By SweetDeals
This happened a couple of months ago but it’s bothered me ever since so I thought this would be a good way to get it off my chest.
We had run out so I went out to buy some ketchup from Sobeys. Â I paid by debit, but was in a hurry and had things on my mind so I wasn’t really paying attention.
The next day, I glanced at the receipt and saw that the total was $13.49 — $10.00 more than the ketchup had cost.
On closer inspection I saw that I had been charged $10.00 for “cash back”. Â But I never asked for, or got, any cash back (I never do that).
I assumed it was a mistake so I went back and asked for a refund. Â The customer service person talked to the manager-on-duty and gave the $10 back to me, but as she did she said (with a rude look on her face), “just so you know, the cash back request was signed by you.”
In other words, she was implying that I did ask for the cash back and that I was trying to scam them.
Well I freaked. Â I demanded to see the receipt and sure enough, when the manager-on-duty brought it to me, it wasn’t my signature. Â I showed her my signature from my license and gave them my contact information so they could follow up with me, but I never heard from them again.
I can’t help feeling that I should have called them back the next day and demanded an explanation and apology, or even called the police (isn’t forging someone’s signature fraud?). Â But I let it go and trusted they would do the right thing.
Thinking back, I realized that the cashier had swiped my card for me, and that when she handed it back to me it didn’t ask me to confirm the amount — it just asked me to choose which account to use.
So the cashier typed in the extra $10, took my card, pushed the button to skip the part where I confirmed the amount and gave it back to me, hoping I wouldn’t catch on. Â Guess I really am as dumb as I look. 
I don’t think this is necessarily a reflection of Sobeys… just one bad cashier, Â and the manager who should have followed up with me.
Â
But it did teach me two valuable lessons: 1) always confirm the amount you’re approving before entering your pin, and 2) always check your bill before you leave the store.
Lesson learned.
lhunz says...
omg! that’s awful, so the cashier stole your $10, that’s unbeleivable!
MaRy says...
WOW!! Unbelievable that people could do this! It’s so frustrating that the manager was quick to assume you actaully did sign for it! I would be FURIOUS and totally tell them I would report them! This is a huge concern and thank you so much for this post as it opened my eyes!! I will be checking all my receipts and pay more attention every time thanks to you!! I am sorry this happened to you and if I were you I would totally follow up but that’s me. I get super pissed at stuff like this. VERY unprofessional. You should post what location so we can all be EXTRA cautious there! Good luck and thanks again for the heads up!
bambinoitaliano says...
one has to sign for debit transaction?
Karen says...
You have to sign the receipt when you get cash back - in order to avoid just exactly that kind of scenario. But that a cashier would be so brazen as to even TRY this… blows me away. I hope they got fired immediately.
Shejayd says...
One does have to sign for a “cashback” on a debit purchase
Shejayd says...
I was replying to bambinoitaliano
Katty says...
I never leave any store without verifying that each item I purchased is actually the price as displayed on the shelf. And OP, although you said you were in a hurry… I would never think paying $13.49 is normal for a bottle of ketchup!
Eric says...
I dunno, Katty. It could be ketchup made from rare, Rain Forest tomatoes hand picked by Oompa Loompas.
Sue says...
I had a similar problem… except I noticed that the debit transaction was $10.00 more than the purchase price. The cashier appeared to not realize what she had done or how to fix it. She ended up giving me the $10.00 overcharge (cash back) but I still feel she intended to pocket that money thinking I wasn’t paying attention. I normally check the receipts for the prices but since that has happened I am even more vigilant.
Jeff K says...
Call the police if you still haven’t heard from them. Or call head office and tell them that if you don’t get this resolved, you’ll be calling the police. This is a crime!
cashbackscam says...
This has happenned to a few friends of mine in Halifax over the past 6-8 months.
ALWAYS check !!!!
Colin says...
It would be very easy for cashiers to pull something like this on the elderly, or anyone who appears to be in a rush.
This is just another reason why I still use cash 99% of the time!
wabbitt says...
Definitely contact the head office.
Last time, I e-mailed their H.O. asking about something really minor - they charged tax on a 12 pack of iced tea. I was just curious if that was something that should be done, because WM didn’t charge tax on the same item. It was really out of curiosity that I messaged them. Someone from HO got back to me rather quickly (reasonable amount of time), and a few weeks later, the manager of the Sobeys I went to contacted me as well. They apologized … and gave me a $20 gift card.
cashier says...
