Warning: Check you bill and change in minimarkets

[wump]

This seems to happen a lot more recently, at least to me. We can't name and shame here, so let's just say this happened several times at major minimarket chains in Central Pattaya. Mostly during daytime so they can't assume the customer was drunk.

Scenario 1: You pay with a big note and your change comes back in hundreds. Almost a giveaway that there will be one 100 bill missing. I guess this is the more common scenario.

Scenario 2: This is a trickier one. You get the correct change but the amount paid was entered wrongly into the system (eg. you gave 1,004 Baht and the check shows you only gave 954 (why would you?!)). In this scenario I specifically had to ask for the bill and the guy tried to pretend he doesn't understand. After producing the bill he quickly disappeared into the back room.

I usually just complain, get my money and walk away because I have not much to gain from the guy being fired. Maybe he'll rethink his actions after losing face, I don't know. But it still annoys me. Also, I've only ever had this happen with male cashiers, maybe they are more dishonest. Looking at their faces, the rest of the staff seem to be in on it but to shy to speak up.

Anyone else had this happen to them?

Edited March 31, 2016 by wump

[Woody1]

Scenario #1 happens regularly at many of the central Pattaya mini-marts (the big two chains).

Another scenario is when you're paying for items, and order cigarettes lastly, they are rang into the till but not put into your bag.

The other scenario I've come across quite a few times is that additional items that weren't purchased are included to your bill.

The worst culprits I've come across are Tom Boys working in and around Soi AR.

[sean in udon]

Only one time at a mini market.

Change from a 500 was 100 short.

When the error was pointed out, no apologies, just gave me the 100.

Female cashier, and I only pop in maybe twice a week, but she was new. Not seen her since.

[wump]

The other scenario I've come across quite a few times is that additional items that weren't purchased are included to your bill.

Staff need phone credit too, you know .

A bit hard to check the receipt if you had like 20 items and can't read Thai script.

And I just remembered another scam: You buy promotion items which initially ring up as normal price but get discounted later after the cashier presses the TOTAL button. If they don't press it, you pay the normal price displayed as SUBTOTAL and the cashier pockets the difference (which can be a lot). So if the cashier gets their calculator out, it's often another indicator you're getting scammed.

Edited March 31, 2016 by wump

[lonewolf99]

OK - this might seem crazy - but how many times have you bought something that has .5 of a baht on the price.

Milk is always 45.5 or 50.5. Then they tell you they have no 50 sattang coins to give you back in your change.

A damned lie....if they do this with every customer the 0.5 bahts soon add up.

It happend to me 3 times in a row in the same shop and I let rip and handed back the bottle of milk and demanded my money back.

Lots of sheepish inane grins (Thai smiles) losing face ...and from then on, I now make sure I buy products that come to a round number.

It would be easy for shops to have several hundred customers in a day. Say 500 and they ripped 250 of them off this way... thats 125 baht a day equals 3,500 baht in a month...enough for Thai people to rent a room for a month with.....0.5 goes a long way...

[mrsomchai]

It should make you all feel better but said chains do have complains call Center.

I have called that line about 20 times about 1 particular store , 10 times in English and 10 times in Thai , a few co workers did the very same thing just as many times .

Each time call Center acknowledged this particular store has received a lot of complains of the same nature and YET nothing has changed and the manager of that said who creates all the problems is still there.

Not sure if it makes difference but manager and all staff are either toms or femboys.

So moral of the story is stop whining, said chain will not take any action no matter how many complaints are received

[Gsxrnz]

I bought three cans of coke once and only got given two straws.

Bloody scammers!

[chiang mai]

You could consider using only small(er) bills for payment at such places, if you don't have any you could get some (ATM's do dispense small bills), otherwise you walk in to the shop with a sign on your head that reads, NEWBIE HERE, ROB ME IF YOU WISH!

[SoiBiker]

I counted the cubes in my bag of ice yesterday and there was 1 less than usual!

[namatjira]

God I hate to get scammed half a satang.....Thailand....the land of scams

[balo]

Never been scammed in a super market or 7 eleven ,and I always check the change, maybe just been lucky .

Edited March 31, 2016 by balo

[Gsxrnz]

Never been scammed in a super market or 7 eleven ,and I always check the change, maybe just been lucky .

