Cell Phone Shots – Volume IV

September 10, 2009 by admncc

I first saw the below-picture two weeks ago, when I stopped by a small grocery store in a neighboring town.  I looked and then did a double-take, but only had a minute to try to decipher their message.

Last night I purposefully drove out of the way, just to get a picture of their sign.  I even coaxed a guy in the check-out line (in front of me) to distract the cashier, so I could discretely take the picture.

“Accepting checks is at the discretion of the cashier.  The cashier is not obligated to explain any reason for not cashing a check.  We are a grocery store, not a bank.  Thank you!”

Wow, I don’t know about you, but I have a few problems with their statement.

My first impression was that this had to do with customers writing a check for their purchase or upping the amount of their check to receive more cash as change.  But that might not be the case.  I’m wondering if this grocery store is one of the few stores in our area that still cashes small payroll checks (I’m familiar with another non-chain store that will cash payroll checks from known companies up to $300).

BUT regardless, I still think their sign is discriminatory.  The cashier will decide what checks they accept/cash and is under no obligation to explain why.  And my guess would be that there’s no formal policy in place.  Yikes.  Basically, what they are saying is that if they don’t like me, how I look or what I say, that they don’t have to cash my check, but they may accept one from the next person in line.

The employee who wrote this will realize the severity of their actions when they end up getting sued for stereotyping.  LOL.  Seriously, without even putting serious thought into it, I can think of 10 better ways to write that note.

strange-sign

All Posts / Business / Cell Shots / Family/Lifestyle / Law and Order Cell Phone Pics / Cell Phone Pictures / Cell Phones / Discrimination / First Impressions / Grocery Stores / Signs / Stereotyping / The Wong Message /

Comments

  1. Bill says:

    The wording is weird. I’m wondering if they did mean writing a check for their purchase.

  2. NeoConDon says:

    This could have been worded a little better, but it’s not bad enough to waste the time and paper to change it. I can sort of see where you might see this as discriminatory, but I don’t think it is. A small grocery store will do what is has to do stay in business in economies like this one. Certainly, a business has the right to make a business decision regarding whom they choose to do buisness with, especially when it involves the risk of cashing checks.

  3. Deb says:

    Wrong, wrong, wrong. The owner should either crap or get off the pot. Make up your mind. Either all checks are cashed or none are cashed. That determination should not be left up to a cashier for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost it puts the cashier at risk for confrontation with a customer. The cashier should not be given that much responsibility unless promoted to manager. I could go on and on. PP business practice, no common sense, and the owner is a wuss.

  4. NeoConDon says:

    Sounds like Deb works for the gov’t. She wants to tell a private citizen how to run his business.

  5. Ron says:

    I agree with Bill, the wording is weird. Half of it sounds like it means cashing a check for a purchase in their store, and half of it sounds like they offer to cash checks for people in general. Maybe they receive a lot of bad checks for purchases and they feel that if a the cashier feels leary about someone, they can just refuse to accept it with no explaination needed. But the sign verbiage is confusing.

  6. Jacki says:

    The wording is weird, but I think they are referring to third party checks, which makes sense. There is SO much fraud these days, so they are protecting themselves. And besides, Walmart will cash checks for you.

  7. Not terribly professional. The wording is awful and the tacky handwritten board is just bad. Leaving it up to the cashier, not a good idea.

  8. NeoConDon says:

    Why is everyone downplaying the role of the cashier? The cashier is likely either the manager, owner, or accountant.

  9. C. Princess says:

    I agree they could have worded it better perhaps a little more politely too.

  10. Extreme John says:

    That sign is waiting for a lawsuit to address it, I need to start ripping off your idea brother and taking pictures of the ridiculous signs that I constantly find around this place.

  11. I actually don’t see anything wrong with the sign either though I do agree it could have been written better. If I’m not doing anything suspicious or acting like some kind of jerk I don’t see any reason one would deny cashing my check if they cash checks. If the person wants to give me the run around and I know I’m legit I know he has a problem of some sort and if I’m smart I remind myself why they have banks and will high-tail my ass to one before, with my luck, it closes. Places like these make money by cashing checks so I don’t see them turning away a whole lot of money without a legitimate reason or concern.

  12. I would like to know more about their situation. On the surface, it does sound a bit odd. I’ve had a payroll check from the YMCA refused at a grocery store (major chain). They said they had some kind of system that flags whether or not a company has bounced a payroll check and if they have, they refuse to cash any of them. But this was all handled at the “main cashier”, not by a cash lane cashier.

  13. It’s almost like it’s taken from of an example of how NOT to phrase this particular sentiment. I actually love finding stuff like this, but it’s so wrong in every way!

  14. Tallelf says:

    I myself like the companies that post the checks that bounce.. (ACCOUNT #’s and All) for the public to see.

    I would have written it a little differently perhaps listing critera of “Cashable” checks. Tell me what you do accept, and if it doesn’t meet the critera.. JUST WALK AWAY.

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