# For fuck sake customers, act like adults and show a little respect and consideration. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 26, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050 "2009-11-26T19:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/81 "2009-11-30T10:25:25Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > I was treated to the sight and sound of one of the Entitled Ones wanting to buy ornaments off a display tree(at Target) at the discount price they would be sold at _after_ Christmas. > > Couldn’t understand why you can’t strip a display tree even after the explanation. Threw a right hissy fit, she did. > > Props to the salesperson who remained professional and courteous through the whole tirade. One thing I like about small companies is that with the right owners you get to tell the worst customers off and once in a while tell them to get out and take their business elsewhere. I don’t mind listening to a rant but I don’t tolerate cussing or calling the staff names. When a customer referred to a staff member as an idiot or a liar I’d remind them if they wanted to continue the conversation and actually get help they needed to not do that again. 99% of the time polite but firm is the way to go but on rare occasions “We’re done talking, GET OUT!” is very satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/82 "2009-11-30T13:15:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Wake up. The same good is fungible. It doesn’t matter where I buy a copy of Hannah Montana Season 1 - the only thing that matters is the price. Where there is actually a value-add from the interaction between a consumer and a merchant, that’s where you find small businesses thrive. However, if you bought HM 1 at a small merchant who remembers you, he might be able to suggest other shows that you might enjoy. I like the sort of comic books that are now called graphic novels. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Fables, Preacher, Bone, that sort of thing. I patronize a store that’s basically run by one man. He’s suggested several series to me, some that I like, some that I didn’t care for, but he knows his field, and he’s always more than happy to special order stuff for me. I could, maybe, order the same books from Amazon, get them at a cheaper price, but this guy knows what I’m likely to like, and he’s much more accurate than Amazon is in predicting my next favorite series. This guy has given me several freebies (small comic books that are priced at around three bucks, and snacks). He has set aside a large portion of his store for tabletop gamers. And he’s not the stereotypical comic book shop guy, he actually has some fairly good social skills and business sense. I pay a little more for each book that I buy from him, but between the freebies and the money that I don’t spend on books that I don’t like, l think that I come out ahead. This is where small businesses can compete with WalMart and Target. OK, granted, those stores won’t carry the graphic novels, but B&N, Borders, and Amazon will. However, Amazon’s recommendation software is pretty quirky, and none of those outfits ever offer me a free sample book, just to see if I like the series. Now, when Robert Jordan’s massive series was kicked off, the bookstores DID carry a small novella/novellette, but I was under the impression that the publisher paid for this booklet, in order to get people hooked on the series. The bookstores just offered shelf space (and possibly the publisher paid for that, as well, I don’t know). ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/83 "2009-11-30T14:47:51Z")
And, as bizarre as this seems to some folks, you can decide to do business with someone because you like them and simply prefer that _they_ get your money. One of the first rules of sales is , “sell yourself” Chances are you’re selling the same or a very similar product as your competitor. For lots of shoppers who they prefer to do business with is a part of the equation along with price and convenience. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/84 "2009-11-30T15:42:55Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > And that’s appreciated. A lot of customers have no idea that forms of payment cost the merchant different amounts. When I ask “debit or credit?” about 10% will respond “whatever is cheaper for you” or “Debit, isn’t that cheaper for you?” > > It doesn’t make much sense to that processing a paper check is cheaper than a debit card. Maybe there’s a good reason like the Visa MC logo. For the record, paper check processing is far cheaper even with a service–the reason is that check processing services typically only charge a flat fee per check, while a credit/debit card service charges a percentage with a minimum. At least, that’s the experience of my dad the small business owner–of course, he doesn’t use a check service these days, either, preferring the only-works-in-small-towns wall of shame (which has photocopies of bad checks and correspondence with the magistrate related to said checks). ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/85 "2009-11-30T18:30:33Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > Once again it’s about cost effectiveness. Demo’s and ruined merchandise is much more than computers and electronics which are fairly easy to watch. Often it’s smaller items that you can’t secure cost effectively. I wasn’t talking about theft either. I was talking about customers who ruin the merchandise just to look at it and don’t seem to care. Back in my days at Sears, one "customer’ came in and repeatedly opened different ink cartridges–not merely the outer boxes, which would be bad enough, but also the inner mylar bags necessary to keep the cartridges from drying immediately–because he was sure we had sold him the wrong cartridge for his printer. It turned out that he had neglected to remove the little plastic tape that covers the output holes, or whatever they’re called, because he was too lazy and stupid to read the printer manual or the cartridge packages. He went through about six cartridges before I caught him, and couldn’t be arsed to apologize (much less pay for all the waste he had created, or even clean it up) for what he had done. