I work as a couetesy clerk and I was doing a carry out for a regular customer. Well to show gratitude, this customer slipped me a $20.00 As a Christmas gift. I'm $20 richer now, but what is the policy? Do we HAVE to decline the gift or risk being "bitched at?"
i dont make make that much money and I'm NOT refusing the gift. could I say this person is my stepdad? He's African American and I am white, I said he's my stepdad to avoid trouble. I've gotten some weird looks from cashiers and saw one of them whisper something to management and management lookes at me oddly. Are they on to my little white lie?
You can't accept tips in the store, but you were doing a carry-out so you would have been fine just taking the $20 and not telling anyone. That's what baggers do at my store and no one complains to management because it's freezing outside and they are helping a customer load their car with a ton of (sometimes heavy) stuff. Why you would tell people this person is your step-father I don't know, because that makes the entire situation suspicious and odd. You just should not have told anyone. I guess if confronted just tell management you never got a tip and don't know what your coworker is talking about to save yourself, as long as you are sure a camera was not on you.
Just keep the money. If you plan ion using the "stepfather" routine make sure you don't overuse it. Meaning don't have an African American stepfather one time and then an Asian stepfather the next. Or what you could have done, was say he's your uncle and say your family is racially mixed. But given that you say you are white this May or may not work.
Next time, do what drug dealers do: Hand to hand. Simple slip off. No, you're not supposed to accept money from customers......But I say, you're not supposed to be poor while a company gets rich off your sweat, either.
OP needs to check how the tip policy is worded in their specific division. Some say you may not accept them at all, while some say you cannot solicit them, which means you can accept them, but cannot ask for them in any way.
I work in a division where baggers, cashiers and sometimes even floor supervisors get tips/gifts from customers on the floor and it's not an issue because tips/gifts are perfectly acceptable as long as they are never solicited. Your division may be different, however. It would be best if you found out the official policy as soon as possible so you don't have to keep making up lies which you are bound to get caught in eventually and you don't break a rule in your division, which you could be written up for.
Our store is technically NOT permitted to accept ANY tips or gifts from ABYBODY. However, that rule is NEVER enforced. As long as tips aren't solicited, management don't care. But OP should be careful. If "dad" is a regular then management might pull him aside and ask that they give gifts off the clock; and if "dad" (unaware of what op said about him being step dad) says he's not related to op by birth or other, then op had some explaining to do.
When I was a bagger/buggy bitch, I would not ask for tips in any way. If a customer offered I would say no, we are not allowed to accept them. If they then said, take it, I insist. Then I would. They insist on giving you a little bonus, would make a customer mad if they wanted to tip and were not allowed. Don't go telling everyone in the store about it. Say thank you, and move on.
A few times as a cashier/customer service person, I've been given a tip. But those people are known for doing that, and will not take no for an answer. You provided service to them (no matter if normal day to day service, or extra "let's make this right" service) and they insist on it.
Unless your manager is a hard ass follow the rules to the letter guy, don't worry about it.
I disagree with the policy and if we are to refuse a gift it may be considered an insult. I've have had people who have given me a tip for going the extra mile every once in a while. Sometimes we would have people bring us stuff like tamales, salsa, etc some things homemade because they love us and what we do for them. I've even have had a person give me $20 because of how I take care of them. Hell, a customer was talking a few months ago to bring me a dish of her recipe why would I refuse???
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My Views and Opinions do not reflect that of the Kroger company. I'm an indivdual expressing my 1st amendment right.
I wouldn't refuse. They are doing it because they like you. However I say be carful. I ran into another kroger, (didn't work there) right after work because they were out of a product I needed. I saw one if my regulars and he gave me a gift card. Management saw and bitched at me. I told him it's ok, I don't work at that particular store and that u can take it. He raged that I was NOT allowed to. Why? Because DESPITE me being off work, I STILL represented the company and that went against policy. Go figure.
I wouldn't refuse. They are doing it because they like you. However I say be carful. I ran into another kroger, (didn't work there) right after work because they were out of a product I needed. I saw one if my regulars and he gave me a gift card. Management saw and bitched at me. I told him it's ok, I don't work at that particular store and that u can take it. He raged that I was NOT allowed to. Why? Because DESPITE me being off work, I STILL represented the company and that went against policy. Go figure.
You went into another Kroger with your uniform on? That's just asking for trouble.
Lucky gal! My cousin once got a $250.00 gift from a customer. My cousin works at a photo place where they CAN accept tips/gifts from customers for doing a great job.
I don't refuse a gift, especially around Christmas time. The customers that do it want to and makes them happy. Just like im tired of finding money on sales floor and turning it into management. They never try and find rightful owner and it goes into part of the safe money after only about a week. Who are they to judge if I get a tip or gift and they are putting money into safe that is found in store instead of donating it or something. We are always doing some kind of donation collecting, March of dime, breast cancer, ect. That's my store, dont know what others do.I should probably clarify, I always turn in money I find on sales floor, people have actually gotten it back, which is good.
-- Edited by sco queen on Sunday 30th of March 2014 12:14:49 PM
Heres another thing kroger does and all retailers who sell lottery, the get a cut for selling a winning ticket that is worth a lot of money. I have tipped and been tipped by customers who have hit it "big". They can take it but we aren't suppose to, I realize it is categorized differently, but in my eyes its the same thing. Just sayin.
-- Edited by sco queen on Sunday 30th of March 2014 01:14:07 PM
