I know, I know. Pet peeves are standard fare for beginning bloggers. But I can’t help it. Every once in a while there’s something that, although little, just gets under my skin. And that something right now is having to swipe my own credit card at places like Best Buy.
First of all, the mere existence of these “swipe it yourself” terminals as new examples of POS systems is irritating to me. I mean, included in the price of your purchase is the cost of employing a cashier who rings up your merchandise for you. Why can’t that person swipe your credit card? To me, it’s just as stupid as having them hand you the cash drawer and ask you to put your money in it and make your own change. Swiping a credit card is an act of taking your money for the purchase, and that should be done by the cashier. What good are they if they can’t even do that?
But I learned to live with that, as stupid as it is… until recently. That’s when the most idiotic addition to the “swipe it yourself” policy was enacted: The cashier asks to see your card after you swipe it.
I was in Best Buy the other day, and when the cashier gave me the total, I handed him my credit card. He handed it back to me and asked me to swipe it on the little terminal at the front of the counter. Like I said, I’m used to this dumb policy now, so I swiped my card, saw that it was accepted, and put my card away. That’s when the cashier asked to see my card.
Remember, the cashier just had my card in his hand less than 20 seconds ago and had handed it back to me for me to swipe myself. But now he has to see it again. If the cashier has to see the card anyway, why can’t he swipe the @#%! thing himself?! Could they come up with a more inefficient, idiotic process?
reason #1,345,622 to shop online.
Got a better one for you. I went to buy gas today. Selected the type of payment at the card swipe. Nothing happened so I looked around and saw a sign on the pump that said this is a prepaid pump. So I went inside and asked the cashier why there was a card swipe on the pump if it was prepay. She said i could use my card just stick it in and pull it out and lift up the nozzle and start to pump. So I went back and did that. Nothing happened. I tried it two or three times and nothing happened. It would not clear the previous customers amount off the machine. So then I put in the card, pulled it out, put in my pin number and picked up the nozzel and pushed the start button. Then It finally worked. When it came time for the receipt, it said I had to go to the cashier for the receipt. So whats the point of having a card swipe pump if you have a sign on it saying prepaid and then having to go inside to get the receipt from the cashier? This is the dumbest set up I’ve seen in a long time. And it was RoadRanger, who by the way was one of the very few to have gas at $1.65 this afternoon when everyone else in town has gone to $1.79. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH
I can’t speak for Best Buy. However, the company I work for has it set up that it is almost impossible for me to swipe a card…it is set up so that the customer can do it. Don’t ask me why. I didn’t have imput into the decision to do this. I find myself handing out corporate’s number far more frequently and let THEM explain some of their decisions.
But I do know what you are talking about. The other day I went grocery shopping at a very odd hour. There were no cashiers; only the “do it yourself” lines which probably irriates me more than swiping my own credit card. I think my next six pack is on them…….
Unlike you I don’t have that problem about the “them swipe or me swipe” HOWEVER what I do not like to do is GIVE my credit card to the cashier AFTER I have already swiped it! You may ask “why” – well, if you watch carefully once in their hand they flip it over to look at the back. There is the real secret security link to your card…that 3 digit number in the signature line. Most ALL online businesses now require that you reveal that number to prove that someone is not using some dude’s carbon receipt they found somewhere! If you’ve watched or read anything about credit card fraud your card just got compromised. Even the simplest cashier can memorize a mere 3 digit number when he/she senses an easy mark!
First, at Road Ranger (I call them Road Rage) most of their pumps are broken down and won’t give a receipt. You go inside, which you didn’t want to do in the first place and usually have to stand behind some NCP buying 30 different lotto numbers. Don’t cut in and try and ask for a receipt, the cashier there is about as friendly as a snake.
How about when you call a business, they want you to enter your account number or telephone number, then listen to an automated voice to confirm this info, then after pushing a bunch of numbers to get to a real person, the first thing they ask? For your account number or phone number you punched in. Now that is a pet peeve.
Wal-Mart doesn’t ask to see your card! Ha! On a related subject though–I feel just as strongly about the “scan-it-yourself” stations as some of you do about Wal-Mart. I refuse to use them because a machine has taken a person’s job–I refused to pump my own gas for the same reason; look what happened–almost no gas stations with attendants to pump your gas.
Without Malice – that happened to me. Our family was traveling out of the country and I think it was lifted during a restaurant transaction and the next month I had one single transaction, an airline ticket for someone I do not know charged on my credit card. You really need to review credit card statements closely these days.
My pet peeve is when retailers ask me to present my driver’s license along with the credit card. Now not only do they have your secret number but your home address, even more information in which to complete fraud.
According to Money Magazine, MC, VISA, and Discover forbid stores from requiring ID with a signed credit card and suggest you carry a copy of the merchants agreement for your credit card with you which states this or to call your credit card co. on the spot at the store and get a rep to speak to the retailer.
Sounds good in theory, but . . . I tried to explain to a Kohl’s associate and just got a glazed look.
Check your credit card receipt next time your in a restaurant. Some restaurants print out your full credit card number and experation date on the copy you sign and leave with them.
What do most people do then? They get up and leave before the wait staff has a chance to pick up their copy of the reciept so anyone else or the wait staff can take it and they have your info. I always scratch out my card number on their copy before I give it back to them.
I notice a trend towards more cashiers asking to see your card and your driver’s license, then matching the face on the drivers license to the shopper. I welcome this trend. It is inconvenient, but if it is one more step between myself and identity theft I’ll accept it.