I'm in the same boat as you. In fact i can recall at least six occasions where I've been given too much change or they forgot to ring up cigarettes.

In my experience, 99% of the staff at the two chains go out of their way to demonstrate how much you give them (eg. they will say 500 baht either in English or Thai), select the change, and then make themselves very visible to you while they count from one hand to the other.

Regarding the alleged half baht "scam"........frankly i wish thy had a tip jar there so i could dump the useless things into it.

Edit: Forgot to add I always returned the extra change or pointed out the failure to charge for the cigs. They are invariably super grateful, and they remember you next time you go there.

Edited March 31, 2016 by Gsxrnz

[Asiantravel]

OK - this might seem crazy - but how many times have you bought something that has .5 of a baht on the price.

Milk is always 45.5 or 50.5. Then they tell you they have no 50 sattang coins to give you back in your change.

A damned lie....if they do this with every customer the 0.5 bahts soon add up.

It happend to me 3 times in a row in the same shop and I let rip and handed back the bottle of milk and demanded my money back.

Lots of sheepish inane grins (Thai smiles) losing face ...and from then on, I now make sure I buy products that come to a round number.

It would be easy for shops to have several hundred customers in a day. Say 500 and they ripped 250 of them off this way... thats 125 baht a day equals 3,500 baht in a month...enough for Thai people to rent a room for a month with.....0.5 goes a long way...

I'm glad you mentioned this one

I regularly buy the large bottles of Meiji milk at the convenience stores which are 91.75 (which is a ridiculous amount anyway ) so I'm now more interested than I was before in keeping the 50 and 25 satang coins that I receive in change on other items.

Lately at one of the big supermarket chains I'm noticing regularly the cashiers simply don't bother to give the 50 satang back . The way I look at it is if they regard it's not important enough that they assume I don't want the 50 satang coin, then why is it important enough for them to charge it?

Anyway 2 or 3 times recently I politely explain that I need the small coins to pay for milk at the convenience stores. At first they look like they don't understand but when their colleague explains it to them and they have to go back into the till then they look embarrassed.

It would suit me fine if they got rid of these ridiculous coins but while they continue to have prices which include them I will continue to demand I get the proper change back.

[Asiantravel]

God I hate to get scammed half a satang.....Thailand....the land of scams

“Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves.”

William Lowndes (1652-1724), a former Secretary to the Treasury of Great Britain

[donnybay]

I always check my change, mini mart, restaurant or bar, takes 2 seconds, I thought everyone did, so why the warning?

[wump]

Never been scammed in a super market or 7 eleven ,and I always check the change, maybe just been lucky .

I'm in the same boat as you. In fact i can recall at least six occasions where I've been given too much change or they forgot to ring up cigarettes.

In my experience, 99% of the staff at the two chains go out of their way to demonstrate how much you give them (eg. they will say 500 baht either in English or Thai), select the change, and then make themselves very visible to you while they count from one hand to the other.

Regarding the alleged half baht "scam"........frankly i wish thy had a tip jar there so i could dump the useless things into it.

Edit: Forgot to add I always returned the extra change or pointed out the failure to charge for the cigs. They are invariably super grateful, and they remember you next time you go there.

Same here. Would I not point out their errors (receiving too much change) frequently then over time I would still be in the plus despite the scams.

[questionsreplies]

Poor you, you lost 10 baht....

[questionsreplies]

I counted the cubes in my bag of ice yesterday and there was 1 less than usual!

If you were the Op you would have returned it...

[Pattaya28]

I agree with the OP.

My experience is the mini-marts do try short-change on a frequent basis.

And note-shuffling is designed to give you 1 less note in your change.

I would also put into the group of short-changers big fast-food chains.

And when I've caught a cashier "at-it", miraculously the shortage springs out of nowhere.

I despise this blatant theft.

[johnatong]

What a sad topic !

Best count every last satang !

Personally I have only ever received correct change but then I never offer big notes for small change items !

[Happy Grumpy]

A couple of no hopers earning 300b a day for their 10-12 hour shifts, 6-7 days a week.

Wow, the real criminal masterminds.

Call the police next time OP.

[samsensam]

in over 15 years the only times i have received incorrect change anywhere on thailand it was in my favour and i returned the excess.

if you have any concerns dont pay low amounts with large notes, not difficult.

