You just got caught up in the overwhelming excitement of purchasing your brand new TV, or iPod, and before you know it, you're swiping before the cash register is ready for you. Oops.
It's called premature swipe-ulation (actually, I just made that up) and it is the bane of many a cashier's existence. With recent technological advances of the ever popular signature pad and its corresponding POS software, the consumer (if he or she can read) knows exactly when to time their swipe for the maximum enjoyment of both parties. However, there will always be that person who is unwilling to take the 2 seconds to read directions which leads to a very disappointed cashier.
At my place of employment, our signature pad does double duty (hehe, I just said "duty"): it serves not only as a card swiper, but as a medium to verify personal information during a transaction. I cannot grasp the stupidity involved when creating a panoply of questions we force our customers to go through, but it makes my job that much harder due to the increasing stupidity of our customers.
I sell TVs. When you buy a TV from *insert store name here*, you get to answer nearly all of these questions.
"Could you verify your information?" No, you cannot swipe now.
"And one more time." I'm sorry, you still cannot swipe.
"Oh, you want the protection plan? Verify that information please." If you would kindly pay attention to the screen, it has not yet asked for your card, so please do not swipe.
"Also, could you select 'yes' that I have provided you with the necessary terms and conditions for this, this and this that you have purchase?" You are still swiping in vain.
During every sale, it seems I am reminding the customer two or three times to not swipe yet. It also never fails that by the time it is actually time to swipe, the customer has assumed that one of the many times they've swiped has satisfied the signature pad's needs and the card is buried away in their wallet. If I have to listen to one more audible sigh directed towards me for your inability to read simple directions, I may just murder you with said credit card.
So, fine retail shoppers, read the directions, keep that card firmly in your hand until you get the go ahead to swipe, and take a deep breath. With these simple steps we can all avoid the pain and embarrassment of premature swipe-ulation. I hear thinking about baseball helps....
