Sunday, February 19, 2012

CVS: No More Store #6876 For Me

I'm tired of them. Honestly, they have a few lovely people that are willing to learn, but everyone else that works there is rude and refuse to attempt to help anyone. I'm sick and tired of being belittled when trying to use coupons properly and being charged tax on food!

My main problem is one older woman that works at the register. No matter if she is right or wrong, she is rude and downright mean at even the best times. Yesterday when I went to her register she shouted at me, laughed at me, then got frustrated enough to walk off in front of her manager when told she was wrong, then proceeded to complain to other customers about me. How professional is that?

This is the same woman that enjoys picking on my husband and charging him tax on food if he uses coupons. I have contacted corporate about it, but I really don't want to call them while I am in her line just to get her to stop. My husband would rather pay the few cents in tax than try to fight her on it, because she will literally make a scene complaining about it.

I think I discovered her real problem yesterday though: She fought me on using coupons on a BOGO sale, because "you don't get things for free." Forgive me, but isn't that what "buy one get one" means? She laughed in my face for trying to use coupons and I was attempting to explain to her that, no, I'm not trying to get these for free. I'm trying to use my coupons to lower the price to $1.89, plus tax for this item and the free one.

She kept telling me I was already getting something for free and she wasn't going to let me get anything else free. She was being loud enough that the manager came over, thinking I was trying to get cash back because that's essentially what she was shouting, and said in a very rude tone, "We aren't like Walmart."

I told her politely that I knew that and I was not attempting to get any money back. I was just trying to use my coupons. The woman at the register showed her what she was attempting to do, said it couldn't be done, and was glaring at me in frustration. The manager said I was allowed to do that. Heaven forbid, that must of been the last straw, because she walked off from the register and left the manager to ring everything up.


