Why Bother Giving People Titles Who Have No Authority?

Okay, I'll admit it. Every once in a while I hit the big W (Walmart) to pick up a few items. Thought I'd kill two birds with one stone tonight and buy a few grocery items while I was there in East Falmouth, MA. Six items to be exact. I'm not quite sure why the cashier didn't place all six items in one bag, but apparently he decided to use two bags for my rather small order. Of course I left with only one bag.

It wasn't until I returned home 30 minutes later that I realized four of my items were missing. Simple problem to fix, right? So I call up Walmart and ask them if there is a bag there with my four items. I even provide them with the specifics, including the calorie count on the yogurt. They confirm my merchandise was left behind. I ask for my left items to be credited back to my credit card. No can do.

You see, I have to come in and sign the credit card slip. Well, that's according to Asst. Manager Jeff, who refuses to give me his last name. I try to politely inform Jeff that I live 30 minutes away and if I were going to come in for my credit, I may as well come back and retrieve the items that were left behind. Jeff wasn't listening. Instead, he chose to tell me there are rules and this is one of them. No credits over the phone. Again, I try to explain to Jeff that I'm not a criminal. Just a customer who would like her account credited back. Funny, Whole Foods had no problem doing that yesterday when I came home and found out that there was a problem with some cheese I just bought.

You see, Jeff has a title. (No last name, but a title) Yet, he has no authority. So now he has a pissed off customer who will continue to let everyone know exactly how she was treated tonight. All because he did not have permission to make a simple credit to an account when he had the merchandise in front of him.

Walmart needs to take that stupid smiley face off their store. A smile means happiness and that's one feeling I'm  certainly not feeling towards this store.

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Subscribe to Roberta's Talent Maximizer® and receive weekly insights to help you hire and retain top performers. PLUS receive The Evergreen Talent® Workbook for free - a guide to help you hire and cultivate a sustainable workforce.

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