checking receipts

[pianistimo]

my kids hate it when i shop at wal mart and check the receipt (but i do it anyway).  well, to save time as i was in a hurry yesterday, i didn't check the receipt at a fabric store.  i happened to be buying a load of fabric, too, which complicated matters.  i did ask to have one bolt re-measured because i was counting the yards just as she was and counted differently - but she was right.  anyway - i'm kind of getting fanatical because of all the discrepancies that i have found in the past and am finding more frequently. 

to make a long story short - i got home and checked the receipt.  i thought i was buying $3.99 per yard fabric...but the machine put in what the original price was - so being careful about the yardage did me no good.  i should have double checked the price was correct on the receipt.  now i am out $50. or so - and have to spend the gas to go back to the store - which only makes it worth it if i can find the same fabric and make sure it's marked. 

anyway, for those mom's who are like me and tired at the end of the day.  don't let your tiredness make you lazy about checking receipts.  you can lose a lot of money in an instant with one careless mistake of a machine - or an accidental push of a key.  i don't think every checker is out to steal your money, either, but BEWARE of cashiers that say - 'oh, i ran to the end of my tape - would it be ok if you didn't take the receipt.'  (this was at kohl's one time).  wait for them to replace it and make sure and get the receipt.  i was in a hurry that day, too - and left.  then i started thinking that i couldn't check the receipt to make sure it was correct and neither could i return the items if they didn't fit or something was defective.  (normally kohl's is very good this way - so i think the check out lady was just trying to be nice to not have me wait around vs. waiting for the receipt). 

on the same train of thought - have you ever taken your family to wendy's or some other fast food place just to find out they forgot a drink or your french fries?  so you have to drive back or drive around again?  better to be the one people are yelling at from behind and make sure everyone's orders are there.

am i turning into a prune?  is this old people's behavior?  or is this prudent and smart?  can you just tell by the weight of the bag after awhile? 

[Mozartian]

lol I always know what it's gonna cost before I'm at the register. And I always compute the change in my head, as well.

What're you going to sew? Pretty expensive fabric- home decor project? Do you know about the Joann's/Hancock's mailing lists- you get 40% off coupons from them regularly if you're signed up for it. Plus Joann's usually has this HUGE clearance sale at the end of the year, and if you're lucky you can find some GREAT buys- this year I found this amazing vintage-style denim with these awesome flowers embroidered on it for (3 yards) $12, and lining for a bag for (1/2 yard) $1.

I sew clothes and bags, myself.

[pianistimo]

cool.  yes!  i went to joanns for the clearance on fabric and was disappointed that they didn't give me the price (accidentally).  it was about 18 yards of ducking (ticking striped fabric) for a slip-cover for my couch.  i looked at the price of new couches first and decided it was better to just cover the old one.  i washed all the cushions yesterday and then put the old ones on as a sort of 'lining' and then sewed three cushion slips and the back of the couch cover yesterday.  it's turning out ok so far.  sometimes i'll have a big project like this and get 'bogged' down by a miscalculation or miscutting.  i always figure i can go out and buy more fabric if i have to, but i've gotten better about calculating the yardage.  now if i could only do what you do and calculate the prices too.  it would be smart to bring my own calculator.  i see other ladies doing that.  guess that it's good to be more precise.  it takes me too long to do odd numbers like 18 x 3.99  unless i rounded to 20 x 4 = which STILL would have been way less that what i paid (18 x $6.99).  i bought some other items - so i thought they added up or something.  then when i got home i thought -'how can i be so stupid to pay that much.'

*it's a sectional couch - so i have three more cushions to go and then the couch cover itself.  surprisingly, it's not that difficult to cover a couch (even an oddly shaped one).  for instance - one couch has the arm rests on both sides and the other doesn't (they fit together in an L-shape).  i couldn't find a slip cover that would fit the couch exactly - and it wouldn't have individual cushion slips either.  i like the individual ones because if a child spills on one - you don't have to wash the entire couch cover. 

[pianistimo]

you probably already know this since you sew a lot - but some inexperienced fabric cutters just cut along the guidelines at the yardage and don't make sure that the fabric itself is straight (or that there are no flaws in the fabric).  if you see a flaw - you can ask them to re-measure from after the flaw - unless you can cut around it.  and, for cotton - to make sure it is totally straight - i rip along the selvege line so that i know i have a straight piece of fabric when i fold it together and lay the pattern down.  if you cut fabric that isn't straight - it will hang funny when you sew it together (that's why some people's skirts won't quit sticking out on one side - or you have a pant leg that twists backwards). 

yes.  i've sewn for enough years to learn everything but calculate the total price of fabric.  must buy a calculator.  when you over pay you are not only paying the extra yardage price but the sales tax on it, too.  boo hoo.

[Torp]

am i turning into a prune? 

Probably, if you're spending too much time in the bath tub.

is this old people's behavior?

Yes

or is this prudent and smart?

