions that the check is mandatory, and detaining people in this manner is against the law. If you want to live somewhere where that kind of crap is tolerated, please take those opinions to a country that doesn't have the fundamental principles of freedom that we have.
]]>Having your credit card number does not equal having your phone number. Merchants who process cards online can VERIFY a phone number or address (i.e. ask the issuer "Is this MrChrisCarey's address/phone?") and get a yes or no, but using a credit card does not give the store any personal information besides your name.
]]>My bad I see it now 8-(
Thats the worse to me and I didnt even vote for it because there were so many others. Dang...
Why isn't coupons that exclude just about everything on there? Macy's and JCPenney's are the worst! And you still have to use your card.
]]>The newer ones I've used, however, have been excellent.
]]>My purse/checkbook/wallet/everything was stolen from work one day, the lady who took it wrote a check to Publix (grocery store), they checked the ID, it's on tape, the problem is, the cashier didn't bother to actually look at the picture or at least glance at the woman who was writing the check.
I'm 5'10" she was 5'3" tops, I have dark hair, she was blond, I'm kind of pale, she was pretty tanned and the best part, I had about a hundred pounds on her.
The height thing is what killed me, though. You can change almost everything in that list, except for losing 7".
The best part, I found out who she was, but the cops wouldn't do anything. *sigh*
]]>Being endlessly hounded with the extended warranty sales pitch ties in to one of the few things that will seriously irritate me in a retail setting. If I decline something or answer no to a question I don't want to be asked again and have to say no a second time.
I know that lots of sales staff have quotas of stupid shit to sell. That said, after the customer says 'No thanks.' it's time to move on with the transaction.
]]>Crap, I'm so tired now I can't remember what I voted for!
]]>@econobiker: One thing that irritates me is when the digital signature pads don't work correctly. I sign my name with the stylus and what comes out on the screen is an indecipherable scrawl. Why bother signing if the device can't transcribe a reasonable facsimile of your signature?
]]>@H3ion:
Its not nice to use real phone numbers for this stuff. If they get called, you're wasting other people's time, and its frustrating. People give out the main number for where I work as their phone numbers, and we keep getting calls for this and that. Not nice!
Would be kind of amusing to use a phone sex hotline though. A few days ago I read that they use numbers similar to other companies apparently in hopes that people will at least accidentially call, anyway. :P
]]>@pecan 3.14159265: For a phone number, if I don't just say 'No thanks.' when they ask for a number I give them 867-5309.
If the cashier is up on their '80s rock you can share a chuckle over Tommy Tutone.
]]>So I'm really torn as to what to do - do I demagnetize my DL, which might be illegal, or only provide my passport, which doesn't have the mag strip, and risk losing my passport if my purse gets stolen again?
I'm also considering sending some nasty emails to the Target execs, because that's a serious invasion of my privacy.
]]>@lalaland13: I'm so paranoid right now. My husband has been sick for the last couple weeks, and he's been chugging NyQuil and DayQuil like it's his job. I've been buying about three bottles a week, and every time I've bought him a bottle, I just hope they don't call the cops on me. So far, so good!
]]>It maybe a false sense of security, but it does make me feel just a little bit better.
]]>I should mention that the requirements to verify this are federal ones, not just store policy.
]]>If they scan your license for the pseudoephedrine purchase it makes things a lot easier because they don't need to take down your personal information by hand (like your ID number, name, birthdate, etc.) plus it makes it easier for both you and them to keep track of how much of your allowance you've purchased. When I buy some and they scan my license it shows right at the bottom of my receipt how much ephedrine I've purchased and how much of the allowance is left.
]]>Tort law is still law, it's just not criminal law.
]]>Only 5 things? I hate pretty much all the things on this list, save for 1 or 2. Then again, I enjoy hating things, so your mileage may vary.
]]>@alexburrito:
I shop at Kohl's, now that Mervyn's is gone. I miss Mervyn's.
I do love when there are 2 registers open, 10 customers in each line and the cashier STILL says "Would you like to save 10% by opening a Target/Home Depot/Whatever" credit card today?
