I’ve got these Tesco Club Card vouchers taking up space in my wallet. Last week I was working in a town which has a large Tesco supermarket near the office so I strolled there one lunchtime.
Pretty unexciting range now but there is one bottle left of a wine I like priced at £6.49 and I see I have a £5 and a £1.50 voucher so I take the bottle to check out.
Scanner shows it as £6.99.
“No,” I say, the shelf label says it is £6.49”.
“Computer says it is £6.99. What do you want to do?” implying that I should fork out the extra money.
“I only took it because it was £6.49,” I reply.
She sighs and calls a manager. Manager can’t find the wine on the shelves, because it was the last one, so I point out the shelf label which clearly prices it at £6.49. She carefully examines the code letters in small type on the shelf label and finally agrees.
Back at the till the manager re-prices the wine to £6.49.
Cashier runs the bottle through the scanner and I hand over £6.50 in vouchers.
“I can’t give change on vouchers,” she says.
“That’s OK, it’s only one penny, I don’t care.”
“No,” she says, “I can’t give change.”
“I don’t want any change.”
“The computer won’t allow the sale because I can’t give change on vouchers.”
Manager is called again.
“What now?”
“Will you re-price this wine to £6.50?”
“But you just asked me to re-price it to £6.49”
“The wine is £6.49 and I have £6.50 here in vouchers but your till won’t accept them.”
The cashier explains about the till refusing the sale.
I am just standing there. They are hoping I’ll give up, but I have invested so much time already that I am staying and am prepared to escalate to the store manager.
After muttering, rolling her eyes and banging fiercely at till keys the price is adjusted and the cashier can finally make the transaction.
But before I hand over my vouchers she asks for my Club Card so the transaction can be recorded and at some time in the future will go towards a further voucher.
I feel I have achieved success, but I am sure the unlucky customers who chose that till line after dashing out to do their shopping during their lunch-hour have a different recollection.
All I get to go to are Tesco Expresses where I live. It difficult to get to a Tesco. That said, I have Majestic, Selfridges and Marks and Spencer near me to cover my wine needs if I have to run out.