It is probably prudent to pay attention to what you're spending, but like any other behavior, taken too far it becomes an obsession.  In my experience I have generally found that people who review every penny of every receipt have two issues, one is trust, the other is fear.  Cash registers and other information systems are not perfect but they do an amazing job overall of getting things right.  I wonder, if the real price had been $6.99 and you had been charged $3.99 would you still have had this conflict?

Money is like love, the tighter you try to hold onto it, the more likely it is to leave.  I find it somewhat ironic that someone who believes god will provide for everything is so worried about having enough money.

You're teaching your children obsessive/compulsive behavior.  However, you can generally be assured they will probably rebel against it and you will probably be forever nagging them that they should pay attention to receipts.

[pianistimo]

thanks, torp!  seriously, this was a question to me.  if i am displaying normal behavior or extreme behavior.  my son thinks it extreme and pushes me from behind to walk out of the store.  this time - i will not embarrass him and wait until we get to the car.  i used to hate waiting for my mom, too, so this is becoming sort of funny to me.  why should be be obsessive compulsive and worried about losing money? 

here, torp, have some!  wait.  let me count it first. 

unfortunately, i am the same way about letting my son drive.  somehow, i obsessively want to drive whereever we are going - and have an easier time letting him drive home.  he doesn't like this.  so, i am REALLY trying (and it is an effort on my part) to overcome this obsessive behavior (fear of wrecking the van) and let him drive to and from and not worry so much.  i mean a car is only $20,000 or 30,000 dollars. 

i see your point about Christians not being obsessive/compulsive money counters.  if someone puts my change with one dollar bills on top of the five dollars - i give them the benefit of the doubt by counting the bills really quickly sort of underhandedly (like a magician).  but, i don't leave the counter until i see the five is there.  if it wasn't -i'd politely say 'you gave me the WRONG change.  where's my five dollar bill?'  (just kidding)

but, one good thing, torp, is that Christians are 99% more likely to be honest if more money is accidentally given to them - so it makes up for all the counting and stuff.  if the fabric is advertised in the paper to be 50% off - then that's why you're at the store!  but, i'm agreed about not being too tightfisted.   

 

[Torp]

but, one good thing, torp, is that Christians are 99% more likely to be honest if more money is accidentally given to them

I find this statement both naive and highly suspect.

[Mozartian]

Nah. checking receipts is extremely important during sales- VERY often you won't end up getting the sale price if you don't make sure. Trust me. Esp. if you're checked out by a younger cashier.

I don't think it's obsessive to check receipts. I've been jipped often enough to prove to me the necessity of it. Plus, I *have* to compute before going to the register, because I don't carry much cash with me. Don't want to go up and be $3.00 over what's in my wallet!

Thanks for the sewing tips, pianistimo! I have had things hang funny before (including a DISASTER with rayon, omg I'll NEVER sew with it again! the skirt ended up being extremely cute but it was a total pain to make, lol). Good luck w/ the coach! It sounds fun.. like a changing rooms/ trading spaces kind of project.

[gorbee natcase]

One day you will walk into a shop, put your things into a trolly and there won't be any checkout. you will just walk out of the doors and all the items will be charged to your account electronicaly(like an advanced version of the senelco system that beeps in shops when you walk past it without paying) with every item on a different frequency. all you would need would be a security gaurd to stop shop lifters.

[pianistimo]

ok.  torp, i'll put a modifier on that last statement and say 'in new york city.'  there was some show that showed someone dropping a wallet and walking away -to see what people would do.  if they would chase the person and give them back the wallet.  most at least looked inside to see how much money there was.!  seems that only one person was really honest and didn't even bother to look - but just gave it back.  was a while ago when i saw this clip - so i can't verify that one person was a christian or anything.  maybe i should say they are more likely because they answer to a higher power and know they are watched already even if they don't know a camera is on them...and that honesty is the best policy.  am sure that there are many honest people, period, though too - so claiming a statistic like 99% IS probably suspect.  that is why you are an accountant.  i truly believe it is the little things in life that make a person.  like if you are honest in a little matter - you'll be honest in a huge one.

[Torp]

i'll put a modifier on that last statement and say 'in new york city.'

so i can't verify that one person was a christian or anything.

Since you couldn't verify that person was a christian you simply assumed they were.

I think it's a much higher probability they were simply from out of town...

[luvslive]

I don't blame you for looking at the reciepts.  I have not done this in the past.  And have gotten home and looked at the slip and realized that something had been rang up twice.  And then I get angry, and don't feel like going back but I must or I will keep thinking about it.  I am in charge of finances for my husband and myself, so I tend to think about what things are costing more than he does.   When you are trying to save up to buy a house you can't let money go for things you aren't even buying!
I used to work retail and would get irritated by people saying " did that show up as sale price" for every item I scanned.  But I do understand where they're coming from..

[quantum]

am i turning into a prune?  is this old people's behavior?  or is this prudent and smart? 

This is not an old persons behaviour, this is a wise person's behaviour.  Keep on checking those receipts.

[pianistimo]

thanks, quantum!  it bothers me to lose money.  i must truly be irish.  counting pennies and all.