Owing to the insignificant amount of the ‘change’ at stake and hiding under the guise of chronic unavailability of coins, cashiers at popular shopping outlet, Shoprite attendants seem to have made it a habit to hold customers’ balance during transactions. Tonia Odiyan, who has been monitoring this trend, catalogues some customers’ lamentation and reports.
Odiase Obehi is a regular shopper at Shoprite Stores in Lagos, the famed African retail giant supermarket, which birthed in Nigeria about a decade ago. Up until recently, she, like her colleagues, who work in Alausa area of Lagos, did almost all her daily shopping at the Ikeja City Mall Shoprite and thought the store had the best grocery service.
Not too long ago however, Obehi discovered a trend in her transactions with the supermarket which in her words bothers on ‘short-changing customers.’ She took a conscious decision to pay attention to details on one of her numerous purchase receipts, in which she paid N1, 107.14 for a lunch pack of jollof rice and chicken. To her surprise, the price was rounded up to N1, 110, with no explanation whatsoever – something she considered really unethical. It also ignited her curiosity and a personal quest to unravel why the store indulges in such act.
In a related case, star actress, Bimbo Akintola and her sister were reportedly involved in a fight with an attendant at The Palms Shoprite, Lekki, Lagos, earlier in the year over a N300 change that the attendant apparently did not want to release. Said Bimbo: “It did not happen to me really, but my sister. The attendant kept our change for over two hours but my sister insisted and demanded for the change.”
But is it safe to consider this a common scenario with the supermarket outlets? Couldn’t these have been one-off cases, or in Obehi’s case, a case of human error, or an option adopted as a way out of the change quagmire the country has found itself? Against this background, The Nation took time out to find out how many more customers are experiencing this trend, if they consider it dubious; and if the management is in the know, or if indeed it is a habit perpetrated solely by the staff for personal enrichment.
Interestingly, most of the shoppers spoken to at malls where this store (Shoprite) is located in Lagos, shared similar experiences as above. But for many of them, it has always been a case of ‘how much is the change anyway?’ As one of the respondents pointed out however, one can only imagine how big an ‘ocean’ the little ‘drops’ would amount to for the beneficiaries at the end of each day’s sale.
Mrs Adesola Sunday used to care less about being short-changed whether by Shoprite or any store at that. “I have never taken keen interest in knowing if I have being short-changed or not because I just enjoy shopping, but last week, it dawned on me that I would have been able to make huge purchases with all the money that Shoprite stores have stolen from me so far.”
Another customer, Mrs Alade says what Shoprite is doing, short-changing customers is wrong. “I think the store should put their pricing appropriately because if they tell me I am getting an item for N599, it means they are selling at a cheaper rate compared to the store selling at N600 elsewhere. Why then am I not getting the N1 I am entitled to, having bought the item from them?”
She added that it is her decision to choose if she wants the N1 or not, and not that of the store.
Mrs. Isah Latifah feels the same way. She said “They should stop deceiving and short-changing us because they are already selling to us at the same price as the normal market. If they want to keep our N4, then they should stop advertising an item they intend to sell at N155 as N151.”
Another regular customer at Shoprite, Femi Afolabi said he noticed that after buying from the store, the amount on the receipts do not always correlate with the amount he paid for the items. “I did not notice at first, but when the news of how Shoprite shortchanges customers started going around, I started paying attention to my receipts and taking a closer look at the computer when an attendant is punching those buttons to register items bought. Lo and behold, I realised that I pay higher than what I am supposed to pay. For instance, last Saturday, I bought items worth N3, 786.08, I gave the attendant N4, 000 and the receipt stated that she gave me 213.92 or N214.00 as change, but she ended up giving me N210.00. When I asked for the remaining, she said she didn’t have coins to give to me. It was then it dawned on me how much I must have been shortchanged in the past. I have however resorted to paying with my ATM cards; that way, I do not have to lose anything to them for patronising them.” He said.
Curiously, some shoppers, like Olatunde Olaolu however do not see it as a rip-off, submitting that it is really inevitable. Said Olaolu: “The amount of change that usually remains is minimal, so I feel the short-change is negligible.”
Another shopper who chose to be anonymous toed the same line: “I feel it is inevitable, so I have no problem with it.”
