Monday, July 2, 2012

Most Inconvenient Convenience Store (or: Fraud in Broad Daylight)

A few years back there was a few 7-Elevens around in KL and some typical Chinese "convenience stores" but not much else.  For some bizarre and completely incomprehensible reason, 4 or 5 years ago, new ones started popping up everywhere.  I would guess I currently have at least 15 of them within 5 minutes walking distance.

They all have one thing in common: they are all inconvenient.  A common trait seems to be that they are staffed with complete morons and the managers are appointed from the least moronic of these.  The staff is without exception rude, slow, lazy and the shop managers wouldn't dream of ordering new stock before they have run out of the old one - with the result they are constantly out of the most popular items (but got plenty of whatever crap nobody want to buy).

However annoying these shops are in general, a few month ago a new one opened about 50 meters from where I stay and this one appears to have taken the "inconvenient" part to a whole new level.
I don't even know exactly where to begin.  On the surface they are exactly like the rest of the shops, and yet - they appear to have somehow managed to find staff that are even more clueless than the usual stock.  A few weeks ago I entered the shop and they were playing music so loud the staff couldn't hear what I was asking them.  Instead of taking that as a clue to turn down the volume, instead the staff tried to make me shout my order.  The only thing I shouted was asking them to turn down the volume, but the staff shouted back that the manager had told them to play at this level.  Needless to say I gave up and walked to the nearby 7-Eleven (which at least don't play music at nightclub levels - that one only stinks like a sewer).

Another thing I noticed in this shop was that they always gave wrong returns, but up until yesterday I never really thought about it.  Out of general habit I always make an estimate in my head and if the amount requested is more than a few Ringgit of my estimate I know something is wrong.

Yesterday is the first time I figured out the staff's approach.  Notice the following receipt:
The first 3 items on this receipt was from the previous customer.  In other words - the staff punch in the items and have the cash registry show the sub-total, then they let that sub-total carry over to the next customer.  If it works - presumably they pocket the money from both transactions - if not they just apologize and alter it (if the owners ever read this check the security tapes - the exact time is on the receipt above).

Immediately following the above example I was talking to a French couple who just left the shop - and they had been cheated in exactly the same way several times.  I have also seen people be short changed - and as mentioned - I have experienced it myself a number of times (only - yesterday is the first time I kept the false receipt).
If this had happened once or twice over a long period, it could possibly be considered an honest mistake, but not so - let me stress that this happens often and consistently.  It is absolutely amazing that a scam such as this can run for as long as it has run already.  The before mentioned French couple had contacted KK several times through their web-site with no obvious results.

I will send a link to this blog entry to KK and see if they get back to me.  If they do I will add their comments here - if they don't (which is more likely) I will mention that too.

Update July 10, 2012:

I did send them an inquiry through the web-site.  Apparently it just generates an email of which I received a copy and the other copy went to: enquiry@kkgroup.my. Needless to say that now, after 1 week, I have not heard anything back and by now it's probably too late to check the security cameras anyway.

No comments:

Post a Comment