What to do when you are shortchanged at a store?

Question

I bought a smoothie at a store for $5 today, I only had a $20 note on me so I used that to pay for it and waited for my change. To my surprise I was handed a $5 dollar bill and looked at the counter lady in confusion expecting $15 dollars back. I asked her politely if the smoothies had been raised in price, I told her that I had given her a $20 note and believed I had received incorrect change.

Here is where the problem arises: She glares at me and tells me that I had given her a $10 dollar note. She says that she is positive that I had not given her a $20 note. I assure her that I had. The manager comes up to the counter and looks at the women "serving" me. She tells the manager that I have given her a $10 note. My friend tells the manager that I am being honest, however I have my high school uniform on and am much younger than the employee and most likely less trustworthy in the eyes of the manager.

The situation made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I doubt i will ever go back to that exact store again. Could I have handeled this

situation better? Have I made an error that I have not seen? How do you deal with these situations when they are unfortunate enough to arise?

Answer 1

The cashier was wrong with the way the transaction was handled. They can't put the $20 bill in the drawer until the change is given back to the customer. Then, if the customer says they were shortchanged, the cashier has the original bill right there to resolve the problem.

You were not wrong here, the cashier was.  

Answer 2

If you were convinced you gave her $20 then if the manager wants to keep his customers will always say that the customer is right and to give her the $15 back that the employee must be mistaken or shortsighted. They need the customers to come back. I would have insisted that she is wrong. That I am positive that I gave $20 and that I want my $15 change please and now please! That perhaps his employee didn't mean to put the $15 in her own pocket and steal from me but that perhaps she needs glasses or contact lenses..IN the end you often only get your right if you make a little fuss but they don't want you hear complain that they are probably dishonest in front of other customers .. so they usually give the money and I believe he will watch that cashier more carefully from now onwards even if you believe he took her side. No manager wants to have untrustworthy staff and I am sure she would have taken that money for herself and not put extra in the till.. and that is something a manager would not forgive. That is stealing. I am glad you got your money back..  This was a lousy cashier. I went into a shop a long long time ago and that was in Germany and a long time before the Euros came into value in Germany and the German new 10 DM looked a lot like the German 100 Dm and 100 is a lot more.. and I wanted to give her 10 and I gave her 100 and I was about to walk away and she called me back and told me I had given her DM 90 too many.. so she was honest and I was thankful as you can imagine.

Answer 3

say it nicely,i had a similar experience, the cashier forgot to give me my change.i asked nicely she gave it back

Answer 4

At my store, the cashier puts the note on top of the cash register while making change.  That way, there's no question about how much the note is.  It's right there in front of both people.  Then the note goes in the cash register after the customer turns around to leave.  

Answer 5

Good for you ! I'm glad that you got the correct change back ! You have to stand up for your self now a days. I always hand the person my money and say "I'm giving you a ten or a twenty." (whatever it is) and that way it is said out in the open for others to hear.

Answer 6

Use a debit card is my answer.  Young people fall short on math skills, the folks in small stores do not make very much money anyway.  In the USA the customer is always right.  Most young people in he USA have to use an automatic cash register that tells them the correct amount of change to give back to a customer, and when you use an automatic cash register, you have to put in the amount the customer gave you.  Most places in the USA would not have a store that made smoothies without an automatic cash register. vanessa