by David Lewis » Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:24 am
It's been my experience that clerks, and sometimes even management, will reply with "it's the law", when of course, we know better, &
know it isn't. When confronted with such knowledge, they invariably retreat to "it's corporate/store/manager's policy". Frequently, this
turns out not to be the case, as well. A little investigation & communication can frequently effect change--either in the sign/policy, or
with whom I spend my money (it's their choice)--so good for you for doing so!
I recently had a discussion with a nice, but ignorant, clerk at WalMart over their improperly opening sealed cases of shotgun shells to
affix the 10cent TN ammo tax stickers to each individual sub-carton within the 100-round case (it's supposed to be affixed to the unit being
sold, whether that's an individual cartridge/shell, a box, or case). I pointed out that they were collecting too much tax by doing so, and should
not be taking such action. Her reply: "ATF was in here & told us it was their rules, & we had to follow them." I laughed, & pointed out that
this was a Tennessee state tax, and that ATF was federal, & had nothing to do with the TN tax stamps. She got quite flustered. I think
she was going to follow up with her manager to confirm the validity of what I'd said, versus what she'd been told to say when questioned.
Bottom line: Never take "No" from someone not empowered to give you a "Yes" in the first place.
Let us know your results!
David