I wear brown mascara, which isn’t always easy to find.
Today, I went to Rite Aid hunting the elusive brown mascara and picked up a few personal items. I’m new to Rite Aid, as we had Walgreens and CVS in southern New Mexico.
The cashier must have been new herself, because she charged me for the same mascara three times and had to summon her manager to void the sale. No problem, we’ve all been new to a job. Then she gave me a sales pitch for the Rite Aid “Wellness” discount card, and I took a brochure to make her happy. Still fine.
The cashier then picked up each of my purchases individually and told me their prices and what bargains they could be if only I had a Wellness card. The sales prices marked throughout the store only applied to Wellness cardholders, see, so I’d gotten the bait ‘n’ switch.
I politely declined to sign up for the almighty Wellness discount card. She double-checked to make sure I still wanted everything at full price.
After ringing me up, the cashier looked me in the eyes and said soberly, “I hope next time you’ll reconsider and get our Wellness Card.”
Can you believe that? Rebuked at the drugstore!! I thought, “Oh lady, there’s no next time for us.”
There’s upselling, and then there’s bludgeoning.
Have you ever had trouble with Rite Aid?
Total non sequitor, but I’m jealous that you had CVS in New Mexico! I didn’t think they existed west o’ the Mississippi and am constantly disgruntled that I have to go to Walgreens.
And isn’t annoying that you have to have a card for everything now? Gas, groceries, library (well, I guess that one’s all right), and now to get your mascara.
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This was a particularly weird “upsell”. The tone of her voice was so damning as if you had committed a major faux pas for not accepting the Wellness Card.
I’m glad you wrote about it.
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Do the cashiers get some kind of a kickback from the purchases made with a “Wellness Card” or something? That is so weird.
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Katie – Is CVS better than Walgreens? I’d never thought about it.
I carry two cards; debit and library. I’m trying to keep too many others from infiltrating my snazzy red wallet.
My post failed to convey how awkward this exchange really was. I almost felt trapped in a Monty Python skit. The maddening clerk, the frustrated customer…
Mr. Jaunty- Look, I’ve got a witness! Yeah, her tone was like… … like a principal saying “I HOPE NEXT TIME YOU’LL THINK MORE CAREFULLY ABOUT YOUR ACTIONS.” Or something.
Stitchywitchy – I don’t know. She DID seem new, and her manager was within earshot… so she was probably just trying to do everything perfectly. Perhaps she’d been chastised for under-selling and was trying to make up for it? Either way, I’ve never been so uncomfortable at a drugstore.
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