Shoppers Drug Mart Sale Liars

[hannahtjmom]

With the excitement of an upcoming sale, I began to do my research and prepare my plan. I was interested in the 32 in RCA TV on sale for $150. I called around to see which stores had stock. The one store had 4! Great, drove the half hour to arrive at 7:30, a half hour before the store opened. Waited in my car, nice and warm, reading SC. Then someone else pulled in, we still have 20 minutes to wait. But this other shopper decides to start a line. Crap, now I have to get out and stand in line too, now second. By the time the store opens there are a couple of other people too. We walk right up to the cash, thankfully the lady ahead of me wants a laptop. My turn, I ask about the tvs, they were in a different location, when I get there, an end aisle not too far, in eyesight of the cash, one of the other early birds, grabbed one. Ok 4-1=3 still enough for me to get 2. WRONG! There is only one left! When I asked the manager if there were more somewhere else, she said, no, someone must have bought them ahead of me.........I was the second in line, First Lady purchased a laptop, next person at cash is the the guy with the tv, no one else has gone through yet. Hmmm, don't think that is the explanation. So when I tell her so much, she says they went fast there were people lined up outside the store. I know! I was the second in line. She says someone must have purchased them after she left at 7pm when she left and they would have paid full price. Who would do that, knowing the would be on sale tomorrow?

I believe the more likely explanation is someone purchased them after the sale price was activated in the system, hours before the public was able to purchase them, a staff member?

Mostly I am angry at the managers obvious attempt to cover up what she either knew happened, or didn't, but still had what she thought would pass as an explanation. A better, customer service response would be I am not sure, but I will look into it.

Let me be clear, I am not angry I did not get my TV, as I did run to another store a half hour from there, in the hopes it would be there by the time I got there, it was, so I got it. I am angry at the total lack of honesty on the stores part

[SavvyLady]

I'm glad you got your t.v.'s..I've been told that they change the price in the system after 6:00 pm..so if someone went in after the system was updated then they would get the sale price..also some stores are open 24 hrs, so some people go after midnight and get the sale price...it all depends on your store!!

[Lyssia510]

I've read on this site that some Shoppers do or did do holds, so that might be a possibility.
Is the tv 1080 or 720?

[hannahtjmom]

I did ask at all the stores I called and they wouldn't hold items, a notion I believe fair. Which is why, when I could only get the one, and called to all surrounding, I understood when they said they couldn't hold it for the half hour until I could get there. I think that is a fair rule, gives everyone a fair shot at getting the deal. Mostly my issue is with the managers lie that the only possible explanation is that someone bought them the day before the sale "at full price". Wasn't it Shakespeare that said " Me thinks thou doth protest too much"?

The tv is 720p

[Natalka]

Sorry you had trouble with this.

However, some people buy an item at full price just to ensure they get it, then return it and re-purchase it at the sale price.

[tjthemanto]

Its a blessing in disguise . SDM is absolutely horrible , when it comes to returning/exchanging electronics.

If you buy it , you are pretty much done. If you open it & don't like it , they won't take it back . If its defective you are still stuck with it.

Other stores atleast you can return it or exchange it , in the first 14 days or so , if its defective or if you don't like it..like FS, BB , WM etc.

Heck most SDM stores won't even take unopened electronics back.

[CrazyQT]

IMO It's a bit harsh to call someone a liar when you are not 100% sure of the true reason why there were not 4 televisions left when you got there.
Maybe the person you spoke with on the phone gave you incorrect information and there were only 2 in the store when you called.

It wouldn't be big shocker if someone had purchased the television at the sale price or even the regular price of $179.00 the evening before if the sale was active earlier than midnight. A customer could have spotted the sale and picked 2 up like you had intended to.

Either way - I'm happy you ended up with 2 televisions in the end.

[annedougherty]

mmhmmm lots of factors at play, and sure I would be upset too but you can't really blame the store. If they got 50 phone calls that night asking what stock they had of sale items for the next day...if I were fielding calls I'd probably just say 4 for everything lol, it's a nice round number.

[maple7]

My guess would be that someone sold them the night before. I know I would have been disappointed too. I hope most stores would have held their stock for today, but maybe yours didn't, perhaps not thinking of the consequences. I was in line this morning too and if I had thought about how the cash registers turn over early, I probably would have been worried that I was wasting my time. When I read your post, I felt like the employee was trying to give you a reasonable explanation rather than making excuses, but I wasn't there. If you usually like that store, I would give them another chance before judging them harshly.

By the way, my store handed out numbers, letting us in the door, for service for electronics, but that only really impacted items behind the counter and in the electronics cases. The tvs were on the floor so I suppose their system wasn't foolproof. But I give them credit for their effort in trying to create fairness.

[tjthemanto]

Maybe some employee kept it aside for themself or a family member.

[hannahtjmom]

Maybe some employee kept it aside for themself or a family member.

My thoughts exactly! And they could wait in line like everybody else.

To clarify my position, the store could have pleaded ignorance, they did not, first she said, they were sold this morning, since the store opened, when I said nope, that could not have happened, she said, we'll they were here at 7 pm last night, so they must have been bought last night at full price. But she didn't know.

I hadn't thought of the scenario Natalkla stated, very interesting.

[Decaf]

Unless you called right before closing...there's a possibility that they sold 2 in between that time. They didn't promised to "hold" an item for you so it's on first come first serve basis. Glad you got 2 though...I remember going to 24hrs stores at midnight but the items were already sold out.