HELLO??!!
You have a line of customers that you can't keep up with and you are going to try and slow down the line further by taking applications for credit cards? Even electronically this causes the line to stop until the new account is open, etc, etc.
STUPID.
]]>In any case, a name, address and driver's license number can often be leveraged into an SSN using social engineering and other techniques.
]]>Unless you're buying Sudafed, in which case they're REQUIRED to write down the information on it. *shrug*
]]>@julieannie: Honestly, that's the first argument I've seen in many years that made a point of actual substance against the cardholder asking the cashier to show ID.
Have any equally cogent ideas for how to stop someone at the point of sale who just picked up your card and started shopping with it?
]]>@LetMeGetTheManager: I work in IT. I am known as a troubleshooter. I am the lead trainer for my software support group.
I can't get those goddamn self-checkouts to work, ever. Unlike my users, however, I know when not to use technology that doesn't work for me. ;)
]]>@Moosehawk: Kohl's is the retail "boy who cried wolf". I don't bother shopping there anymore. Can't tell whether I'm getting a good deal or not.
]]>@econobiker: Interesting. Good point. Having been through the domestic violence wringer myself once, I ought to have thought of that.
]]>@lalaland13: Do what I do. I buy a small package each month, not enough to abuse, but enough to keep me stocked up in case I need it. I always buy from the same place, as it happens, and the pharmacist and I laugh about it. I do, in fact, hate the registry, but then again I have my precious old-school Sudafed in case I come down with a cold or the flu. That new kind just doesn't work on me.
]]>One of the grocery stores near me did that, I hate it. I used to be a cashier as a part-time job, and now the store expects me to be a cashier for free? Tom Sawyer eat your heart out, I don't know why people go for this scam.
]]>@catastrophegirl:
Don't even worry about signing the pad or receipt in a legible manner:
I work in a prosecutor's office and specifically work on cases of forgery, identity theft and similar crimes. You wouldn't believe the amount of people who can remember your info long enough to open accounts in your name and charge up several thousands in overnight deliveries before anyone can stop them. And since these people show ID to every store, the police have to interview people at all the places you shop unless we can track where the item was delivered to a person. That's why it can take us 6 months to even bring charges against people.
None of my co-workers or I show our IDs if we don't have to. Frankly, it's safer that way.
]]>@calquist: Happens all the time. Seems that the only people aside from me that shop at that KMart are poor college students and old ladies. And they ALWAYS grab the items that have tags that don't scan or are missing the UPC/Price tag.
]]>@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Sounds like Consumer Reports needs to be gutting some mattresses soon... That reminds me about the automobile guy online who published disections of every oil filter which would fit his ?(BMW, Ford, or whatever) brand car and was able to connect store brands with manufacturers along with subtle differences of same.
Related: Anyone see the recent "Dirty Jobs" mattress recycle episode? Capital "F" +u-n-k-y! but worth it to see how to keep those big honking voids out of landfills...
]]>If I have about 10 items I can usually check myself in under a minute and I rarely have issues.
]]>The main reason I stopped shopping at Best Buy, for example, is that I found myself knowing more about their products than they did. Similarly, we all know what happened to Circuit City when it forced its competent people out.
Staff matters more to me than any of the other annoyances listed here. I don't care if I have to wait on a long line at the Apple Store, and I roll my eyes but tolerate being asked for my phone number and Zip Code at Radio Shack ... I don't mind, because these places' employees are helpful and smart.
]]>The supermarket closest to my house was the first in my city to install self checkouts several years back when they started becoming common. When I was there on Sunday, I noticed that they've ripped them all out and put in four regular check out lines.
]]>Now Consumerist needs to do the opposite poll - what do stores do that make you come back. For me it is the "super" self-checkout at Martin's (also d/b/a Stop & Shop or Giant). You take a hand scanner with you and scan as you bag as you are grocery shopping. At the end, you simply upload the scanner, pay, walk away. I've seen people milling about the entrance on weekends waiting for somebody to return a scanner because it is really that great.