Allow me to explain the entire situation:
  • I came in with 3 coupons for $5 off Nature Made vitamins 160ct+
  • I came in with 3 coupons for $1 off any Nature Made product
  • I got a CVS coupon for $3 off any $10 in health care products coupon from the printer in store
  • I picked up 3 250+ Folic Acid NM bottles priced at $6.89
  • I picked up 2 Potassium & 1 Magnesium NM bottles both types priced at $5.49
  • I grabbed 1 bag of chocolate donuts for $1.99
Now, this is how I explained it to the woman at the register:
  • Nature Made products are on sale BOGO
  • Since the Folic Acid is the most expensive they will be the ones I'd pay for, the others would ring up free
  • I want to use my $5 off coupons on the Folic Acid because it does not apply for the others because they are under 160ct
  • Since CVS has changed their coupon policy, I wish to use my $1 off coupons on the three free Nature Made vitamins (Potassium & Magnesium), dropping my price down to $0.89 for each of the 3 Folic Acid bottles that I am purchasing
  • The CVS coupon can be stacked and that will take the purchase price down by an additional $3
  • My total, before tax, should be $0.89x3+$1.99-$3=$1.66
Let me explain what actually happened:
  • I went to the register
  • She rang up everything, then scanned the $1 off coupons first
  • Since the register had already taken off the cheaper Nature Made products for the BOGO sale, these coupons went to the Folic Acid
  • When she tried to scan the $5 off coupons, the register refused
  • She attempted it several times, getting huffy (literally, she was huffing in anger) before realizing it was because there was a BOGO sale
  • Without looking at me, she informed me that I could not use the $5 off coupons on these because they were BOGO
  • I told her that since CVS updated their coupon policy, I was allowed to use a coupon for each product
  • She started laughing--not in a "I haven't heard that one" kind of way, but in a "you're ****ing crazy if you think I'm letting you do that" sort of way
  • I told her I had the coupon policy which I printed out before heading to the store in the car and I could show it to her if she wished
  • She told me to go right ahead, but I'd have to show her manager because "she's the one in charge around here"
  • I gladly went to the car, grabbed the policy and headed back in
  • It was obvious that they had been talking about me in the moment I was gone to the car because the manager had not come over and was glaring at me
  • I handed over the coupon policy to the woman at the register and she read it very quickly before pushing it away and saying that I couldn't use two coupons because that would make all the vitamins free and I was already getting enough for free because of the BOGO sale
  • I showed her the example at the bottom of the BOGO policy section that explains if you have 2 $1 off coupons for a product that is $2 and BOGO, then all you pay is the acceptable tax
  • She told me she couldn't do that because, again, I was already getting enough for free
  • I explained I wouldn't be getting them for free: I would be paying $0.89 on the 3 Folic Acid bottles
  • She started getting louder about how I wasn't going to get anything else for free
  • I knew she was getting frustrated so I politely told her that if she didn't want to use my coupons or could not, I would take them back and go somewhere else
  • She voided the transaction and rang everything up again, taking the $3 off $10 coupon and hiding it behind the register as well as pulling my other 6 coupons back from my reach
  • The manager came over and the woman at the register told her in a hateful tone that I was trying to get everything for free--which is obviously not the case from the beginning of this whole situation--and I tried to show her the coupon policy about using a coupon on each item in a BOGO sale. She (the manager) got a bit snippy and told me she could go over to the computer and look it up too and that's not how it worked, then walked off
  • At this point, I was fine with using only my $5 off coupons and explained this as I no longer wanted to fight them
  • After attempting to ring up only the 3 $5 off coupons for the Folic Acid, we went through the exact same thing once again and I carefully took the products out of the bag and showed her, by placing 1 $5 off coupon with each of the 3 Folic Acid bottles
  • Another transaction was voided in order to get the coupons to try and scan properly, but they did not
  • The woman at the register informed me that I could only use 2 $5 off coupons and 1 $1 off coupon
  • She handed me the other 3 (1 $5 & 2 $1) back and told me that if I used the $5 coupon it'd be like she was giving me $5 and that she wasn't going to do that
  • I asked her how that was the case, as I have 3 Folic Acid 250ct and 3 $5 off coupons for any Nature Made product with 160ct or more
  • She didn't answer my question, but rather repeated herself again and louder so her manager would come over
  • The manager came over, saying in a sarcastic tone, "No, we aren't Walmart--we won't give you money back."
  • I explained, with a smile and politely, I knew that and that was not what I was attempting to do--I was just trying to use my coupons properly
  • The woman at the register showed her the 3 $5 off coupons along with the products, saying I couldn't do that
  • The manager looked at her a little funny and said, "Yes she can" and started another transaction to do so
  • At this point, the woman walked off and went to the other register, all the while complaining to the other customers she was ringing up about how "we were busy" over there and not to get in "that line"
  • The manager re-rang everything up--for the fourth time--and the third $5 off coupon beeped
  • We went through the listing for a while and finally figured out the problem (which might I add only happened after the first transaction voided, because I checked that time to be sure everything rang up properly) was that the computer was taking off one of the Folic Acid bottles instead of the 3 cheaper ones for the BOGO sale
  • The manager and I honestly couldn't figure out why and I explained that I expected and preferred to pay for the more expensive item because that was only fair
  • She couldn't get the computer to scan any differently and after a few minutes, she gave up and said she would just do this to get it done with and forced the last $5 off coupon through the system
  • The price ended up being a little over $5 altogether
  • She half-apologized for taking so long but not about her attitude to begin with, nor the cashier before I left
  • The store coupon was never used or returned to me, but thrown away
  • Note: There was also a $4 off $20 on my card that is gone
Sure I'm glad I saved money, but I'm so tired of this. Does the woman at the register not comprehend that when someone uses a coupon they are not stealing? The manufacturer is paying the company back, usually with extra. I'm not "double dipping" and by keeping my coupons and charging me tax on non-taxable items, that's exactly what she is doing?


The last time I contact corporate about her was because she literally humiliated my husband by charging him $0.27 in tax on food when we had only enough to cover the exact amount of the items because we knew that there should not have been any tax. She didn't call a manager, she didn't apologize, and when he came out to the car to try to find pennies in the floorboard to pay for it, a woman waiting in line politely and quietly paid for it.

Instead of going back in and trying to get the manager, my husband just wanted to go home. I contacted corporate and was told that there was no reason to have been charged tax and if it ever happened again to call them. It has happened several more times when my husband goes in, but he doesn't want to call... He would rather just pay the change and get out. How is that fair? Where is that extra money going? Even if it's a few cents, if they do this to several people in a day they should notice but it doesn't seem to detour them. Isn't that stealing?

