I am in Big Supermarket trying to accumulate loyalty points to fund our next family outing. One of the required purchases is 45s 5in1 dishwasher tablets in order to get 225 points. This I duly do, having spent five minutes at the shelf checking that I’m buying the right one. Unfortunately, their checkout system doesn’t agree.
The checkout operator takes five minutes to check the receipt for the item. Then he spends a further two minutes checking the product itself before agreeing that, yes I have indeed bought the right dishwasher tablets.
After all that, he declares there’s actually nothing he can do himself but if I want my points, I’ll have to go to customer services but he does put a nice asterisk next the the item on my receipt.
At customer services, one assistant is on the phone, while being watched by a manager who is leaning nonchantly over the counter.
The other assistant is doing the slowest refund known to mankind. It features a five minute pause, which can only be described as thinking time, while he stares blankly into the middle distance. I can almost hear cogs clicking.
Eventually, it’s my turn and he too checks my receipt and the product itself before I finally get the points in question.
I finally get home. “Did you get lost?” asks Hub.