]]>@plumenoir: I always wait for someone to freak out on me for not asking for their ID, so I can tell them that a)management wouldn't back me up if I tried to refuse it (and a`, would yell at me for wasting time because we're expected to complete CC transactions in less than 10 seconds), and b)if they came inside the store they'd swipe their card without me ever seeing it anyway.
(I'm currently working at McDonald's, and this particular one I like to think is really good about customer service on any other issue. And I care about some of my regular customers. But sometimes the employees' and the store's hands might be tied.)
That is a myth.
U.S. courts have ruled repeatedly that it is unconstitutional for police to demand that someone produce identification. Laws requiring identification to be carried are similarly unconstitutional.
]]>Got caught behind a dipsh!t one time paying for a $50+ purchase with wadded cash in small bills. Got about half of it paid before they had to pull out and insert the rest one bill at a time from their wallet.
Annoyance: when the self checkout electronic pen either doesn't work (and they don't bother taking the register offline), or it got closed in the machine when the paper was loaded. And the cashier doesn't have the key.
]]>@pcj: I will only use these if I have ONE item, or possibly two, my ride is waiting, and I am paying with cash. The scanner is so SLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW, yells at me really LLOOOUUUDDDD, and I loathe that stupid WEIGHT where you have to put everything into the bag on the scale, and it's covered in bag holders with no room for big stuff. I gleefully love to get the 40 pound bag of dog food, so I can scan it and WHUMP it down hard right on top of the bag holders. Gotta remember to get the Kool-Aid packets to put on top next time, and complain bitterly about it not reading right. /evil grin/
Home Depot around here is pretty famous for not having ANY checkout lanes open, nobody using the self-checkers and going to the customer service lane instead and bogging that down. Somebody needs to get a clue. I mean, at the self-check how hard would it be for me to figure out what the stock number of those patio pavers are? How about measuring that molding? Hello?
]]>@Dave J.:
I hate that the u-scan or self service registers don't have a coin dump bowl for paying- just a small slot- and the less ergonomic horizontal one at that. And this given that these u-scan registers often have a change dump bowl to give out change.
Of course the stores utilize this feature since they typically have a CoinStar or similar machine to process your change for a nice fee. Secondarily the stores don't want you to slow up the transaction time dumping change into the machine.
econobiker (banging head on desk wishing he had invented Coinstar to rip off lazy people)
]]>Furthermore, as I noted in another comment in this thread, the merchant is, in fact, not only permitted to require ID, but REQUIRED to require ID, if a customer presents a card without a valid signature on it.
]]>@speedwell, avatar of snark: There are people who legitimately shouldn't give out personal info such as victims of domestic abuse or crime witnesses etc so that your response is a very good one to shut that question down.
]]>You're not liable for the charge.
And why do you think that making the thief sign would prevent him from using the card? Do you think they actually check signatures?
I do a lot of work in process engineering. One of the cardinal rules of process engineering is that you optimize the common cases, not the edge cases. That is, you make the things that occur often run as well as possible, even if that means that the things that occur rarely run slightly less well.
In this case, that means that you optimize the case of a valid credit card being used by its real cardholder for a legitimate purchase, even if that means that it will occasionally be easier for stolen cards to be used by thieves.
The credit-card companies have clearly done the math and concluded that they will make more money in fees by making cards easier to use for small purchases, than they will lose by making *stolen* cards easier to use for small purchases. I think that's a perfectly reasonable calculation, especially since, as noted before, the cardholder isn't actually liable for fraudulent transactions.
]]>@jik: Yes, or a cloned blank card.
]]>I don't mind being asked for ID when using a check. But then, I never use checks anywhere that accepts credit cards. Why should I, when I get back 1% of anything I charge to my credit card and get all the protections that come from using a card?
I know there are people who don't use credit cards, either because their credit score is too low to be able to get a decent one, or because they have irresponsible spending habits which a credit card would enable, but for I'm at a loss to explain why anyone who doesn't fall into one of these two categories would use a check instead of a credit card where cards are accepted.