The managers do not care. They are more willing to listen to the cashiers than the customers. What happened to "the customer is always right" and giving us a chance to explain ourselves before automatically being accused of trying to get more than what we are allowed?

I have seen other couponers in this store. It always seems to be a hassle and takes forever, not to mention it doesn't come up right half the time. If you have coupons exceeding the price of the item, they have a hard time lowering the coupon to prevent it from causing issues on the register because it cannot give cash back.

Do they realize that when someone uses a coupon for $1 on a product that is $0.98, they get the whole amount? They aren't getting ripped off because the customer is getting something "for free" and that a coupon is just like using real money because, well, it is. (Just like making fake ones is treated a lot like making fake money.)


We have a Walgreens and Walmart in town too.

Our Walgreens works with everyone on getting their coupons to work properly. I don't have to use a card to get discounts there. Their Register Rewards scan at Walmart and I'm not forced to use them in their store. The people are polite (usually) and when they can't get something to work, they pull you out of the line and let the manager take you elsewhere so not to make a scene. They are even willing to change items if they are out of something on sale and price match stuff in their own store.

Our Walmart does price matching, uses competitors coupons or manufacturers coupons without issue. Anything that another store offers they will offer the same, reducing prices by the amount of a gift card if that is what is offered as an incentive to buy from them. Their prices are usually cheaper buy over a dollar on things in the health and beauty aisle compared to the drug stores. They will give me cash back if my coupons are worth more than the price of the product and they are more than happy to do so. They don't (usually) tell me that I can't use a coupon just because the person at the register doesn't know how to get them to scan properly.

I don't need to shop at CVS. Your sales are valid at Walmart. Walgreens lets me stack their coupons and manufacturers just like you do. They both have better hours. They have more people on registers and they aren't generally rude or angry just because I walk in the door. They don't talk about me behind my back because they have more important things to do.

Actually, both places have given me compliments on using the coupons and sales so well. When I try to do this at your store (CVS #6876), I am belittled and looked down on; treated as though I am no better than someone trying to steal off their shelves.


I am not trying to rip you off. I am not trying to be difficult and make everyone behind me wait in line for over half and hour. I'm not trying to give you a headache. I'm not using my coupons improperly or attempting to take something I have not paid for. I am not like the people you see on Extreme Couponing that take several cart loads of products for nothing and then stockpile them in my basement. We have very little money and each purchase is thought of carefully and planned so we can even afford it. If it weren't for the coupons and matching sales, we would have nothing.

I'm not rich. I'm not selling this stuff to make money. I'm just trying to get by with a large family and very little income. Maybe if you cared more about your customers you would realize that not everyone that uses a coupon is bad; some of us are just trying to survive and you are making us feel small and more insignificant than the people that come in your store and buy several packs of cigarettes with credit cards then go off to their nice new cars.

We aren't bad people just because you've had bad experiences. Not everyone in this world is trying to screw you over. Don't take a bad attitude towards someone trying to save a buck when that extra money might be the only way they are getting food later this month. Treat everyone with the same amount of respect as you would expect if you were in their situation.

If someone was shouting at you for trying to buy something, would you want to come back? Would you be angry? Would you ever willingly buy from that place again? You are going to lose all your customers if you continue to allow the people that work in your store to act in such a disrespectful fashion.

Train them better. Teach them how the system works. Get them to ask for help when they don't understand something. Get rid of the ones that refuse to step up and be personable in the customer service industry.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with ya,, and feel your pain. CVS has some issues. I feel that if they would higher from a quality pool and train train train their team they would be so much better. oh ya and standards and holding their associates accountable couldn't hurt either. I have had to call corp. several times. Mine would be directed to the pharmacy staff tho. They have a ton of issues with entering in data.. ie refills. This is what they are paid to do. The District Manager has went in a found the old paperwork where it states refills and he would make the adjustments. really

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    Replies
    1. I used to go get my grandmothers' prescriptions and check them because we found other pills mixed in a couple of times! When it comes to needing the medicine to live, you would think they would care a lot more but I've found none of them around here do. I even know some of the pharmacist and it's not as though they don't get paid enough!

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