Sears ripoff Management "purchasing" items before customers get a chance to, then the item is "sold out" for the customer. Fond Du Lac Wisconsin

Nancy, you claim that you have been ripped off. It sounds to me like you are complaining b/c you missed out on an oppourtunity do some "ripping off" yourself.

It apears in you complaint that you were upset b/c you werent around to reap the benefits of someone elses mistake. An honest mistake that most companies wouldn't honor at all, and retraction notices would have prevented the purchase of this item to anyone, employee or not.
Rather, Sears saw its mistake, too late to print retractions, so they honored the sale for a short time. They didn't have to honor the misprint. I have great respect for this.

However, I do not respect people who try to write a complaint on something they have no right to complain about.

You sound like a burglar who writes a complaint b/c the alarm went off when he/she busted the window out to break in.

Granted, managemnt and employees were wrong in purchasing the DVD players, and in many stores no employees were allowed to purchase them.

I am sorry that your plan to get something for virtually nothing failed. Maybe you can go out sometime and steal some money out of a blind begger's hat. Im sure in time you can take enough to buy the DVD player for regular price.

Untill then, I suggest you go to the local supermarket and purchase a lage brick of sharp cheddar cheese to go with your page and a half of whine.

this happened at our store over a few-day period. First, an ad came out w/ a "misprint"- a regular player and a combination unit were both pictured, and worded correctly; the sale price for the regular DVD was enlarged, and the ccombination was listed below with the correct price. However, customers seemed to think tat not putting the second price in the same large font meant that both items were the low sale price. On day one, we did not honor the sale price on the combination at all.

By day two, retractions were printed, and that evening we were allowed to sell them for that price, to customers only, and not employees. Obviously, this was not going to be advertised; there was already a huge loss each time it was honored. Disallowing employees sparked a fury of complaints from said employees, and it was decided that they could purchase them as well. As soon as the word spread that employees could purchase them, they did... en masse. And when they were gone, they were gone. Even working in Brand Central where they're sold, but off that day, I couldn't/can't/won't get one for that price.

The ad may have been slightly unclear, but people did not seem to care when it was pointed out that both items were properly shown. If the volume of calls wanting the second (properly quoted in the regular ad text below the first) for what was obviously too low of a price (about 20-30% of the cost of other combination units, and 85% oof the regular cost of the advertised unit), there wouldn't be an issue at all. However, store associates have no control over when's decided when for pricing issues, nor do we have control over how the ad is set up.

And as far as not allowing employees to purchase items during regular hours of operation, I'm confused as to when they are; we open the registers for purchase 5 minutes before we open teh doors to the store, and close them as the store closes. store policy allows for personal purchasing off company time- the two 15-minute breaks and half-hour lunch in an 8-hour day. If a large group of associates were willing to sacrifice one of their breaks to make a purchase that any consumer would want, such is their option.

Interesting complaint! Your desire for management to shop during regular store hours is very interesting. Being in retail for 20 years, I can honestly say that there is no store out there that allows employees to shop during customer store hours. This is not only so the employees are on hand to assist the customers, but also to deter internal theft from occuring! Employees are usually only allowed to shop during their lunch hour, or 1/2 hour before or after store hours. If they were to shop during regular store hours, I'm sure you would then complain that there was no one around to help you.

Also, rainchecks are NEVER issued for misprints or advertising errors. Get over it!

To "Bertha" in Alabama
If you would read and comprehend what I wrote, you would see that I NEVER SAID managers should NOT be allowed to shop in "their own" stores. Please don't put words in my mouth. Of course they should. But they should NOT GET PREFFERENTIAL TREATMENT because they are a "manager". They should shop during regular store hours like everyone else. Not pick what they want off the trucks as they're backing up to the docks.

To answer your question, yes, if I were a manager there, I probably would have wanted one of those DVD players for a Christmas gift, but I should be expected to "shop" like everyone else has to. During normal business hours, and on a first come, first serve basis.

If they handle things that way, then they should at least offer the same "deals" to ALL the employees there. Not just "managers". Why should a "manager" get better treatment over any other person that works there? I know a lot of people at our Sears store, and most of them work harder than most of the "managers" there.

I don't know how things are done down in Alabama, but up here, every other store I have ever shopped at issues reinchecks for up to 7 days. EVEN IF IT IS THEIR MISTAKE unless a correction is printed in the newspapers.

I didn't say I wanted to purchase that DVD player. I didn't. I already had a nice DVD player/recorder at that time, so this is not a case of "sour grapes" as you said. It's the principal, and I know our Sears store, and know they rarely have products in that they advertise. Now I know why. 3 Christmases ago I went in the very morning a sale started to purchase a planer/jointer for my husband and of course, they didn't have it. No problem because THEN they issued me a raincheck. Guess what? Here I am, 3 years later, STILL WAITING for it to come in. (in the meantime, I purchased one elsewhere.)

My sister went to purchase a camcorder there. Guess what? 15 minutes after the store opened, they were "out of stock". Imagine that. I bet I could give you names of 25 people that this has happened to within the last year. No, managers should NOT get preferential treatment over other employees or customers.

It just is not a good way to run a business. What would you think if you worked for a company and found they practically gave away say, $5,000.00 worth of clothing or appliances or whatever, but they never even considered letting you in on it because your name starts with the letter "B"? Same thing.

What they do for one, the should do for all. But giving managers "first pick" at things just isn't good business practice. End of story. No reason to check this site anymore.

It is ridiculous how you state that it should be illegal for managers to shop in their own store. What kind of crap is that? I'll be you if you were a manager at Sears, you would've grabbed one of those DVD players for yourself too -- as well as probably grabbing several more for your family and friends. Just because you were SOL and did not get a DVD player before they were gone, you are crying sour grapes. Sorry, but it was a mistake to begin with and not worth getting into a hissy fit over. Better luck next time!