:sauer024: Being a gringo and appearing like a tourist SHOULD have this one advantage. Everytime I buy something at Oxxo, they're supposed to ask if I want to recharge my phone. Half the time, they don't. If they fail to ask, the sign at the register clearly says I get $100 worth of credit on my phone. Everytime I ask for my credit, I get into an argument. Only ONCE out of about 15X have I actually gotten the credit I'm supposed to. And that time, I was insulted and called a poor bastard. LOL Once we asked for the manager's name and the guy ran in the back and actually changed name tags LOL. I assume the clerks are punished in some way for everyone they pay out. I don't care. Its clearly the policy and part of their agreement with Telcel. I'm not sure why I'm posting this, just venting really. I should have about $150USD more credit than I actually have because of this crap.
I learned a few years ago never to argue with an Oxxo clerk. Most are not particularly good with math or rules. I hate to generalize, but... yeah, it's bad.
That's so funny, Bruce! It annoys me that they ask! I'd rather they didn't, and don't appreciate Telcel for making them through the motions.
It annoyed me until I realized I could buy a coke and get $8 worth of phone service... IF they'd follow the effn' rules.
Funny story for sure Let's remember though the 100 pesos they may have to give up for not following the company line probably comes out of their own pockets. Not sure how much an OXXO employee makes a day but I bet 100 Pesos is a large chunk of it. I think most of us can afford it more than they can.
Bruce: Im lost. Are we entitled "free" credit if they do NOT ask ("una recarga?") us? When did this policy start? Have never seen the sign in my Oxxo(on Avenida Sunyaxchen).
T.J., I'm sure you're right in your supposition that the clerk has to make it up. 20-25 pesos/hour is typical pay for people performing those jobs so, yeh, as usual, the poorest and least capable among us end up taking it in the.... I doubt we're punishing that monolith, Telcel, by demanding compensation for not offering us a recharge. (What a stupid marketing scheme, after all.) And, yes Rawkus, this policy has been around a long time, now. I understand Bruce's thinking on this, and in the U.S. the reaction would probably be different, for many reasons. When my maid is grateful for our giving her the ten centavo coins we collect over time, you have to consider what kind of conditions the people we deal with here may be laboring under.
V: But regardless if the worker has a crappy salary or not, it shouldnt be that easy to kindly remind people that "and would you like to get some cell cred today?". Ive been hearing that from EVERY cashier in Wal Mart, Mega, Soriana, etc. Dont know if those stores have a different policy, or if its just Oxxo that does this. Just like I always hear "did you find everything you were looking for?". Im not the one that would jump on the chance, but if/when there is a really nasty Oxxo worker(and boy, they do exist), then it would be a possibility, for sure. Interesting policy...
I don't really think it's really quite the equivalent of saying, "Did you find everything you were looking for?", which sounds helpful and is not pushing a product. I made a point of talking with an OXXO employee this AM and said that, yes, they do have to pay out of their pockets when this happens. Bruce's experience of getting the "bonus" once, in 15 tries, shows how impactful this is on the employees- who resist as strongly as possible under the circumstances, as this would wipe out much of a day's pay. Let's think about not punishing the poor people who hold these cashier positions and must stand on their feet all day to earn their miserable 3-4,000 pesos per month. We can consider who needs this money more, as well as reflect on the economic power of the monolithic Telcel, who can impose this practice on so many merchants in the country. I, for one, don't want Carlos Slim and others making me the "enforcer" for their promotional schemes. ____________________
Ok, so I'm the bad guy now for wanting to take money from the poor Oxxo clerk? I want them to follow the rules their employer set forth, sorry. I didn't make them. Having employees here, I can assure you Oxxo has a very thorough employee handbook, which each employee has signed. If they don't want to cough up the dough, ask the question and quit making assumptions about your customer.
