checkout-counter coercion

A.k.a. "point-of-sale pressure". Similar to second-generation enabling, this term refers to a comparably-shameless mooching-strategy that's used on someone when you're both out shopping; it involves knowingly carrying a cancelled/expired credit card or a debit/cash/gift card that has no/insufficient funds on it, and then attempting to use said worthless plastic to pay at the checkout. Well, naturally, when the clerk swipes your card and then regretfully announces that the card was rejected, this awkward and "unexpected" delay creates an acutely-humiliating situation, especially if other shoppers are present. So you first make a great show of looking shocked/flustered/embarrassed, then hastily turn to your shopping-buddy and ask meekly but urgently, "Oh, I'm so sorry --- I forgot/didn't realize that my card wasn't gonna work this time! Do you think you could pay for my purchases just this once, and I'll pay you back as soon as I can?" And then of course, your hapless companion finds himself in a "hanged if you do and hanged if you don't" dilemma --- he can either get stuck with paying off a huge store-bill, or look like an unfeeling jerk in front of all those other customers if he indignantly refuses, especially since it would mean that you would then have to crimson-facedly tiptoe all around the store again to put all of your purchases back on the shelves, plus it would also mean that any money that your friend used for gas to take you shopping will have been wasted, also.

I prudently side-step any incidents of checkout-counter coercion by always making sure to gently-but-firmly tell my shopping-companions beforehand that (1) they will be totally "on their own" about coming up with the funds to pay for their purchases, and (2) I will **not** refund their gas-money if they're unable to obtain their desired items.

by QuacksO August 7, 2018

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