Original Message
From: Web Comments
To:
Sent: Tuesday, October 29 11:28 AM
Subject: Re: Comments from a safeway.com customer [#302371]
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[email protected] Wrote
This comment was submitted by ted arnold from 65.162.77.177 at 10/29
11:43: 44 AM:
Safeway Store Location:
Cross Street: bisbee
City: willcox
State/Province: AZ
Zip/Postal: 85643
Country: USA
Employees are knowledgeable & able to assist with your needs.: Excellent
Employees make check out as fast and efficient as possible.: Excellent
Store provides good overall value that meets your budget needs.: Excellent
Store has the items you typically purchase in-stock when needed.: Excellent
Product name: xx
UPC number: xx
Product Code Date: x
My Last Name: arnold
First Name: ted
My Street Address1:6327 n. Circle i rd
City: wcx
State/Province: AZ
Zip/Postal: 85643
Country: USA
Club Card #:
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: (520) 384-9220
Comments: While employed with Safeway Stores, I was injured and deceivedby Safeway's lawyers into closing my Industrial claim, resulting in loss of benefits and
ten years of pain pills and reduced ability to work. I cooperated in a formal undercover investigation targeting Safeway management and frauduland pricing practices; I have forwarded 60 pages of internal memos from thatinvestigation conducted by the Attorney General's Financial Fraud
Division to ABC News in New York. Safeway has accordingly discriminated agains me as a whistleblower.
My two year old son was killed in an accident on tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning I called the store manager and informed him of our tragedy and asked to be excused from the four hour shift scheduled for that afternoon... His response?"you will show up for work if you want your job".
I showed up for work at the scheduled 2:00 P.M. And was told to face shelves on the sales floor, I tried but mainly I stood in the aisles and cried as customers tried to console me. The pain in my heart, mind and body reminds me everyday of Safeway's cruelty to me and my family.
My question as a shopper is this: why does safeway still overcharge me through their electronic scanning system when i shop there??? * ~ e.T.
Arnold jr., 6327 north circle i road, willcox, arizona 85643... Phone
520-384-9220... Fax 520-384-2716... Email [email protected]
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16. Comment by Enness A. (#6013) - February 13 @ 11:49AM
Rating: 10 Thumbs Up
I was employed at Safeway stores in Willcox from 1984 to 1988. I was employed at the store opening in November 84. The first day on the job opening day, in the produce department, I was approached by a customer
that complained he was overcharged by 10 cents a pound on the oranges he bought.
I immediately called Randy Harrison, the then assistant store manager and advised him the scanner system was overcharging the customers 10 cents a pound on the oranges. His reply?"Don't worry about it, its just a little extra profit"! (I later learned the store managers bonus is based on store profits) The scanner systems were just being introduced with the opening of
our store in Willcox. The major advertising campaign introducing the scanner systems had a catchy jingle: "You work an honest day, you get an honest
dealat Safeway".
I was later removed from the produce department to the front end as a cashier. We had to ring up 27 items a minute on the scanners or we could be fired. That allows about two seconds an item for a customer to verify correct charging on items that did not have any price marked on them.
Who remembers what the shelf price was on 30 items as they are scanned in the blink of an eye? I started to see the magnitude of the problem of overcharging. I followed the chain of command with my complaint of
overcharges but, nothing changed.
I finally approached the Financial fraud division of the Attorney General in Tucson. A statewide, formal undercover investigation was begun based upon my complaint. I served as an informant, calling in price overcharges as I duscovered them. Undercover agents
across the state would then shop for those items at the Safeway stores in their area and guess what? The same items would be overcharging at the those Safeway stores.
The agents, acting as customers would complain to the store managers and get refunded the difference. The agents would then come back in a few hours or the next day and guess what? The items would still be
overcharging! That is not mistakes, it is fraud!
The investigation was later dropped because according to the acting Attorney General Robert Corbin's words to me: "We couldn't prove intent at corporate level". The fraud continued. My working environment bacame very hostile. My involvement in the investigation ended temporarily on July 20,1988. My two year old son had
been killed the day before on our farm.
At that time, Safeway was making me work seven days a week, four hour shifts. The morning after my son was
killed, I called the store manager, Randy Harrison and told him my son had been killed and that I needed to be excused from the four hour shift he had me scheduled for that day. His response?"You will show up for work or you will not have a job"! I showed up for work for the 2PM to 6PM shift. I was put on the floor facing shelves. Willcox, being a small town had heard the news about my son and the story was on the front page of the local paper which came out at noon.
