Check the box!

I always do that at Ikea. Because it's a long way. Because damaged panels within undamaged boxes seems common. Because the Ikea customer returns area is the lowest place on earth.

The message from " snipped-for-privacy@gglz.com" contains these words:

I've never had anything damaged or missing from Ikea. I did snap one of their knives though. The woman asked how long I'd had it, so I asked how long the guarantee was. "Oh, twelve months". "Well, I've had it eleven months then".

Always....

I ask them to do it at the checkout before paying and check the parts against the list inside the box.

The cost for you to go away, waste an hour and return is a great deal more than 2-3minutes of checkout operator time....

I've never tackled that one. Have you been able to get payment from them for wasted trips?

I was at the back of a bloke who was about to do that...I told him there's a floor assistant ask her to check the parts...this is a payment checkout not a item chechout.

And he did.

That's up to him. If the department managers did their jobs properly and ensured the integrity of packaging, this wouldn't arise. As it is, unless the customer insists, it won't get done. There is no better place than the checkout to encourage the retailer to do things properly.

How can they check a package thats sealed in cling film? more to the point if the package has not got a seal on the box but the rest have then this is down to the customer to pick one that has or ask for an unopened item.

And no better place to get your head chewed off by others waiting in the queue.!!!

The cut the cling film and open the box.

Shaking it doesn't work, you end up with Arkwright's tinned peaches.

Except that does not rule out the possibility that a returned or incomplete item has been reclingfilmed in the back shop and put out for sale.

Owain

It can be done at the checkout.

It is up to the store to display and offer complete merchandise for sale, not boxes with bits missing. The customer should not have to deal with that. If an item is displayed as available for sale that is it. The customer should not be the QA department or shelf stacker.

Irrelevant.

The store should offer goods in pristine condition, complete and in packaging if they are to be sold at the full price. If the store doesn't want to do that then they can put said items in a clearance or jumble sale for people to pick over.

Another example of this is where the store has not price marked an item correctly and it won't scan at the register. Typically someone is sent to check or the customer is asked the price. Under those circumstances I will tell them that I don't know but I will offer them so much for it. They can decide if they want to accept it.

Having a queue behind as a result of lack of pricing, pieces missing or whatever is neither here nor there. Either the transaction is correct or it isn't. If it isn't, because of mispricing or bits missing then that needs to be corrected. The presence of a queue has no bearing on the negotiating position of the the store or the customer.

If other customers would like to reach a register possibly more quickly, they have the option to join a different queue.

I can see the headlines now...

Man is assulted over missing cheese piece!

A man was arrested today at an Asda supermarket. The who has not yet been named, attacked another man namely joe public. Mr joe public told the local rag that the attacker got in a miff because I asked the cashier to check the box for any missing cheese pieces as I didn't want to come back half hour later demanding an exchange or refund.

Possible. I don't know how people behave in Asda....

I don't know about Asda cheese pieces, but Tesco checkout operators are trained to open boxes of eggs and check for cracked ones.

Owain

Thinking about it, the Wickes guy took a clips/strip/plug box from a sink in the shelves- I wonder if they removed it from the shelves or just left it there for the next unsuspecting punter?

I have. Made it 100% with me. The experience of trying to get it sorted made me vow to never go back. Took 2 hours queuing up while people returned presumably ok goods they just didn't want.

What do you think? I *know*...;-)

Bottom dweling stores will cut out those costs to keep prices down and profits up. You the customer know that when you go there, so you know what youre going to get. Yes its annoying, but really you did choose it.

NT

Very annoying at supermarkets when it happens on low value items, they ought to have a policy that any item where the barcode reads ok, but the computer doesn't know the price is 10p, that'd encourage them to get the stock system right ...