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May 25, 2006
Daddy's Little Thief
That's "Daddy's Little Thief" as opposed to "Daddy's Little Girl."
A young woman--maybe 18, 19 years old, dressed in the slightly lascivious fashion that teenagers tend to wear more than professionals do--comes to my register with a pair of too-tight pants and a halter top. (Yes, she had the 'natural support' for a halter top. She was already wearing a halter top. It's not the best look for her body type.)
I rang it up--40 dollars or so--and she gave me a brand-new, never-used credit card. It had a man's name on it, let's say "Howard Smith." It wasn't signed. I asked for ID, and she didn't provide it. I told her we could not run credit cards that didn't belong to the person making the purchase, and she said "Oh, it's my dad's card. He gave it to me. I have his PIN number."
[By the way, has anyone else noticed that "PIN number" is redundant? What you're saying is "Personal Identification Number number." Oh well.]
So I call my manager and ask what I should do.
Me: "Hi, Manager #2." (That's this manager's page-code, just so you know. He's "oh-two.") "I have a customer here who would like to use her father's credit card to purchase some clothes. The card's not signed, but she says she's got his PIN number."
02: hesitantly, "Well, I suppose it's ok. Run it as a debit and let her go." Sighs.
So I tell her to run it as a debit card ("Swipe it through the PIN pad and follow the instructions on the screen"), but the register declines the card:
The transaction cannot be completed with this card. The customer may call their financial institution if they have any questions. Press [continue] and continue with a different form of payment.
I read it aloud to the girl, which is what we're supposed to do, and she looks confused. I say, "What this means is that the card's been declined." She looks less confused. I tell her she can call the bank or credit card company from the phone at the back of the store in Customer Service, and that I'd be happy to take another form of purchase.
(By the way, I'd already bagged the clothes while I was on the phone with 02.)
So she puts her hand on the bag of clothes as if to take it and says "I'll just call from the back. Thanks!"
However, I also put my hand on the bag and say, "Ok. The line back there is pretty busy, and if it's a long line, they won't ring up your clothes there. You can take these with you" (and I unbag the clothes, tucking the bag back under my counter) "and pay for them after you're done calling."
She leaves.
LATER: I am at the back, at Customer Service, logging out and getting ready to go home, when I run into 02. I tell him that 1) her card was declined and 2) she tried to take the bagged clothes, but I wouldn't let her because she hadn't paid for them, and 02 was relieved. It also occurs to me that the credit card was absolutely brand new--there were no buffs or scuffs or scrape marks on it from swiping. Nothing. It was pristine. She probably stole it out of dad's mail (or someone else's mail, because she never did show me her ID!) and tried to pass it off. Whew. Keep a close eye on your mail, my friends. And pray you get sharp-eyed, smart cashiers like me.
Stories from Behind the Counter | By The Newest Worker | 11:29 AM
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