Customers and friends kept approaching me on the floor to express their condolences. I just basically stood in the aisles and cried for four hours. I left at 6PM and never worked for Safeway again. I was later asked to testify before a committee as a part of a state weights
and measures investigation. The fix was in though.
There were five or six people on the committee. One of the committee members was Debra Albery, Safeway spokesperson! I heard snickering by men in suits as I gave my testimony that ended in a heated exchange between Safeway's spokesperso and myself. There were other concerned persons there that day that also
testified.
The grocery industry was stealing 2.19 billion dollars a year, a dime at a time. Still, nothing changed. However. Phyllis Rowe from the Arizona consumers council was quoted by Money magazine about the scanner overcharging fraud and Diane Sawyer from Prime Time at ABC news decided to do her own investigation. She simply went shopping ubdercover, paying attention to the prices and discovered she was overcharged on about six items.
She informed the store manager then, came back the next day, buying the same items and guess what? The items were still overcharging. She then uncovered her hidden
cameras and confronted the store manager who simply slammed the door in her face and hid in his office. Safeway and others made a big deal about it
saying these were simply mistakes. Diane was too smart for them.
Diane waited about three months and went shopping again and guess what? She busted them again. The corporate thieves were exposed. After both episodes aired, the problem seemed to drop off a little but started getting worse again. I have continued to shop our Safeway store in Willcox and I have caught them many times overcharging me at the scanner. I applaud the efforts to stop this thievery. I still have all the AG internal memos and evidence of my involvement. My attempts to stop the thievery at Safeway were met with severe hostility.
After four years as a good employee, they didn't even send flowers to my son's funeral. I wasnt paid for the four hour shift they made me work the day after my son was killed. The corporations that are stealing from their customers are heartless. They will steal from the public every chance they get! Is that slander? Its the truth! I would love to be sued for slander just to have my day in court. There is much more to my personal story in this but, they don't want the truth out. They will not act honestly voluntarily.
That is why we need our legislators to hold their feet to the fire. I am proud that our legislators are taking this action.
I filed a 3.7 million dollar lawsuit against Safeway Stores in federal court in Phoenix, Arizona for discrimination. The court clerk gave me erroneou filing information that prevented my case from going forward. I did file ontime, that was not the issue. I need a labor attorney to review my case to see if it can be reinstated since my rights were effectively violated by
the court clerk.investigation of any relationship the clerk may have with Safeway may also be prudent.
My health has deteriorated severely. I would like to see some justice before I die. I blame my sons death partially on Safeway and the effect their cruelty had on my homelife. I would like to have my day in court, in front of the jury and have Safeway explain how
they could force a man to work the day after his two year old son was killed.
Perhaps the jury will give Safeway a taste of heartless. The 3.7 million only covered my lost career wages. Punitive damages would go a long way for my other children and the loss of their baby brother. Nothing will ease the pain of the sword through my heart in the loss of my son.
I would appreciate any direction in retaining an attorney to review my rights in this matter. I do have a letter from Safeway lead counsel requesting I contact him but, how can you trust them after what they did to me? They have had people spying on me at my home without cause. When I demanded to see the tape they had me drive to Tempe then said they lost the tape. They need to be sued.
A good private investigator, maybe a former detective, could track all this down.
Thanks very much,
Enness
CC:
Original Message
From: Enness
To: Sent: Thursday, October 23 8:48 PM
Subject: Safeway Stores Discrimination
I was a good worker. Management was making it hard for me. I was an informer for the AZ AG in a formal investigation targeting Safeway for fraud involving scanner overcharges. I quit due to actions by management. I later tried to rehire but, they knew i was involved in the fraud investigation against them and accordinly denied me a rehire. How much do they hate me? In 1988 my two year old son was killed in an accident on my farm. I called the manager the next day to ask to be excused from the four hour shift I was scheduled for that day. His response after I told him my son was killed the day before? You will show up for work or you won't have a job. I showed up. I stood in the aisles and cried for hours when customers would try to
comfort me. The four hours were not on my last paycheck. I just could not work for them after that. Much later, i needed to work and applied to Safeway but, they said I was ineligible for rehire. I filed a lawsuit on my own in Az district court for 3.7 million dollars.
The clerk told me I could file in forma pauperis and if the judge denied me, I could pay the filing fee later. The judge denied my motion and I called the clerk to arrange to pay the fees. I was told it was too late. Safeway screwed me. The court screwed me. I had organized the union but, they would not help me. The
union screwed me. I wish there was a way to make them pay. Is there any hope
a all? Ted
Enness
Willcox, Arizona
U.S.A.
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