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bith_Shuffle)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/86 "2009-11-30T19:23:03Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > And, as bizarre as this seems to some folks, you can decide to do business with someone because you like them and simply prefer that _they_ get your money. > > One of the first rules of sales is , “sell yourself” Chances are you’re selling the same or a very similar product as your competitor. For lots of shoppers who they prefer to do business with is a part of the equation along with price and convenience. Rumor Watkins… FINISH HIM ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/87 "2009-11-30T19:40:15Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > Rumor Watkins… > > FINISH HIM I can’t really top your post 🙂 except to say something about a fool, his money, and imminent parting. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/88 "2009-11-30T20:23:31Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > I can’t really top your post 🙂 > > except to say something about a fool, his money, and imminent parting. Money isn’t everything you know… ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/89 "2009-11-30T23:17:07Z")
I’m with you on everything but the credit cards. Credit cards are awesome. I can download my transactions online, which saves me time budgeting and tracking expenses. I am protected against fraud, so my maximum liability if I’m carrying my card is very low. I don’t have to bother with carrying change, or keeping track of how much cash I’m carrying, or going to the bank more often to get more. Those are all major value-added services that my card provides. In addition, I get cash back. But the previous three are actually far more important to me. Now, I understand that small businesses have to pay when I use my credit card, but, they made the decision to 1. Accept credit cards in the first place. They didn’t have to. I pay cash for my pizza because my favorite pizza place doesn’t take credit cards. 2. Keep prices the same for credit cards and cash. They’re perfectly able to bump their prices up and then offer a “cash discount”. I’m not sure what their discount (surcharge) would have to be for me to switch to cash, but it’d probably be close to what they’re paying in credit card fees. Clearly they’ve made the decisions that they think will best help their profit. Why shouldn’t I make the decision about using the card that is the best for myself. I’d still use my credit card if I had to pay a small surcharge to do so, simply out of convenience. They could easily make me do so by properly setting their prices, but choose not to. Why should it be a moral issue for me to choose a lower quality of service for my payment process just to reduce their costs? ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/90 "2009-12-01T00:13:35Z")
> [@The\_Bith\_Shuffle](#): > > =( > > maybe the sort of give-and-take humor I was trying to incite doesn’t work as well on the 'net. =D Well, I thought it was funny. I was hoping Rumor\_Watkins would get more and more detailed to the point of posting pie graphs. But then, I’m goofy, so… ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/91 "2009-12-01T00:35:26Z")
**cosmosdan** I have recently come to this conclusion. Most human beings are not sentient, and it is unfair to them to treat them as such. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/92 "2009-12-01T01:18:33Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > Most people are royally pissed about major financial firms being bailed out by tax payer funds while they raise interest rates on people who never missed a payment. > > I don’t blame them. I’m pissed too. Want to hurt the banks and help out local small business. Carry cash. Do you have any idea how much it costs small business in processing for credit cards and debit cards. Banks have encouraged us with cute commercials to not carry any cash and keep the market place all butterflies and rainbows by swiping our cards. They make millions and your local small business loses a big chunk of potential profit to those fees. This is especially true on the less than $20 dollar purchases. At a previous store we tried a $10 dollar minimum for plastic and people acted like we kicked them in the crotch. > > Even now with all the outrage at the banks we just can’t be bothered to give up the convenience, or miles, or points, or whatever shit they offer, to help our neighborhood business and take even a small stand against those greedy fucks. > > Just imagine if a few million consumers decided to pay for all purchases under $20 or even under $10, with cash. Cash is pretty expensive to have around for businesses. It has a habit of not quite staying in the register. I would not be surprised at all if the cost of cash was on par as the cost of credit cards. Whenever you see a sign on the register offering you something at a discount or free if you don’t get a receipt it is there to have the customer keep track of the employees. It is much harder for employees to pocket a credit transaction. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/93 "2009-12-01T03:41:30Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > For the record, paper check processing is far cheaper even with a service–the reason is that check processing services typically only charge a flat fee per check, while a credit/debit card service charges a percentage with a minimum. > > At least, that’s the experience of my dad the small business owner–of course, he doesn’t use a check service these days, either, preferring the only-works-in-small-towns wall of shame (which has photocopies of bad checks and correspondence with the magistrate related to said checks). Here’s my understanding although it’s incomplete. Debit cards are a fee per transaction if run as debit. Credit Cards are fee per transaction plus a % of the transaction. Sometimes the % varies based on the average transaction so the low dollar transactions wind up costing the merchant a higher overall percentage. Checks are evidently a cheaper fee providing there are no bounced checks. At the last place I worked they had a check service that supposedly guaranteed the check providing we followed procedure. The problem was that when a check bounced they didn’t pay. In TN the laws helping a merchant pursue someone who bounced a check were changed to make it much harder and more expensive for the merchant to go after the money. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/94 "2009-12-01T03:48:03Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > Cash is pretty expensive to have around for businesses. It has a habit of not quite staying in the register. I would not be surprised at all if the cost of cash was on par as the cost of credit cards. Whenever you see a sign on the register offering you something at a discount or free if you don’t get a receipt it is there to have the customer keep track of the employees. It is much harder for employees to pocket a credit transaction. That’s a good point. I think it may depend on the number of employees, cashiers, hands on the till etc. Employees can also help their buddies make bogus charges by not checking IDs properly or letting them write a bad check. I’m only suggesting that we might carry a few bucks to save the merchant processing fees on smaller transactions. Many customers now carry no cash and will charge $1 and $2 dollar purchases. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/95 "2009-12-01T05:31:53Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > Cash is pretty expensive to have around for businesses. It has a habit of not quite staying in the register. I would not be surprised at all if the cost of cash was on par as the cost of credit cards. Whenever you see a sign on the register offering you something at a discount or free if you don’t get a receipt it is there to have the customer keep track of the employees. It is much harder for employees to pocket a credit transaction. Cash also has the added hassle (especially at Christmas) of having to arrange for secure transport to the bank, and employee time for counting it, organising change, etc, not to mention the security issues of having thousands of dollars in folding money on the premises over weekends when the banks are closed (and sales highest). The 2% commission taken by the Credit Card companies (that aren’t AmEx or Diner’s Club) is more than worth it (in most cases) from a business point of view, especially for “Big Ticket” items (because, let’s face it, normal people do not have $1000 or so in their wallet as “walking around money”) and also because every credit card sale is an amount of cash they don’t have to handle, securely store, count, then securely transport to the bank. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/96 "2009-12-01T14:42:42Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > No doubt laws vary from state to state. I’m sure they do but you kept saying there was NO law forcing the business to sell an item at the marked price. I was just posting one to show that there are some. > [@cosmosdan](#): > > Actually we often had the exact same models as BB, or Staples, Comp USA, Office Max, although we sometimes had one model made just for us that nobody else had. Back then WalMart almost always had different skus and unique models nobody else had. If the price difference was minor and the specs were close we could still opt to take the business. OK, you’re experience with them is a lot larger than mine. I just know that I ran into it a few times buying electronics for myself. > [@cosmosdan](#): > > That’s not even close to how it worked. > Papers came out on the same day so we knew who was advertising what for what. The home office would often download new, price matched, tags into the computer and we would match some models right away. CC did something for years that Sears is advertising now. We would shop the competition and load prices into the computer. If customers would talk about shopping others we could take them to the computer and show them what the competition was selling those items for. Eventually they discontinued the practice because it didn’t seem cost effective and didn’t seem to catch on with the customers. Heh, maybe they should have advertised it more. 😉 > [@cosmosdan](#): > > We knew which companies wee notorious for advertising items with very little inventory so a couple of days into a sale we would call a couple of local stores and ask if they had them in stock. When we heard they didn’t we could officially not price match that item. Again, if the difference was minor we often chose to take the business. If the difference was major there was no good reason to sell the 20 to 100 we had in stock for the low price they sold 5 for. No reason for there loss leader o deplete our stock. I understand but it sure is misleading to advertise PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE in 30pt font and then do the lawyer speak in 6pt light grey saying it’s only valid in these very narrow, very specific circumstances. I understand why a business would do it and am not trying to say it is illegal or anything. I’m just saying that from the consumer side it really doesn’t lead to much trust for the business. Of course it’s part of my due dilligence as a consumer to know which businesses are worth going to and which ones just kinda suck. > [@cosmosdan](#): > > Sorry, my time is limited so I get lazy with the proof reading. I only pointed it out because everytime I hit “cooperative” instead of “corporate” it threw me off the train of thought you were trying for since they are practically opposites of each other and I had to start over.