[Pattaya28]

And I suppose the posters here mocking the complainers like the OP and myself are the same people that leave 100+ Baht tips in the Go-Go Bars for waitresses bringing their drinks.

Each to their own.

It gets at you or it doesn't.

[Rimmer]

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[Bernard Flint]

Never been scammed in a super market or 7 eleven ,and I always check the change, maybe just been lucky .

I'm in the same boat as you. In fact i can recall at least six occasions where I've been given too much change or they forgot to ring up cigarettes.

In my experience, 99% of the staff at the two chains go out of their way to demonstrate how much you give them (eg. they will say 500 baht either in English or Thai), select the change, and then make themselves very visible to you while they count from one hand to the other.

Regarding the alleged half baht "scam"........frankly i wish thy had a tip jar there so i could dump the useless things into it.

Edit: Forgot to add I always returned the extra change or pointed out the failure to charge for the cigs. They are invariably super grateful, and they remember you next time you go there.

Same boat as you, i check my change and know how much the bill will be, the vast majority are decent, hard working people.

[Bernard Flint]

And I suppose the posters here mocking the complainers like the OP and myself are the same people that leave 100+ Baht tips in the Go-Go Bars for waitresses bringing their drinks.

Each to their own.

It gets at you or it doesn't.

And what the hell has that comment got to do with the OP,???????

[billd766]

And I suppose the posters here mocking the complainers like the OP and myself are the same people that leave 100+ Baht tips in the Go-Go Bars for waitresses bringing their drinks.

Each to their own.

It gets at you or it doesn't.

It seems to me that you chose to live in a big sin filled city and pay big city prices yet complain that you are being ripped off for 2 or 3 baht a day.

Why don't you add up your bills on the calculator that comes free with the mobile phone so that you know what it should be and if you give a big note to pay for it it isn't hard to know what change should come back. If it is short then quietly ask the cashier to check it again and if it wrong the second time then get them to run the bill against each item.

As for tipping the girl who brings my drinks 100 baht if I am happy with the service then why not. Not that I have been in a go-go bar for years but I was brought up to tip if the service is good. If it isn't then I would only give a small tip and not go back to the bar again but that is my choice to do so.

No, Thailand doesn't get to me very much anymore.

[wump]

Guys, the topic is being ripped off 100 Baht when paying in minimarts, not about not receiving your 50 Satang when receiving change for your milk. I guess it got derailed at some point.

I don't understand the attitude and ridicule of some posters in this regard. Sure you don't like being tricked? Would you not make a fuss if the Walmart cashier just pockets $3? Why is it okay for someone on 300 Baht a day to steal? Because he's oh so poor? Should we all be scamming millionaires then because they have more money than most of us?

[wump]

Why don't you add up your bills on the calculator that comes free with the mobile phone so that you know what it should be and if you give a big note to pay for it it isn't hard to know what change should come back. If it is short then quietly ask the cashier to check it again and if it wrong the second time then get them to run the bill against each item.

Why is it my job to make sure some dodgy cashier isn't tricking me? They work for a multinational corporation and I should feel comfortable when paying, same as I would anywhere in the west. Theft is simply not acceptable, no matter where and no matter how much the cashier makes. I guess you have never been to China. Having to watch and count your change in every single transaction is just super annoying.

Edited April 2, 2016 by wump

[Pattaya28]

And I suppose the posters here mocking the complainers like the OP and myself are the same people that leave 100+ Baht tips in the Go-Go Bars for waitresses bringing their drinks.

Each to their own.

It gets at you or it doesn't.

It seems to me that you chose to live in a big sin filled city and pay big city prices yet complain that you are being ripped off for 2 or 3 baht a day.

Why don't you add up your bills on the calculator that comes free with the mobile phone so that you know what it should be and if you give a big note to pay for it it isn't hard to know what change should come back. If it is short then quietly ask the cashier to check it again and if it wrong the second time then get them to run the bill against each item.

As for tipping the girl who brings my drinks 100 baht if I am happy with the service then why not. Not that I have been in a go-go bar for years but I was brought up to tip if the service is good. If it isn't then I would only give a small tip and not go back to the bar again but that is my choice to do so.

No, Thailand doesn't get to me very much anymore.

So if the service isn't good you only give a small tip