On Friday, 9/4/26 at 5:44pm at store #4581, I attempted to purchase items using our NPO tax exempt…read moreat the POS with the "manager," named Jacob (cashier #2393832). Here is what happened:
Jacob says hello, and I say hello back and he immediately starts ringing up my items. This interaction occurred while he was scanning and bagging the items.
Me: "Hello, I need to buy these using tax exempt status please."
Jacob: "We don't do that here."
Me: "Tax exemption? ... yes, you do."
Jacob: "NO, we don't. I've never heard of that."
Me: "Ok, let me speak to the manager please."
Jacob: "I am the manager."
Me: "Then you should know how to do tax exemption."
*Jacob has finished ringing me up, and goes to the payment screen, tells me the total and I respond, "did you take the tax off?"
He swings the screen and points that there is no option for him to do that and says: "That sounds like an IRS PROBLEM for you."
Me: "I'm sorry? You mean for the NPO I work for that does hundreds of thousands of dollars of transactions per year? That it would be an IRS issue FOR US because YOU don't know how to do it?"
Jacob: "I've never done it before."
Me: "So because you've never done it before, means it doesn't happen? Ok. Cool. Just ring me up, I'll deal with it on my end."
Jacob: "I'm sorry but it's NOT something we do."
Me, exhausted and still doing my job at 6pm on Friday night, working since 7am, experiencing the worst customer service I've had in years:
Me: "No, it's that YOU don't know how to do it."
I pay for my items using my NPO card. I will now have to go through many hoops to fix his ignorance. I also had some personal items to buy, so I used self-check out as I can just use my own debit card. Jacob is on the phone, sees me and waves me over.
I go back to his POS, and he doesn't say a word to me, but speaks to the person on the phone, but I didn't know if he was talking to me or the person on the phone, so I say, "Are you speaking to me?"
Jacob, points to the phone and looks at me like I am interrupting HIM.
I walk away because I am a middle-aged white woman and I tend to only "Karen" out to protect other people, but this guy is pushing it.
I go back to self-checkout, and buy my *personal* non-tax exempt purchases, because I know how to do my job.
Jacob, from the counter, about 15 feet away: "HEY! I am on the phone, I called and they told me how to do it!"
I'm exhausted and I can't.
Me: "GREAT. I'm so glad you are learning your job on my time. Glad you are doing it now, please don't treat the next person the way you treated me, JACOB." I wanted him to know I knew his name, and yes, I e-mailed corporate.
I do not want Jacob to be reprimanded for his ignorance. I would like to know that when a customer approaches him and the rest of the staff with something they are not familiar with, to not treat the customer like a complete idiot. I worked (and still do, essentially) in client services, so I know how it is to work with the public/clients. I just hope that the managers and the associates at CVS stores learn how to do tax exempt, and not treat customers in this manner.
I am giving one star to get this noticed, but I also want to add that the pharmacy techs at this location are so kind and very fast. They do their job incredibly well. Also, any associate I've interacted with on the floor is also very nice and everyone is always working to make the store look and feel welcoming.