As a cashier not all of us are trying to screw you over we just make mistakes. it’s very easy to hit the wrong button. Im sorry that someone got away with it on you but all cashiers are not trying to steal from people we’re just doing our job the best we can.
Ex A&P Customer says...
I had a similar experience at an A&P store in the Brampton area.
I used my debit card to pay for my purchase. I swiped my own card, but the screen to approved the amount of purchase didn’t show up too. I was in a hurry and didn’t pay attention until the weekend when I was entering my receipts in my computer. I was looking for the authorization number and saw the 20.00 cash back. I was shocked. I had gone to the bank (in the same plaza) and made a withdrawal of 400.00 just before going to the grocery store. I called the store right away and spoke to the manager. He was very helpful and asked me to come in with the receipt. I went the following day with both the bank receipt and the store receipt. He didn’t argue with me and I got my 20.00 back. I told him that the cashier should be fired (who knows how much more people she had done that to). I did go back on the same shift a week later to see if the cashier was still working there. She wasn’t. Since then I check my receipt before leaving my spot at the cashier.
bambinoitaliano says...
Always pay attention to the screen of a cash register. There’s enough information for you to know how many items you purchase. There will always be bad cashiers out there to scam some naive customers. By the way I rarely use debit card and had never done cash back before. Cash or credit card seems to be the safer route for me.
Ashley says...
I would have called the police for sure! They would get in big trouble for that and you had proof! Also, the cashier’s name would be on the reciept so you would know who it was.
$avvy$hopper says...
Oh my gosh! I would never have given this any thought if not for your post. I’m pretty vigilant in watching the cashier’s screen when each item is scanned and I review my bill but not always on the spot. anywho, i will certainly be watching out now. i know it’s not all cashiers that would do this, but the few that do need to be stopped and dealt with immediately! thanks for posting
Hannah says...
Yeah whenever a cashier makes a mistake they are trying to scew you…wtf..no, mistakes happen on cash ALL THE TIME! I know I’ve punched in the wrong amount for debit before, it happens and it’s no reason tobelieve a store is trying to steal from you. And at “Ex A&P customer, the cashier might still be there, i work at metro (A&P) and have done the same thing =D.
Also customers try to steal from me and other customers. I had someone come back into the store yelling at me saying i didn’t give them their cash back…. no i didn’t just open my till and give them the money i asked for a receipt (which they had lost in the two minutes from leaving the store) and got an audit done on my till…turns out they were lying.
Andrea says...
I generally have never had a bad experience except once, and I take responsibility for not being my usual vigilant self. I requested 40$ cash back but left the store without it - nor did I sign the receipt. When I got home I reached for my “money” to put in my wallet I couldn’t find it and realized that I didn’t actually get it. I called the store within minutes of the transaction and was told that I would have to wait until store closing time when they could balance the cash - about 5 hours. Imagine my shock (not) when they told me everything balanced and I must have received the cash. A couple of calls to head office sorted things out. I would have accepted 20$ and called it a lesson learned (since I didn’t sign my receipt and double check) - it’s always a touchy topic. I can see the store’s point of view, but while I made a mistake, they also made a couple: 1) not shutting the cash down right away to check, and 2) not obtaining my signature.
cookoo says...
a cashier at RCSS overcharged me today. without coupons my total would be around $20; with coupons would be $15. after punching in my coupons, she said the total is $30. that’s ridiculous, i told her. she was adamant and insisted i pay that amount. i grabbed my items and asked for coupons back and went to line up at another line. no problems whatsoever at this 2nd cash register. anyway, i don’t whether there was a problem with the first cash register or that cashier was simply trying to rip me off.
TJ says...
The Machine Pad ( Debit / Credit ) swiping should always display the amt. before you put in your PIN .
I don’t know why they have a system where the amt displayed can be bypassed & it directly goes to the choose CHQ. or Savings account & Enter Your PIN .
If the amt is always displayed on the PIN pad the customer will know if he is being overcharged or not before entering the PIN .
Also you never know it could have been an HONEST mistake by the cashier ( wrong buttons do get pressed ) & you can’t always assume that you are being scammed .