]]>And, seriously, these things have been out for years now. Is it THAT hard to figure out how to input the PUC for produce? Argh.
]]>Very old news. Bottom line: merchants can ask but requiring it is a violation of their merchant agreement with the card company. All cards must be signed as that's a violation as well. I always refuse to show my card to protect my ID. Best Buy sucks it every time.
Speaking of which, my head really hurts right now.
]]>Signing your card "See ID" means you are supposed to sign the receipt the same way. That's how it works, so the cashier can compare the signature on the receipt to the signature on the card.
]]>The people in my current town have a penchant for doing this, which doesn't surprise me one bit.
]]>it's certainly not common or heard of by most people but it sure came in handy then and at my second job at the time, as a bouncer at a punk bar near a campus. had a couple of kids come in with really excellent new jersey IDs...
well they would have been had new jersey been using scannable IDs yet then. but NJ was one of the last states to convert from laminated. so the kids heard that NJ IDs were the easiest to fake and made some, not realizing WHY they were easiest to fake.
My wife and I will never get into a self-checkout line behind anyone over 65. The chances of them taking forever to scan their items only find out out they missed the big sign saying 'No Cash, Debit Card Only' and only have bills are just too high.
]]>There are kids that are always selling things on Michigan Ave in Chicago. I know it is probably not legitimate and ignore them.
]]>I managed to help put a woman away for 20 years who had stolen a checkbook (it wasn't the first time). I think anyone who has ever had a card or checkbook stolen understands why it is important.
]]>both CVS and Walgreens make a habit of this and it infuriates me, but when i am getting a prescription filled there aren't a lot of places that are open around my work schedule.
]]>Merchants are not allowed to take cards that see "see ID" or "CID," and they are legally required to reject it. It asked for a signature, and it says "NOT VALID UNLESS SIGNED" right there on the card.
If they take it and ask for an ID, that's two violations, because the merchant agreement with the credit card company prohibits them from requiring ID.
Want to protect yourself against someone stealing your card? Check your account online frequently. Check your monthly statements. See something amiss? Report it. If you didn't make the purchase, your bank is legally required to refund you the money immediately. Know where your cards are. If you lose a card, tell your bank immediately, so that they can cancel it and issue you a new one.
It's not hard. And best of all, it's legal.
]]>Ironically the winter coats started at $39.99 in the men's department at Kmart.
Come on now, we know that el cheapo winter coat does not cost $80 to make, but no of course its on sale at 40% off the first day it hits the racks!!! I am sorry when it gets this outrageous with the prices then it is borderline fraud. A coat from low-quality department stores like Kmart should not start at $80.
At stores like Marshall's and TJ Maxx the winter coats started at around $19.99 for roughly the same quality as the one at Kmart, and you could get a mid-brand winter coat for $39.99-$49.99. A high quality coat from brands like Columbia and The North Face ranged from $79.99 to $139.99.
I know Marshall's buys up previous seasons merchandise but around here, um it really doesn't matter what season the merchandise came from. My point is they are not trying to scam the customer with outrageous prices and constant percent off sales, and the prices are what you expect them to be. I also know brand name doesn't equal quality, but the Marshall's stuff was way better than the Kmart stuff.
]]>@jik: Heck, one chain I shop at can't get their machines to accept their OWN gift cards.
]]>It's a cultural thing. Everybody in SoCal thinks it's required, so managers train cashiers to do it, and customers will actually complain if they're not asked for an ID.
When I talk to store managers about it, they invariably tell me they are required (by Visa/MC or Corporate HQ) to demand to see an ID. They simply don't believe me when I tell them what their merchant agreements say.
I don't always carry my driver's license (and if I'm not driving, that's up to me, isn't it?), so it can be a hassle. When a a cashier or manager is really rude about it, I complain to the store, and to Visa/MasterCard, but it rarely does any good.
I think it's clear that Visa & MasterCard don't object when merchants demand to see a photo ID.
]]>unfortunately for him, it's all one room back there so we can hear each other and we had a practice of saying the name on a suspicious card out loud so my coworker had heard me say 'Mr smith, i can't accept this unsigned card without ID' and got me to come over and verify the person when he saw the same name on the card.
