Receipts

Got a bit of a bee in my bonnet regarding shopping receipts.

Went to a well known garden centre this afternoon and saw some bits and bobs which would come in handy. Bought several items, most reduced. Was given my receipt and gave it the once over (as I often do) and was struck by how it is "designed". Goes something like this:-

1 "name of item" @ £x.xx <--- full price
2 x "name of item" @ £x.xx each £X.xx <--- full price

and so forth. Then, the cost of all the items totalled at full price; but, further down the receipt the reductions are shown. Yet, it is the *way* it is shown which put the bee in my bonnet.
Example: SO#30 @ 30% off TOTAL discounted amount
SO#243 @ 50% off TOTAL discounted amount

Now, maybe I'm just being a bit picky, but *nothing* in the reductions section of the receipt is referenced to any specific item bought. In other words, I cannot deduce if the deductions are correct, if I've been undercharged or overcharged. There is simply no way of knowing!

So, I ask the till person the simple question:
"How do I know which of the individual reduced items have been included in the total amount?"
"All the ones with 30% off are in that total"
"Yes, so it suggests, but how do *I* know?"
"Would you like to see the Manager?"
"Ok, if you like"
Manager: "What's the problem?"
"I'd like to know how I can discern which items a discount has been applied to"
"It's on the receipt"
"No, it isn't. The total savings are, but, there is no way I can see, or cross reference, which individual items a discount has been applied to, if at all, so I cannot tell if I have been charged correctly, or incorrectly"
"That's how the till does it".
"Ok, but, I can't be the only person to have ever queried a till receipt"
"No, there's been one or two but we don't have anything to do with the tills, we just use them"
"That's fine, but I'm querying the transparency of your till receipts because I think it is confusing, doesn't really tell me what I need to know and it makes it impossible for me to know if it is correct or not."
"We don't have anything to do with the tills ... "
"Surely you give feedback if customers are critiquing the readout?
"We're not invited to give feedback"
"But I'm giving you *my* feedback and I think it is reasonable to assume that, as a Manager, you will pass it on"
"What is it you want to know?"
"I want to know why your till receipt aren't open and transparent and I still don't know which items have been discounted"

So, she goes through the process of putting every single item through the till once more ... because even *she* cannot tell from the receipt which ones the numbers apply to

So: I don't know what the receipt means; the Manager doesn't know what the numbers on the receipt means ... only the machine knows

And that is why I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet: the humans *using* these machines don't know what the readings mean precisely, nor can they discern what discounts have been applied to which items (unless they re-scan the lot once again) but, their absolute faith that the machine is accurate is quite scary!

 

If it's wrong they can blame the machine

 

1) Take some of the reduced items back for a refund and see if you get refunded at full price.

2) If you do, buy some more, then go to (1).