Waiting in line for a free bag of potatoes

I got a free bag of potatoes today. Yep, but it wasn't easy. Here's how it happened.

In the store's fruit and vegetable section, I saw a sale price of $2.99 for a ten pound bag of washed white potatoes, so I picked up a bag along with other items. While the cashier was totaling up the items, I noticed the monitor showed a price of $3.49 so I pointed out the mistake to her. She ran it through the scanner again, and sure enough it showed $3.49. She asked if I wanted the potatoes and I reluctantly said yes, but felt somewhat cheated, even if it was for only 50 cents. I began thinking that I had somehow made a mistake when I saw the sale sign, maybe picking up the wrong brand or it had been placed in the wrong section.

Now policy at the grocery store says if you are overcharged the price of a sale item, they will refund the full amount you paid for the item, in essence, getting the item for free. You see where I'm going with this now don't you?

So I lined up at the courtesy counter and waited while a couple of people were serviced. When I explained the situation to the young woman behind the counter, she asked for my receipt and to show her the front of the bag of potatoes. I showed her what I thought was the front (with the mesh see-through side) but she said to turn the bag around to the other side which had a lot more printing and graphics on it. She was somewhat abrupt and not overly friendly. I had a sense this wasn't going to be easy. Meanwhile I could hear the older man behind me grumbling under his breath as he waited for lotto tickets. I felt a little guilty making him wait, but this was the opportunity to get something free, and besides, how many other people had been "ripped off" even if it was unintentional. So I stood and waited as she paged the manager, who was having lunch. "I'm trying to get you a refund" she said, "but I have to have the manager sign this paper" holding up some type of standard exchange form. "I can refund the difference what you paid and the sale price" she said, which meant a whole 50 cent refund. I just looked at her disapprovingly, with a no thank you motion. What would you expect me to do after waiting in line for at least five minutes now.

I asked her if there was anyone else in the store that could sign the paper. She said, "No, the manager of that department has to sign it," she said insistently. I repeated my earlier statement almost word for word, "you mean there really isn't anyone else in the store who can sign this?" I was not believing it. She turned around to go back to the phone to page or phone somebody again but helped the man behind me, get his lotto tickets. By this time he was quite irritable, especially when she kept asking him redundant questions, like: "you want all the lines on the same ticket" she queried, and that will be $6.00 right?" He said yes, to each question, but in an unfriendly sarcastic tone.

Another customer behind him waited patiently, while talking to her male friend. She asked another cashier at the counter for a package of cigarettes. That's $10.16 the cashier replied, then went to opposite side of the courtesy desk to fetch the cigarettes. "I know she's going to ask for I.D." the young woman said, just loud enough for her friend and myself to hear. Sure enough, as soon as she had uttered the words, the cashier was back at the counter, asking for identification, while the young woman was already reaching for her wallet. I started wondering how anyone can afford to smoke at those prices. Then as she left, a man bought a carton of cigarettes. The package was covered in warning labels, boldly stating with words and graphics, the dangers of cigarette smoking. "The clerk quoted a figure of 88 dollars and change. Wow! I'm glad I'm not a smoker, or I'd have to give up food for that type of pleasure/addiction.


Well finally some good news. A manager showed up at the opposite side of the courtesy desk and signed the paperwork. I didn't have the courage to ask if this was the "only" manager in the store who could sign the official document, but it was looking good for the full refund now. The unfriendly cashier now asked the other cashier to help by counting the $3.49 change from the register, which she was happy to do. I quickly counted the coins in my hand and could see the amount wasn't right. There was less than three dollars. The unfriendly cashier stated that I was getting back what I paid, but she was preoccupied with filling out the form for which I was required to sign, state my address and phone number. It seemed more like privacy invasive for a simple exchange of a small amount of cash. I asked the cashier if I was supposed to get the full amount I paid and showed her the amount in my hand. "Give him a Loonie" (an often used term for a Canadian dollar coin with an engraving of a loon on the back, for those not familiar) she said emphatically. The other cashier was happy to oblige, and I was hoping this was just an honest mistake because it would not have been worth the entire episode without the full refund.

"Do you want the receipt?" the unfriendly one said. "Yes, I do" as I muttered something meaningless to justify the return of the receipt. We exchanged thank-yous as a formality and she lifted the bag without smiling and said "here's your potatoes" and quickly turned away. It might not have been worth the effort, but was fun writing about it. Maybe a baked potato sounds good for supper.