Who’s to blame?
Speaking on who to blame for this unholy habit, a shopper, Alade Moshood, puts it on the economy, “The fact that we do not use coins anymore automatically means that every price will have to be rounded up to the nearest round figure.”
Some bankers who reacted to the situation however said coins are still very much in circulation and should be used. According to them, it is Shoprite that has refused to use coins.
Speaking to The Nation, Adetoye, who works with a bank at Mile 12, noted that coins are still legal tenders, but unfortunately lack acceptance by the populace. “Coins are available in banks but no Nigerian will accept to be paid in coins at any moment of their transaction.”
While emphasising that this, to an extent has a lot to do with inflation, he said petty items like sweets and biscuits that could ordinarily sell for kobos are now selling to the nearest naira. Afraid that there may not be any hope of correcting this anomaly in sight, Adetoye said: “The chance is very slim considering the weight of the coins and our attitude to lower denominations. So far, I do not suspect any sabotage whatsoever from the chain of coins distribution, but I think good legislation and proper enforcement may change the trend.”
Abati, a Resident Internal Control Officer with a bank in Agege said the coins are too heavy and users find it highly inconvenient to keep or move around with. She also said it is not a deliberate policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria not to circulate them.
On how this can be corrected, Abati said “The chances are very slim. One of the main characteristics of money is its general acceptability; coins are however not generally accepted in Nigeria, mainly because of its weight, and people’s inability to identify genuine ones.”
From another bank in Alimosho area of Lagos, Olatoye Adepoju, also a Resident Internal Control Officer said the disappearance of coins in circulation could be a result of its non-acceptance by the citizenry, devaluation of the currency and its seeming lack of financial power, as well as lack of legislation to enforce its use.
Stating that it is not a deliberate policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Adepoju said coins have lost value, and cannot immediately buy anything, but legislation can correct all that and make them relevant for transactionary motives once again. “There is no sabotage from the chain of coins distribution, but it might be a way of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) pushing out the bulk of produced coins in their custody to commercial banks.”
From a bank in Surulere, Lagos, Okechukwu Nwangwu, a Resident Internal Control Officer told The Nation that there has been no enforcement from the government and the CBN. He however said it is likely to be a deliberate policy from the Central Bank, arguing that the situation has nothing to do with inflation. Nwangwu said: “As long as the enforcement is there, whether inflation or deflation, the general acceptability as legal tender will be there. But there is hope to correct this anomaly if our government wake up from her slumber and strengthen our fiscal and economic policies.”
He added that he does not think there is any kind of sabotage from the chain of coins distribution, but that the non-usage could be linked to non-enforcement. “Our government should implement and enforce the usage and acceptability of the coins as a legal tender whether there is inflation or not. I also feel that this will assist in curbing inflation.”
Nancy Akpabio, Senior Manager Branch Operations Group at a bank in Isolo area of Lagos said the disappearance of coins in circulation may be because it has little or no value in the Nigerian economy today. She however does not think it is a deliberate policy of the Central Bank.
Her words: “Lack of circulation of coins does not have anything to do with inflation and I cannot say for sure if there is hope to correct this anomaly. The general belief points to the fact that there is sabotage from the chain of coins distribution.”
Another banker in Agege area of Lagos told The Nation that there may be hope to correct the anomaly, though the chances are very slim. He said one of the main characteristics of money is its general acceptability, which seems to have been defeated in the case of the Nigerian coins. He also said this is as a result of its weight, and people’s inability to identify genuine coins.
Mrs. Amarachi Paul, a bank customer is of the view that the present situation is not proper at all. “If you look at it, N1:00, N2:00; no matter the amount; traders always feel they should round it up to a round figure. But why don’t they right that problem? As it is, the only people the situation favours are those paying through ATM/POS.”
Brickwall
Repeated visits by this reporter to Shoprite outlets to seek management reaction to the issue however met a brickwall, as none of the management staff was willing to speak. However a staff of the company at the Lekki office, who gave his name as Mr Kunle, said members of staff are forbidden to speak to the press on any issue concerning the operation of the outfit. He said if any customer has anything to say concerning the operation of the outfit or complaint; it should be channeled through appropriate quarters.
