Albertsons Scanner rip-off *UPDATE Employee ..inside information store in Los Feliz, California

From: Kentmarmon@aol.com
To: info@ripoffreport.com
Cc: LarryJohnson@albertsons.com
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 4:08 AM
Subject: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff4257

My Rebuttal is as follows:

As an Albertson's associate and a person involved in management in a local Albertson's supermarket, I would like the person that submitted "Albertsons Scanner Rip-Off" to Rip Off Report.com to know that I am very sorry that he/she encountered problems while shopping at a sister store in Los Feliz, California.



Since sales and specials vary from division to division throughout our Company of over 2,000 stores, I cannot speak to the particular products mentioned in the claim. I can, however, state that when items are advertised in local newspapers or media, those items have been selected by specialized purchasers and the information regarding the offers are then entered into a centralized computer system that feeds to the various stores within the area being served by that location. New shelf tags, advertisement tags or signs are then sent out to those stores. Scan Coordinators in each store are then responsible to make sure that the items are properly tagged, and that the promotions are accepted into the local store's central scanning computer. It is, therefore, pretty hard for an advertised item not to scan properly at the store level.



Items can be carried over at an advertised price within an individual store after the ad has ended if the inventory of any of those items is excessive. In those cases, the Scan Coordinator enters them as an in-store special in the central scan system at the store level.



Sometimes, after an ad ends, store personnel might fail to change a tag or remove an "As Advertised" sign from an item. In that event, while the system has been updated to the new or correct price, the tag might show a lower price. In that event, the customer is entitled to a Scan Give-Away.



Albertson's empowers its associates to do everything that they can to make sure that their customers are completely satisfied. All of the Company's training programs emphasize that policy. In addition, the Company has adopted a very liberal Scan Give-Away Program to take care of any problems that might arise as a result of incorrect scans at the register. When a customer brings a price discrepancy to the attention of an associate, the price on the shelf is immediately checked. If it is found that the item rang up at a price higher than the price indicated on the shelf, that item is reversed from the register as a Scan Give-Away, and the item is free to the customer. There are a few exceptions to this policy, however. Federal and State laws prohibit Alcoholic beverages and dairy products being given away (or sold below cost). In those cases, associates are instructed to deduct the difference between the amount charged and the trues cost of the product. Errors can occur. There are thousands of items in each and every Albertson's store. Incorrect computer entries or the failure to change tags or signs when the prices change can happen. It is not my intention to make excuses for these types of things. The Company expects each and every store to make sure that everything is properly tagged or signed and that the corresponding information in the computer is accurate. When errors do occur, we want to make sure that the customer's concerns are addressed and that an adjustment is made immediately. Then, whatever needs to be done to correct the problem and make sure that it doesn't recur must also be done immediately.



Customers can also be mistaken. Just yesterday, January 24, 2002, a customer came into our store and brought a pricing discrepancy to my attention. He told me that he had purchased Quaker Life Cereal on a Buy One - Get One Free offer that we had in last week's ad. He furnished the receipt, and upon inspection, I found that he had paid $3.99 for each of two boxes of cereal. The Life Cereal that was on sale was priced at $3.49 for the first one, and the second one was free. The customer had picked up two boxes of a larger size box of Life Cereal, which was in fact $3.99 per box. In this particular case, the customer had made an error and was charged correctly, although he had come into the store believing that we had over-charged him. I suggested that he bring any unopened boxes of Life Cereal back to the store and we would refund his money so that he could purchase two of the smaller size boxes at the previously advertised price. Customers will sometimes leave items in the wrong place on the shelf. For instance, the larger boxes of Life may very well have been on the shelf in the place that the smaller boxes belonged. A prior customer could have picked up two of the larger boxes believing that they were the BOGO items, and upon discovering that they were not, picked up the correct cereal, placing the larger boxes on the shelf with other small boxes. While we attempt to watch for this and to get items wrongly placed back to their proper locations, we might miss some.



This illustration points out that customers should check the tags or signs that are conveniently placed on the shelves with every product to make sure that they are buying what the tag or sign is offering. These tags include the name of the product, the size of the product, the UPC and the price.



If an error occurs that is not handled to your satisfaction, you should ask to speak to a manager or to the Store Director so that the situation can be taken care of. Your problem will be taken care of immediately and we will offer our sincere apology for the mistake.



As for being charged twice for a package of toilet paper, I can only speculate as to what happened. The checker may have picked it up and scanned it, then set it down on the scanner while bagging other groceries, only to have the scanner zap it a second time. That certainly isn't standard operating procedure, but it is something that can inadvertantly happen. In that case, the second ringing of that item should be voided. If you discover the problem after you get home, if you bring the receipt back with you on your next trip, we'll gladly refund the duplication to you immediately and with no hassle, offering our sincere apology for the mistake.



I try to treat each and every customer like they are the only customer I have. Most of my fellow associates feel the same way. We want you to be totally satisfied and to have a wonderful shopping experience with us. Joe Albertson used to say "anyone can sell a can of beans. At Albertson's, we want to provide tender loving care." That philosophy is still a cornerstone of this great Company. We want to offer the very best in service, quality and value available in the industry.



I hope that the person who sent in the claim will go back to his/her store and discuss the situations with the Store Director. It would be very helpful to have the receipts with you so that if there is a training issue that needs to be addressed, the Store Director will be able to see who it is that needs training, because that information is on the receipt.



We want Albertson's to be your store of choice. We want you to feel so "at home" and to be so happy with your total shopping experience that you will come back and see us often. Under no circumstances do we ever want anyone to leave unhappy or not completely satisfied.



The thoughts expressed in this rebuttal are my personal thoughts and opinions. Albertson's, Inc. has not reviewed my comments prior to them being provided as a Rebuttal in their behalf and my comments should not be received as an official policy of the Company. As an associate, I am empowered to "take care of the customer," and I personally felt that an answer to this complaint was absolutely essential. I am extremely proud of the Company that I work for, and have always been impressed with the Company's willingness to "make things right."



I hope that this Rebuttal properly addresses the concerns that were raised and hope that he/she will have a new perspective regarding Albertson's.



Thank you for the opportunity to address those concerns.

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