SM Scene: "Floss" (The Director's Cut)

[One day in the life of a wanna-be-blogger]

SM Mall of Asia
Cashier 20, Ground Floor - Department Store
January 28, 2012, Friday

I was excited that morning to go to work as "Bourne Legacy" was scheduled to shoot along Pasay-Taft Rotonda where I pass everyday going to work. As a huge film enthusiast and somehow liking Jeremy Renner as the bomb disposal sergeant in the low budget but suprisingly good movie "Hurtlocker", it would be lucky enough for me to see him or the hollywood production that might be one in a thousand chance to happen again.

Least I expected that I will be A STAR OF MY OWN HOLLYWOOD-LIKE SCENE later that night.

7:00p.m.: Already felt hopeless solving a site display problem, I decided to call it a day and leave the office. Thought I was lucky to catch up the not too crowded MRT but, unfortunately, it stopped for so long at two stations due to, as usual, technical problem. Annoyed by it and unable to stop thinking of the codes, I decided to go to SM Mall of Asia to change mind and buy things I need for my SG trip the next weekend and as I won't be able to catch SM near us open for sure.

7:30p.m.: I picked up some items that include the dental floss. There were two variations of watson brand floss which only differ on flavor, one is 39.00php, the other is 35.00php. I took the 35php -- being a wise consumer ha.

As it was getting late plus the hunger attack, I looked for empty line cashier. Jackpot! Cashier 20 was available and empty.

[Note: conversation is long and in taglish to be realistic.]

Cashier: May advantage card po?
ME: Wala.
Cashier: Gusto n'yo po mag-avail?
ME: No, thanks. Meron na, 'di ko lang dala.
Cashier: (Started punching my items. Oops! The floss with 35php tag price output 39php.)
Checker: (to cashier) Void mo... (Called via phone for watson personnel.)
Punch mo ulit ibang mga items.
Cashier: (Punched items included the floss)

Waiting... patience level [||||||||||]

Watson personnel came and confirmed it -- 35php.

Checker: (to cashier) Bakit mo sinama ulit yung floss sa punch, tinanong pa nga natin eh, ulitin mo ulit.
Cashier: (Punched items again)
Checker: Oh! Dapat i-defer mo yung floss. Marunong ka ba mag-defer?
Cashier: (whispering) Ah, defer... oo... yata... defer... paano nga yun?.. (voiding and repeating punch of items... incorrect again)
Checker: Mali na naman, 'di ka ba marunong? Teka, tawag ako. (Called someone on the phone. Passed it to the cashier.)

They exchanged instructions. Cashier tried again... correctly this time. Swiped my BDO Debit Card. Checker checked the receipt.

Checker: Mali. Naging 35php nga pero nasama pa rin yung 39php. (to me) Ma'am nadouble po kasi, na-defer po yung isa, pero pumasok pa rin po yung 39php. So, dapat po 5 items lang pero naging 6 items po. Wait lang po ha. (Called on the phone again...)

Waiting... patience level [|||||||||_]

Both were talking to the phone. And taking some instructions.

Checker: (on the phone) Mga 15 minutes na po.
ME: (to myself) It's more than 15 minutes!
Checker: (to me) Ma'am sabi po ng supervisor 'di daw po nabo-void ang BDO debit card. So, nabawas na po sa inyo. Gusto n'yo bigyan na lang kayo ng SM bond (?) (My ears starting to hurt with the words so I didn't hear it clearly) o kaya kuha na lang po kayo ng isa pang floss.

Silence... patience level [|||_______]

ME: NO.
Checker: Eh ma'am 'di na po kasi talaga mabo-void.
ME: NO.
Checker: (to cashier) Gusto mo ba ikaw na lang magshort ng 39php?
Cashier: (Whispering like... stupid and insane!)
Checker: (to me) Ano po ma'am kuha ko na lang po kayo ng isa pang floss. Yun po sabi ng supervisor namin eh.

Patience level [|_________]

ME: NO. Miss, bakit ako mag-aavail ng isa pang floss na hindi ko na kailangan dahil eto kabibili ko lang ng isa? Fault n'yo yan!

Another personnel arrived, might be an assistant supervisor. I didn't bother to know.

Asst. Supervisor: Ma'am 'di po kasi nabo-void ang mga debit card once na swipe na. Kuha na lang po kayo ng isa pang floss. (while trying to instruct the cashier to redo the punching) Hindi ka ba marunong? 'Di ba pag di mo alam gagawin mo click "9" para matulungan ka. Oh paano yung defer? Alam mo ba?

It looked like they were more concern correcting the info in their machine for inventory purpose, whatever.

Waiting again..

ME: Miss, pinaghihintay n'yo pa rin ako hanggang ngayon. Eh 'di nga alam ng cashier mo kung paano.
Asst. Supervisor: Ma'am 'di po kasi pwede humawak ng trabaho nila, bawal po sa amin. Cashier lang po ang pwede.
ME: (F*@cking rule!) So ok lang na maghintay ang customer. Nasaan ba supervisor n'yo?
Asst. Supervisor: Nasa office building, malayo kasi kung baba pa sya. Kaya pinapakuha na lang kayo ng isa pang floss.

I shivered and shaked with anger. F*@ck me! patience level [-100%]
I made sure I'm loud enough that everyone can hear.

Here comes the preaching...

ME: Makinig kayo. 39 pesos lang yan. Ang point ko, kung 30 minutes ago sinabi n'yo na na kumuha na lang ako ng isang pang floss, natanggap ko na sana. Tapos.
But now, after making me wait for, correction, 15 minutes of 15 minutes ago, meaning half an hour now (Yes, I spoke some english when really mad! harhar!) para sabihin lang sa akin na kumuha ng isa pang floss na again 'di ko na kailangan ay nakakaubos talaga ng patience!

At yung supervisor n'yo, kanina pa kayong nag-uusap sa phone kung bumaba s'ya dito kanina pa to address the problem properly and respeto na lang sa customer na naghihintay. Ang job title n'ya "Supervisor", bakit nasa ibang building sya malayo sa tao n'ya?!

Ngayon, papayag ako kumuha ng isang pang floss at hindi ako galit sa cashier dahil baka bago s'ya at natataranta. Isa pang point ko, alam n'yo na nga na 'di alam ng cashier at natataranta but instead of calling for someone who knows the job well, you chose to make the customer wait sa natataranta at paulit-ulit na mali ng cashier.

OK na ko na sa isa pang floss kawawa naman yung cashier n'yo na walang alam 'di n'yo pa matulungan. Naiintindihan n'yo ba ang point ko? At 'wag na mauulit sa iba.

Asst. Supervisor: OK po, sasabihin ko po sa supervisor para ma-address yung ganitong case.
ME: Unbelievable. May magagawa pa ba ko?

I realized all eyes and ears were focused on Cashier 20. Well, that was the point, to let others know and learn to express themselves and don't just take this kind of situation silently.

9:15p.m.: END of scene

At home. I realized that they gave me the same floss worth 35php instead of 39php. So, in short, I waited for half an hour and fork out 4php! UNBELIEVABLE!

Posted in: floss, Mall of Asia