Those Crazy Frogs #12: Secret Sales!
So this weekend we did some work on the Barbie Dream House. We’ve been moved in for almost a year now, but we’ve never had "La cremaillere" housewarming party, because we haven’t really finished the décor. We still have bare walls (yeah, yeah, yeah, I should just hang my own paintings.) and a few rooms don’t even have lighting fixtures.
So Saturday we headed over to Leroy-Merlin to get a light for the living room ceiling. (Note to self: next time you build a house, just install spots everywhere. OK? Duh.) Luckily we stumbled upon a very modern set of 4 lights in inox that we liked, and there was a sign stating that it was 20% off that weekend. We skipped on over to the checkout line to pay. As soon as the cashier rung up the light we saw the problem. For whatever reason, it scanned at the regular price. We immediately pointed this out to the cashier and told her that the sign on the shelf stated there was a 20% discount. After a moment of confusion, she turned to us annoyed and said, and I quote: “Well that doesn’t tell me anything. It’s not in the system.”
So Saturday we headed over to Leroy-Merlin to get a light for the living room ceiling. (Note to self: next time you build a house, just install spots everywhere. OK? Duh.) Luckily we stumbled upon a very modern set of 4 lights in inox that we liked, and there was a sign stating that it was 20% off that weekend. We skipped on over to the checkout line to pay. As soon as the cashier rung up the light we saw the problem. For whatever reason, it scanned at the regular price. We immediately pointed this out to the cashier and told her that the sign on the shelf stated there was a 20% discount. After a moment of confusion, she turned to us annoyed and said, and I quote: “Well that doesn’t tell me anything. It’s not in the system.”
I, being psycho American and all, immediately flew into a rage. I not so calmly explained to her that I don’t work at Leroy- Merlin, so I don’t know why the correct price is not in the system, and that she should call someone to find out ("You betta aaassk somebody!" ) because I had no intention of paying the full price.
Without another word, Cashier Bitch gets on the phone, quickly calls the department and gets the discount code. She then turns to FrenchBoy (completely avoiding eye contact with me) and apologizes and then explains that when certain items are discounted, you have to take the item off the shelf, find the department manager, then have said manager hand-write the discount code on a special form for you to take to the cashier. Of course none of this is indicated on the big-ass sign that they went through the trouble of printing and posting next to the product.
Aaaah Bravo!
And this, my friends, is a perfect example of both French customer service and efficiency. It’s not good enough to know about the sale, you have to know all the “secret” procedures involved to get it. And I just gotta ask-- why piss off a customer who is about to plop down a hefty amount of cash for an item, when you could just as easily fix the problem with a five second phone call? And last but not least. Why, oh Why, oh WHY WHY WHY wasn’t the sale entered into the f*cking system in the first place?
*deep sigh*
Did I mention how much I love living in France?
8 comments:
Excusez moi but I think her explanation was full of it. I have spent many an hour, let me rephrase that, many many friggin' hours, in Leroy Merlin, and I have never ever heard of anything so ridiculous as needing to go get a department manager to write a special code for you for a special price advertised in the store with a sign. Much less that you would be expected to know that intuitively. She was just makin' up s__t because they hate to be wrong. Silly goose, she should have blamed it on the department manager.
I love this blog! Madame K you inspire me. I would love to see more of your work online.
Madame K, I have a gift for you but you gotta come by my blog to get it ;)
Why can't they just answer questions or handle situations without being so smart-assed about it? At the movies in Paris, I asked the cashier if they had any student discounts. "Do you have any of these cards? I don't think so."
Wha?
Call me a psycho American too, but homegirl better be glad I don't believe in violence against women, cuz she was about to get "shook."
hopefully soon ill learn enough french to handle store people like this. From the looks of it when we and the boyf go out we encounter them often however i dont always catch it.
Ha ha ha ha ha! We got a secret discount like this on a bathroom radiator/towel rack at Leroy Merlin, but it wasn't marked anywhere, it was just because the guy thought we were cute. ;)
papadesdeux- Yes--totally full of it. Thes frogs will do anything to avoid having to make an apology.
Beverly- i swear I will put more work on-line......as soon as I make some. *groans*
Reb- I winned! I winned!
Fly Brother- LMAO@ "shook". I haven't heard that in a minute.
I've just this minute discovered your blog (via Stumbleupon) and think that you are absolutely hilarious! I dream of living in France, and fully understand that in doing so, I will experience many such scenarios. Thank you for your blog!
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