]]>Me: "Absolutely not, and I'm appalled you would even ask! I am against breast cancer."
]]>This is probably the hardest poll I've ever seen on the internet. How can you pick just five?
]]>Hmmm...good point. I hadn't realized that that makes the card invalid.
However, I have never had a problem with this personally. While, I realize that this wouldn't deter a thief, I have found that it gives cashiers a reason to pause. Which goes back to my original point: I don't see why it's a "shopping headache" to show ID when using a card. Chances are you have your wallet out anyway to take out the card...
Of course, this doesn't stop self-check-outs...
I would say you have a unique situation.
]]>@TCama:
Our you can keep posting this archaic nonsense.. Your way actually is easier to commit fraud then just writing see id or CId..
If someone steals a card that is signed without CID it just go throughs. If it is signed CID, the person swiping it can ask for an ID.. Then the fraud person would have to add extra work in producing a fake ID..
The only people that will not take CID cards is the Post Office and we know how well they are doing..
]]>As for alcohol, stores are allowed to do that. It's much harder to counterfeit the bar code or magnetic strip in an ID than it is to counterfeit the visual aspects of it.
]]>Come on, Consumerist. You're smarter than that. Robinson-Patman Act for the loss. All you do is change a small feature and change the model number, and you can set pricing differently for different retail customers.
]]>But on a related note that is the store's fault rather than the customers', it would be nice if they kept the scanner windows in the self-checkout lanes cleaned and replaced the glass more often. Often, the window is so dirty and/or scratched that it's like pulling teeth to get the scanner to read my courtesy card.
It would also be nice if they figured out how to make the self-checkout machines accept the vouchers from the bottle-return machines.
]]>@emilymarion333: @TCama:
Sorry but a signature does not have to be your name. They can say they don't like the signature all they want..
]]>Second of all, that doesn't stop thieves. Very few cashiers will actually ask for your ID when they see that ... if they take the card at all, that is. Of the ones who do, very few actually compare the name and your face to the name and face on your ID.
Third of all, there are far better ways to prevent thievery, and if all else fails, you report it to your bank, they give you a new card, reimburse you, and charge the thief.
I think Consumerist needs to do a post on this ... they haven't done it in a while.
]]>can they really tell a phoney out of state id from the real no.
with color printing as easy as it is checking id is a waste of time.
if they have suspicions they are supposed to call the card company as they have real information that can verify your identity
]]>@Dave J.: I run into the problem where it will give me an arbitrary "Please wait on Cashier"...and no one is at the counter.
]]>Horrified look from the kiddies, angry glare from their Momma Hen and laughing friends pushing me out away from their scrum, all in a split-second.
Sigh. Good times!
]]>Once, it was because it was left on by accident, as the manager, a friend of mine, told me on the way out when I commented on them finally opening up the self-checkouts.
]]>The reason why this is significant is because it's easier to rewrite the mag stripe on a card than to produce a whole new card with the correct number embossed on the front of it, so crooks looking for a shortcut will sometimes try to use a card where the front and mag stripe don't match.
]]>@lehrdude: That would kind of defeat the purpose of the poll.
]]>@knackeredmom: It IS fun. Sometimes I go shopping with my invisible friend, who is, in fact, an attorney (although his credentials are also invisible, so I have to take his word for it). When asked for unnecessary information, I sigh, look off slightly to the right, nod, and say "My attorney advised me not to give out personal information." I haven't got a clueful response to that from a cashier to date.
]]>Never have a problem with the self-checkout. It's generally an express lane (20 or less; usually 10 or less). The only thing I hate are the people who grab a cart full of stuff and decide to use them...there's not enough room to pack your crap in bags at a self-checkout.
One drawback...it's a pain in the butt to get smokes from a self-checkout or have someone approve a beer, medicine, or age restricted purchase.
Let me be the first to THANK stupid teenagers for huffing paint, whipped cream, krazy glue, and auto parts cleaner; now everyone suffers your paper bag wrath.
