Val Sticks it to Big Business

Once again, I sit on the horns of a dilemma. Or maybe my Sharpie was removed from my desk by some prankster, and placed upon my chair.

I might be a softened criminal.

The Pony and I went to Walmart this morning. Because all chore and no play makes The Pony and Val very dull customers indeed, we picked up Bridesmaids on Blu-ray, and a Civilization V PC game. Once in the car, The Pony searched the bags for his game, and asked how much it cost. He thought it was $29.95, but said he would give me $40.00 because it would be easier for him. Spoken like a boy who has too much disposable income and not enough cash transaction experience.

I scanned the receipt to give him the price, and an estimation of the tax. But I could not find his game. I passed the receipt to him, and told him the game and DVD were stacked together, right next to the birthday cards that we bought. The Pony could not find the game or DVD on the receipt.

I'm thinking that the checker ran them through the dealybobby that keeps them from setting off the shoplifting alarm at the door, and put them in the bag instead of dragging them across the money-charging part. Therein lies my dilemma.

I am not above sticking it to the Walton family empire. Consider it payback for putting Mom & Pop stores out of business, for monopolizing the retail trade in small towns, for not buying American, for jacking up prices by 50% over the past two years, for getting me hooked on a product and then discontinuing it so I have to buy their Great Value/Sam's Choice/Equate alternatives, for all the kid's shoes that came unglued, the shirts that unraveled, onions and potatoes that were rotten when I got them home, the hamburger injected with water, the deli chicken tenders that proved to be breaded bread with a tiny sliver of meat inside, and for allowing the woman ahead of me to get a cash refund on two open DVDs with no receipt or ID, but refusing to allow me, with receipt and ID in hand, to exchange an open computer game for one of equal value that did not require internet access. Poor Sam must be spinning in his grave at the debacle his heirs have created with his company.

What I do NOT want to happen is for the checker to get stuck with the discrepancy. Like when a creep drives off without paying for gas, and the cashier has to pay. So what I need to know is, does Walmart track this de-beeper thingy and correlate it to the receipt? Hick says no, that they won't even know the items are gone until inventory doesn't match up.

So now you know. Val's altruism has strings attached. I don't want the individual to suffer economic hardship, but I don't give a rodent's posterior if the corporation takes a hit to the tune of $55.00. The corporation will just cheat somebody else (probably me, over the next several years) and make it up. Whereas the individual might not be able to afford gas for the week. Or Sonic sodas!

Besides, I can't exactly waltz in with a game and DVD, complaining that I did not pay for them and want to pay now. That's going to raise some red flags. Because it's not normal customer behavior these days. Fifty years ago, maybe. But not now. And if I take in my receipt to show the day and time and checker, won't that get the checker in trouble? Will they think we're in cahoots, and she did that on purpose for a kickback? Or that she's getting senile, and needs her hours cut back?

What say you? I know Kathy of the Kampground used to work in Walmart's pharmacy. Maybe she has some insider information. Anybody else with retail experience? All I know is from when I worked part-time at Casey's General Store. The cashier ate the drive-off expenses. Supposedly that made them more vigilant, though short of chasing a speeding car away from the pumps like a neurotic dog, in an effort to get a clear view of the license plate while leaving the register unattended, I don't know what we could have done.

My pharmacy made an error last year, and did not charge me for two prescriptions. I stopped by the next day and settled up. Because I know that drugs are controlled seven ways to Sunday, and they would just bill me for the difference. The clerks were ecstatic that I came back. They said most people would not, and that the error would have been caught during an audit. I didn't go back just because I knew the mistake would be found out. The pharmacy regulars are nice folks, and I didn't want any harsh repercussions to befall them. I do not feel the same way about Walmart. Even though that particular checker is one of the friendliest, I have no qualms about skating on my uncharged fees, as long as the checker is not held responsible. Losers, weepers, and all that. I believe my good-to-bad karma ratio exceeds that of Walmart.

Funny how you perceive yourself to be a moral person, then some petty business like this proves you wrong.