Complaint Review: Dick's Sporting Goods - Coraopolis Pennsylvania

They actually gave you $20 mad money when your initial purchase didn't even qualify, missing by 8 cents?

And you still came on here to blast them?

All they're guilty of is having at least 1 very stupid cashier talking out their butt in giving you misinformation, and one nice company rep who jumped the gun in offering you more than he was authorized to.

You were still given $20 for your hassle. You were not ripped off.

And your unveiled threat to use your "influence" to damage their business shows a character flaw in you. You're not acting with integrity here. But I'm sure all these folks you know, know you too and probably roll their eyes the moment you turn your back after ranting to them about boycotting d**k's.

I am currently an employee in a Chicago land d**k's location.  I am a full time supervisor, working exclusively in the front end, and don't remember much of Black Friday, it was extremely busy and I went as fast as possible.  However, I do know the policies, 100%.  

First off, if a cashier tells you that you can just return the stuff and you get $20 free, you are a fool for not reporting the cashier on the spot.  That cashier should be fired on the spot, as why would a store just give you a $20 gift card just because you decided to wait in a line that's too long because of the insanity known as Black Friday.  If you don't see something shady there, you are a shady piece of trash yourself.  Sorry to be blunt, but it's the truth.

Now, what you get.  It's not a gift card you would receive, it was a "cash card".  What's the difference, you might ask?  Well, a cash card is essentially a coupon with no minimum (but must be spent all at once, and no, we cannot put $10 back on a gift card because you only spent 10 before tax).  You might wonder why I mentioned before tax.  Well, coupons hit the subtotal.  So, if you buy an Under Armour Tech Tee, priced at $20, it turns that tee into a subtotal of $0.  Now, for tax.  Tax is a percentage of the subtotal added onto the purchase for the government to get theirs.  Where I work, tax rate is 7.5%.  So, what is 7.5% of 0???  If that takes use of a calculator to figure out, I'll save you the time, it's 0.  So $0 in subtotal, plus $0 in tax, equals out of pocket cost of...wait for it...$0.00!!!  If you have a gift card, it is a transfer of funds into an account that can only be used at a d**k's location.  Just like a rebate gift card.  Or a prepaid VISA.  If you have a $20 gift card, and buy that same UA Tech Tee, the subtotal remains $20, so the final total is $21.50.  You pay the entire $21.50, just 20 in a credit, making it $1.50 out of pocket cost.  The other difference, is like a coupon, a cash card has an expiration date.  The Black Friday cash card began 11/28, and was valid until 12/24.  Gift cards have no expiration dates anymore.  From what I have heard, being with d**k's since May 2008, along the way, is that it is illegal to drain funds from a gift card.  Galyans gift cards still work at d**k's Sporting Goods, and that company was bought out by d**k's.  

To get the cash card, you had to spend $100 in subtotal.  Coupons could bring it below 100, but then you are no longer eligible.  Why, might you ask?  Well, we did not have any cash cards on us.  That was the old way.  The new, and improved, way was to print them, so we wouldn't run out before 9am (if we were lucky).  However, a bill of 99.99 before tax, any decent human would say, who cares about the penny, give them the card.  If a computer is doing the printing automatically, that means the computer is doing the thinking.  And when it comes to computers, it needs to hit certain parameters to do anything.  It's why, if you type in a URL to find a web page, a simple misspelling causes you to either hit a dead end, or go to a different page.   So, at a terminal, if it doesn't see triple digits, it won't print.  End of story.  You also got it with your receipt at the Point of Sale, so it's not like you needed to come back in to pick up the card.  

Now, should they have done something for you, yes.  Personally, I knew exactly how to get it, so I told customers how far they were away, and suggested adding on a Pepsi, a pair of socks, gum, whatever.  I explained that a computer won't print it off otherwise, and there was no override, period, end of story.  If you were to come up to me, with the same situation, I would have probably just told you to get $20 worth of stuff, or enough to hit the 100, then another 20, and I'd do an override at the register to get you taken care of.  Or mark a note on the receipt, with the exact terms of the cash card (11/28-12/24), something like that.  But, if you returned your stuff from Black Friday, the cash card was also surrendered.  No exceptions there.  So I agree, it wasn't the best of customer service.  I would have done something, just to shut your trap.  That is, unless, you came at me and disrespected me.  Then I would have not done a thing for you, and would have contacted managers, and after you left, warned managers and possibly district of the situation, and to expect it.  Did I have that situation this year?  No, because I trained my cashiers well enough to either know the policy, or ask me what the policy was, or after something didn't work, ask me why, and I ensured the customer bought a little more to get them taken care of.  Why, you might wonder, would it only print out with the subtotal?  Well, that's because, it's money that the company sees, as a reward for spending at the store.  The money that the government forces the consumer to pay, the company doesn't see, and if you made an exchange at a store with a cheaper tax rate, you get money back, even if the subtotal is 0, and same holds true if the tax rate is higher, you owe a few pennies or dollars or whatever.  d**k's makes no money off that, only the government.  So if you buy from an 8% tax rate store, and exchange at a 7.5% rate, the government just gave you money back, not d**k's.  

Going to the media over this, are you insane??? It's talk like that which makes me believe you would have throw a complete fit just because I say the word "no", and I bet you made a complete a*s out of yourself, and any associate you were involved with, over the issue.  Word of advice.  Treat the employees well, they want to treat you well.  Treat them like a*s, well, don't expect a single favor to be made, even if the store was at fault.  Have fun shopping at another store.  

The fact that you are going so far for $20 is kind of ridiculous... I got one of these too and was told the same thing. Once i was explained the entire issue, I understood exactly what had happened. It was a mis-communication, and hey, it was basically a $20 gift card in itself that you could use for anything youd like in the store. I dont see why you didnt just hold onto it and go back into the store and use it...

Ive been in multiple times, and havent had a problem.  you should be embarrassed that you are contacting the media or whomever about such a small issue. be an adult, move on, and stop making a fuss over nothing. The fact that your father is a city official.... cool? arent you 42?

I have not been able to figure out why so many people get suckered in to this "Black friday" nonsense.

If you participate in this stupidity, you only have yourself to blame.

NOTHING good comes of "Black friday" for the consumer as a whole.Maybe a handful of people get a "good" deal on something, but most people don't, especially when you consider the increased risk of being injured in a stampede, robbed in a parking lot, getting your car broken into, or getting in an accident, etc. etc. etc.. It's just not worth it overall.

Besides, people who actually have jobs, and a life, cannot camp out for 2 days to save 20 bucks. Only the welfare dependent losers, druggies, etc for the most part participate in this nonsense.

FYI...I stayed home, drank beer, and got better deals on the computer than you got for enduring the stampede of the unwashed.

Find something useful and constructive to do with your time rather than b***h about something so trivial.

Yeah, I'm sure the people at d**k'S are shacking in their collective boots right now.