]]>Somehow, I can get through a self checkout lane in my local Stop and Shop quickly and with no fuss. Yet, the dingbat with 3 kids, a cart full of items and seemingly no clue *who got right in front of me* can't manage, and screws up scanning every single thing.
Rant over.
]]>As for the Sudafed, I don't know if they are required to scan my license. I live in Indiana, so the last thing I want is to be hauled in for meth production like the poor grandmother a while back.
Perhaps as performance art a person could go from store to store with an attorney. Every time a request is made for license, ID, receipt checking, you could act like a witness in front of a congressional panel, consulting with your attorney as he covers an imaginary mike. "Don't answer that." Could be fun.
]]>Do you have a rewards card? (No.)
Would you like to purchase one? (No.)
Do you know about the rewards program? (Yes.)
You could save $2 on this purchase, are you sure you don't want to buy one? (Yes.)
Would you like to donate $1 to X Local School's Library Fund (Not Today.)
Would you like to buy a bow for $1 to benefit Breast Cancer Research? (Nope.)
Can we have your email address to let you know about events at this store? (Nope.)
All that to let me buy a book. And even after all that she managed to point out and circle the part on the receipt where I could do an online survey (which I did, outlining how ridiculous this process is).
]]>The rest of the stuff doesn't really bother me because from a business perspective I get why they do it.
Online->store prices: Costs less to ship from warehouse to you than to a store.
Receipt checker: theft and/or items that don't fit in bags.
Not all registers open: was always this way; it's more or less for busy periods and holidays. Don't have the staff to keep open every register.
Auto checker verification (wasn't on there): to prevent underage purchase.
Card to get sale: it's a tradeoff between your privacy and a good price; it sucks but they have to get something in the trade (spending/item habits)
No...wait...I hate the "it's on sale for 20% off" when it's the usual price. That always pisses me off. It's just a marketing tactic. Nothing is ever msrp at non-specialty shops.
I also hate the "Clearance-Up to 75% off"; again marketing, stuff is marked down by msrp and if it never was msrp then 75% off is more like 55% off (given it's usually 20% off).
It's usually the clothes retailers that victimize this practice.
And best buy open box stuff (for stuff that is returned) either: should be donated (ala target), or should be returned to the manufacturer. Not end up as open box on store shelves with only a 20% difference. I guarantee best buy's restocking fee is more than the difference between the shelf price and the open box price (though I haven't checked).
Thank GOD they don't let people return games and dvds open box unless it's defective, otherwise I might just go crazy. I don't know why people buy things that they don't really want, I guess that's just life. When I do it, I just eat the cost. Maybe that's why I have a dvd collection of horrid movies like bone snatcher and screamers: the hunting and don't buy good movies because they're 2 dollars more than I want to pay ;)
]]>Asking for ID doesn't benefit the store because the store isn't liable for fraudulent transactions as long as they follow all of the rules (one of which, incidentally, is not requiring ID, although they are allowed to ask for it).
The closest I've seen to a legitimate explanation for why asking for ID benefits anyone is that supposedly, stores with high fraud rates get charged higher card processing fees even if they follow all the rules. If this is true, and if indeed asking for ID reduces fraud, then one can understand why some stores might choose to do it.
]]>My biggest beef is always the checkout line times - there's nothing that irritates me more than waiting in line for 30-45 minutes to pay for something that took me 5 minutes to grab off the shelf.
I'm looking at you, Ikea, and you, Microcenter, and you over there, Fry's...
]]>@katstermonster: Alot of the time groups like that will try to give you a sticker to put on your jacket saying "I Support Breast Cancer Research" or something, so the other groups know to not pester you.
]]>Personally, I find the self-checkout lanes to be quite convenient. My wife, on the other hand, avoids them like the plague. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
]]>What about "In order to buy a big-ticket item (tv, computer, laptop, game console, etc.), you must buy all this other stuff"?
]]>I consider having to make such phone calls a "hassle" in addition to the stress of wondering what all was charged, etc, etc.