CJ, originally the swipe it yourself credit card process was to alleviate the liability of retail stores from being responsible for fraud. If they don’t touch it they don’t have to pay it, it would fall on the credit card company. I don’t know if not swiping it still guards them against that even if they touch it to check the signature. And while I am sure there are a handful of Lex Luther wannabe super criminals that work in retail the vast majority of them are not capable of memorizing your entire credit card number, security code, and complete driver’s license information in the few seconds they have access to it.
“Lex Luther?”
Lex Luthor.
Well, there goes my street cred as a Superman fan…
This is a gripe? Far more serious and annoying imo are the self checkout lanes.
I’m also opposed to the self-checkout lanes. It feels like people want avoid all personal interaction in life. They want to be able to buy groceries, Christmas gifts and gas without talking to anyone. We deposit our paychecks without talking to anyone or getting out of the car. We shop online and telecommute to work, thus never having to go outside!
No offense to those who shop online (I do, because it’s such a pain to get to Best Buy) and no offense to those who telecommute. Both are great, efficient alternatives. I just don’t like the general trend of reducing human interaction.
The self checkout machine has never given me attitude about my cloth bags, unlike some cashiers.
When a receipt contains your whole number cross out all but the last four digits. Really it isn’t the employees you are preventing from getting the number, it is other people dining at the restaurant, or any guy on the street if you lose the receipt. If an employee is looking to get credit card info, they aren’t going to bother with individual copies throughout the day. All the credit card machines I have dealt with, print out all the necessary info on the daily close out report at the end of the night.
The point of the self-swipe machine is for people like me, who use a debit card instead of a credit card for many purchases. When you use the self-swipe machine with a debit card (and select “debit” instead of “credit”, a keypad pops up, I punch in my PIN, and that’s it. Often times it’ll even ask if you want cash back with your transaction, which saves a trip to the ATM. (And, of course, with debit you’re spending money you already have, which is a nice perk over credit.)
Also, a lot of credit transactions under a certain amount (not sure on the exact value) don’t even require a signature any more, but that often depends on the vendor and their set-up with the credit card companies.
And on the topic of self-service gas pumps and check-outs, I find it far easier, faster, and more convenient than using a manned terminal. The entire POS (point-of-sale, not the other POS acronym) process is simplified, especially for smaller sales — for instance, if I’m going to Kroger for a quart of milk and some cheese, it’s a lot faster to ring yourself up than stand behind the two families in front of you getting ready to feed their army family for the next few days.
Ditto Sterling. Self swipe cards and self-checkout is usually easier and faster. The less time I spend in a checkout line or at the gas station, the better. Do you really savor the “personal interaction” with the gas station clerk? Better to get the chores over with and spend time with friends, family, etc.
I much prefer the self-serve checkout when I have just a couple of items, and really hate the people that don’t know when they really shouldn’t be using those lanes (i.e., they’re buying clothes or alcohol, or several hundred of the same item, and scanning each one individually!).
When it comes to the bank, though, I always go in when making a deposit. I don’t like the drive-thru teller experience, mostly because I never carry a checkbook or a pen.
Peoriafan,
Having worked in the credit card business a few years ago, I know it is a violation of rules for them to put your entire card # on the receipt. If that happens, call the credit card company, Visa, MC, etc and let them know. It is also in violation for them to refuse to accept cards for small amounts. If you want to use a card for a $1.00 charge they have to accept it.
Ben,
I also thought that it used to be that the store didn’t have a right to ask for your ID when using a credit card. The policy was the credit card company would always make good with the merchant even if the card being used was stolen. I can see with all the fraud out there why they may start asking for an ID but really whats the point? You can go to a gas pump and use it or buy something over the phone with it even if it isn’t yours.
Monicals Pizza on Knoxville use to or still does print our your credit card number on the receipt. I asked the manager about it and he said to call their corporate people.
The biggest reason companies/businesses don’t want you to use cards for small purchases is that the card companies charge them 25 cents per purchase, plus an additional 1.9% of the total purchase for processing the sale. So the business loses any and all profit if they handle too many low purchases. Its an on going problem with businesses and they are trying to get the card laws changed so it doesn’t cost so much to process a sale that they lose money.
Maybe we should just go back to the barter system and trade trinkets for goods and services.. I’d rather not talk to anyone at a store. I always use self checkout so I don’t have to make small talk with a high school drop out.
The things you complain about always amaze me. Technology is evil. You should know by now to swipe your own card. Then it wouldn’t have been passed back and forth twice. THat’s your own stupid fault for living in the 1950’s still.
Ryan says: “I’d rather not talk to anyone at a store.”
Lucky store employees. 😉
Exactly my point. I’m just as big of an asshole in person. I really did lay into a Best Buy employee one time when I answered the same sales pitch four times with a “no” answer and she wouldn’t give up. If I can avoid that with self check out, I will gladly take it. Haven’t been back to Best Buy since then…and it was to buy an XBox so how long ago was that?
I have been waiting for someone to ask why you would bother to buy anything at Best Buy in the first place? “Best Buy”, isn’t the best buy. They just have had remarkable success in getting you to think that way.
They had some good sales right after Thanksgiving that put their prices on some items similar to or better than Amazon.com. Generally, I don’t go there, however.
you have never had that card number stolen have you. my gf was at macys and bought something in one department and then went to buy something in another and her card was missing. when we got the stateement in the mail there was $100 tacked on to her bill. they lady had assumed that we would not notice. i will never let anyone touch my car ever again.
To the author;
As a rule, I generally refuse to shop at places where the cashier swipes my card out of sight. There are MANY reasons never to give your card to anyone, and they all have to do with protecting YOU and your accounts.
With all the credit card fraud going on right now, skimming machines, pinhole cameras, rf readers and the like, it’s only good diligence to keep your card in your hand or your pocket.
It may be your pet peeve, having to do all that work yourself, actually swiping your own card (God forbid), but those establishments are doing you a favor.