I’ve had cashiers give me back MORE change than they should have in a hurry or forgotten to scan an item , & I’ve always given the extra money back..( so it goes both ways sometimes )
Robert says...
I would have involved the police department. There are only 3 possibilities.
1. you are a thief
2. the cashier is a theif
3. the cashier made an honest mistake.
if the option is 3 having the police involved will make her (and all cashiers) more careful!
carlyfalls says...
This is one of the many reasons no one should ever use a debit card. credit cards don`t have cash back options, and neither does cash.
Ron Simmons says...
I once shopped at Sobeys and I`ll never shop there again. I tried one of their in-store made cinnamon buns. But it wasn`t cinnamon, there were ants inside of the bun. Yum.
Zay says...
Thanks for posting this. A lesson learned indeed. I will be more carefull and I think using cash is best. I do think you should contact HO of Sobey’s and report this incident.
James says...
I only shop at Sobeys if they have a good deal in their weekly flyers. The place is nearly as bad as Metro for sky-high pricing. I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would shop there on a regular basis. I guess it’s the same type of person who would also enjoy flushing cash down the toilet.
As for the main point of the article: Always check your receipts, no matter where you shop.
Rachel says...
I just recently had the exact thing happen. I wasn’t really paying attention during the payment with Debit. As I left the store, I thought it was strange that my bill was high considering I just bought fruit and vegetables. I checked my receipt and was charged 10 dollars cash back. I went back to customer service and was given the $10. I believe that the cashier made an honest mistake. The customer really needs to be watching as the items are being scanned. Tonight I had one item scan 2x by accident. Small mistakes do add up over time. I also make sure to look at the PIN Pad for the amount Before I put my PIN in.
Nathan says...
With the POS systems at a sobeys store, it is very easy for the cashier to accidentally charge cash back. there is a button right beneath the exact tender button that will add $10 on debit transactions. most of the time when this happens it is a mistake, and often cashiers aren’t paying full attention to what they are doing(not a big surprise since a lot of them are young teenagers). If you find this happens to you the till is usually $10 over at the end of the night, and any manager would be happy to repay you and to compensate you for the inconvenience. On the other hand, it is your responsibility to be aware of your own money and groceries. always check your bill, and watch the screens in the tills. Sobeys follows the scanning code of practice which states, any item scanned at the wrong price is free up to $10, for the first and the correct price for anymore. even if the transaction is not finished and the cashier can still change things. also the pin pad ALWAYS displays the total. if it doesn’t, then you should cancel the transaction.
another cashier says...
Also a cashier here - I don’t feel that cashiers were being singled out as thiefs at all! It was clearly written that when she went back to the store there was a signature on the receipt that was not hers - sure sounds like stealing!
Yes always check your receipt and the balance on the pin pad - and yes people make mistakes! but this sure sounds like a scam!
Squash 500 says...
Just slightly off-topic. I was in a Metro supermarket the other day and the sign on the shelf said that 40 selection(Metro’s own brand) garbage bags were $5.49. When I went to pay for the garbage bags at the cash they charged me $5.79.
I immediately pointed out the mistake to the cashier and wound up getting my garbage bags free due to incorrect pricing. Just in case anyone is interested if the price of the product on the shelf sign is different then the price that is scanned by the cashier then you get the product for free as long as the product retails for under $10.00.
John says...
It’s very true – the best plans for monetization fall through if nobody cares about or wants your product. Not only was that great advice, this video gave me a much needed laugh this morning.
Another cashier here... says...
To be honost, most people here are jumping to conclusions way to fast, most cashiers at grocery stores have given cashback without autherization before, come on were only human, Personally I have never met a cashier that has actually did it on purpose to keep the money, and when we do it we give them the money, get their signature and stated that they can refund the cash back at customer service as they can “Make it right”… But you have to realize, on our tills when you hit the payment button, it lists their payment options, if we hit debit, with the new system the cashback button is RIGHT below the base charge button and has pre set ammounts…
-Cashier
Codie says...
Im a cashier at a Sobeys, it is very hard for us to “press a button” to make it skip the amount confirmation. It always will say Purchase :$_.__, okay? and then the customer clicks yes.. She must of clicked okay on the customer keypad. Because there is no way a cashier can skip the confirmation from the Main Computer..:/
Sorry to hear what happened though!