Perhaps "Hassle" wasn't the best word to use. Perhaps I should have gone with annoying. It is not like they fought me on it, granted.
]]>I'm not so against being asked to sponsor a charity when I buy something though. My local grocery store does "checkout hunger" campaigns frequently. Sometimes they ask, sometimes they don't. The idea being that if you can afford to buy food, maybe it would be nice to think of those who can't afford to buy food. If you feel guilty for not donating, it's not the cashier's fault (at least if they just ask once and don't give you a hard time about it).
]]>When they ask me to sign up for a card my brain thinks: card; debt; debt I'm still in; debt I'm still in and not paying down because I'm buying a beautiful $100 dress. Now I feel guilty for shopping here and do not want to come back for a long, long time. Rinse. Repeat.
]]>An exception to this is if the card is not signed (and "see id" or "check id" on the back is equivalent to "not signed", from the issuer's point of view). In that case, the merchant is supposed to demand to see valid ID with a signature, demand that the cardholder sign the card on the spot, compare the signature on the ID to the signature on the card, and accept the card only if they seem reasonably similar to each other.
If a merchant accepts a card that is not signed, and the charge turns out to be fraudulent, then the merchant is liable for the charge.
]]>@katstermonster: I just offer to examine their breasts right there for free.
]]>You'd agree with me Here, but probably not on CAG. I respect that about you.
]]>@holytrainwreck: Well that makes it sound a little more fun.
]]>If what you're really talking about is a debit card rather than a credit card, i.e., getting your money back was a hassle because it was taken out of your bank account as soon as the fraudulent charges were made, well, then, the correct solution to that is not to use debit cards, NOT to write "check ID" on the back of your card in violation of the card's terms of use.
]]>@Colonel Jack O'Neill: Unless the cashier looked like a crazed stalker, I don't see any problem. But I suppose to a young woman many cashiers would fit the description
]]>@osiris73: One of the sororities on my campus was trying to get donations for breast cancer research. All fine and good, but they were on EVERY CORNER. So even if you gave 20 bucks to the first group, you look like a dick as you drive past 12 other gaggles of girls to get through campus. Annoying and obnoxious.
]]>I like it when I'm using my CC, and they ask me for ID, and you know, Best Buy is the only store that ask me for ID.
]]>When I do show my ID, it never leaves my hands. I hold it up in front of the cashier so they can view my pic and signature and verify it is me and I put my license back in my wallet. No harm, no foul.
]]>I hate it when the cashiers ask me for my phone number or email address, but they never pursue it after I say no. Some stores are ridiculously aggressive in selling the store credit card, and I admit that when I worked in retail, I was very, very good at selling that credit card...usually to men shopping for their wives or girlfriends.
Stores that require cards for discounts doesn't bother me because I don't usually put real information down anyway. The cards associate a phone number with a card, but it doesn't mean it has to be a real phone number. You can put 555-555-5555 and it will probably work.
]]>Nice pic of a Canadian Loblaws Superstore btw...note the President's Choice logo in the background on the upper wall...
]]>Hell... Not even just opening "ALL" the check-out lanes, how about opening one or two extra lanes when there's only one lane open and there are 10 customers waiting in line... The local K-Mart refuses to do this and it is horrible. Only reason I ever shop there is because it's a few blocks away and if I need one or two things it always seems quicker... Usually it isn't because of having to wait forever in line.
]]>I've actually had a card physically stolen and used; while I did get my money back, it was still a hassle to go through. I now sign the back of my cards "Check ID" and I have seen clerks look at that, and then not ask for the ID anyway.
But, that little act of asking for my ID goes a long way in my eyes; it gives me the impression that the store might, you know, actually care about me as a customer.
]]>@osiris73: Good one. Here in Canada, it's a "toonie for this" or a "toonie for that."
]]>Can you make an option #22 - "All of the above"?
]]>Is there an "all of the above" option...?
]]>You forgot to add hounding me to give $5 to such and such charity and making me feel like a douche if I don't.
]]>I worked in retail several years ago and we always checked ID.
]]>