😛 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/97 "2009-12-01T14:58:48Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Money isn’t everything you know… Unless it’s tax money, in which case it’s more important than even a healthy society… ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/98 "2009-12-01T20:21:47Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Back in my days at Sears, one "customer’ came in and repeatedly opened different ink cartridges–not merely the outer boxes, which would be bad enough, but also the inner mylar bags necessary to keep the cartridges from drying immediately–because he was sure we had sold him the wrong cartridge for his printer. It turned out that he had neglected to remove the little plastic tape that covers the output holes, or whatever they’re called, because he was too lazy and stupid to read the printer manual or the cartridge packages. He went through about six cartridges before I caught him, and couldn’t be arsed to apologize (much less pay for all the waste he had created, or even clean it up) for what he had done. This is a serious question, and it’s not just for you, because I also see similar stories on [notalwaysright.com](http://notalwaysright.com): If a customer opens packaging or otherwise makes an item unsellable, why aren’t they made to pay for it? And if they refuse, why aren’t they arrested for property damage or theft? ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/99 "2009-12-01T20:48:12Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > Most people are royally pissed about major financial firms being bailed out by tax payer funds while they raise interest rates on people who never missed a payment. > > I don’t blame them. I’m pissed too. Want to hurt the banks and help out local small business. Carry cash. Do you have any idea how much it costs small business in processing for credit cards and debit cards. Banks have encouraged us with cute commercials to not carry any cash and keep the market place all butterflies and rainbows by swiping our cards. They make millions and your local small business loses a big chunk of potential profit to those fees. This is especially true on the less than $20 dollar purchases. At a previous store we tried a $10 dollar minimum for plastic and people acted like we kicked them in the crotch. > > Even now with all the outrage at the banks we just can’t be bothered to give up the convenience, or miles, or points, or whatever shit they offer, to help our neighborhood business and take even a small stand against those greedy fucks. > > Just imagine if a few million consumers decided to pay for all purchases under $20 or even under $10, with cash. You don’t remember the past, do you? If you require cash…if everyone gave up credit cards and required cash…the result will be that your company makes less profit. People have a harder time parting with cash and maybe don’t have the cash (or not as much as they need) on them so they don’t buy. Also, do you allow checks? If you do, there will be bad checks and so some loss of revenue. CC fees may be too high…I don’t know. However, looking at what fees your company pays and seeing that revenue as lost is not fair. Revenue wouldn’t be as high without it and you don’t have to worry about bad checks. ---
**Author:** ![amtriska](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@amtriska](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amtriska)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050/100 "2009-12-01T21:26:51Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > I understand but it sure is misleading to advertise PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE in 30pt font and then do the lawyer speak in 6pt light grey saying it’s only valid in these very narrow, very specific circumstances. I understand why a business would do it and am not trying to say it is illegal or anything. I’m just saying that from the consumer side it really doesn’t lead to much trust for the business. Of course it’s part of my due dilligence as a consumer to know which businesses are worth going to and which ones just kinda suck. Sorry to go off on the price matching tangent, but their “must be in stock” policy sounds pretty reasonable given that their competitors were clearly using dishonest tactics to force them to sell at a price the competitor itself wasn’t really honoring. Could be much, much worse. Take a look at Best Buy’s [blatant scamming](http://consumerist.com/2009/10/price-match-fraud-lawsuit-filed-against-best-buy.html). Apparently, Best Buy was giving employees bonuses not to honor price matching, and mandating that price match claims that gave them too much of a profit loss should be denied altogether, whether or not they were valid. Official company policy was “aggressively discouraging and denying customers’ proper price match requests.” The full complaint linked above is a pretty interesting read. They also told customers that they’d match their online prices in stores. When customers asked a salesperson to give them the lower [BestBuy.com](http://BestBuy.com) prices, they were directed to in-store kiosks on which they could click a button labeled “[BestBuy.com](http://BestBuy.com)” and apparently look up site prices. Instead of the actual [BestBuy.com](http://BestBuy.com) site, though, they were taken to a company intranet site (read: fake site) that showed the higher in-store prices. :smack: Sooooo dishonest. This crosses the line from deceptive business practices to outright, no-holds-barred conning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-fuck-sake-customers-act-like-adults-and-show-a-little-respect-and-consideration/519050.md?page=6)