Bottle Return Machines

[novi tony]

I hate these things at the grocery store.

I would have never thought I could get this mad about bottle deposits.

Unbelievable.

[Sharkbaitz]

A friend visited from Colorado and was amazed at the machines lol.

[The captain]

I dont understand what made you angry?

[timhook22]

Not to hi-jack the thread but when I was 12, I returned bottles at Walmart. One day the machine became full when I was putting my returns in and the front panel flew open & smacked me in the head! So be careful because those things automatically pop open when they are full! YIKES

[Poseidon]

Originally Posted by The captain

I dont understand what made you angry?

Back in the good ole days someone took your bottles and cans, counted them, and either gave you cash, or a credit slip. This was considered CUSTOMER SERVICE! Now we do it ourselves, and the store has eliminated a job, so they can either a) pay the Owner more, or b) pass the savings on to you and me. I'm betting that it is A myself.

[Viva'sReef]

I still take mine back at the local liquor store.....and its an honor system because I just tell him how many I have

[jduck]

I use to work in the bottle return dept of a grocery store. And I think that it was a good idea that they switched to automated machines.
When people touch their own bottles to put them in the machine, they tend to take better care of them. I can't count the number of times that people would return cans/bottles they used as spitoons or ash trays. Or the hundreds of other nasty things you would find on the bottles or in the plastic bags. I wish we would of had the machines back then. Touching everyones nasty bottles and getting beer and old pop all over your clothes, its more sanitary now days for the workers.

[cheapfish1]

I know a couple of kids that worked at the local grocery store in the bottle area they would collect the bottles people turned in and then rerun them through the machine and cash the ticket. Not only does it take away customer service its just not a smart idea.

[liquidskys]

the only thing I hate about those machines is 1/2 the time they dont work.
they are so gummed up with pop syrup that you go to put your cans in and they dont spin them.. so you have to place them in barcode side up (give me a break).. or if you have a can that is even SLIGHTLY crushed its junk

so much for recyling there (in the garbage it goes)

[Clownfish]

The kids in my neighborhood go door-to-door looking for bottles and cans to support their activities and sports. I've donated to baseball, cheerleading, girls softball, etc.

I get to feel good about being lazy. I don't like to return them myself, plus, I get to donate to the local kids.

When they get to my house, it's like "Jackpot!!"

[Saltysteele]

for 5 years, i worked as a floor walker at a one-stop grocery shop, starts with an M ends with an R, middle letters IJ

you wouldn't believe the amount of people we caught at the old bottle return stations! think about it, you put a snot-nosed teenager at a money machine with virtually no accountability, and what do you think is going to happen? if they had to count every can, they would have been there all day (now YOU'RE there all day sticking cans in a little hole). most customers handed them a bag of cans, told them how many, and the kid gave them a return slip. hey if their friend came in, gave them a bag with 5 cans, and ooops! accidentally gave them a 50 dollar return. i didn't mean to, i wasn't paying attention, and must have hit an extra 0.

or even better yet, need lunch money? need beer? cigarettes? just print yourself out "a 20 dollar bill!"

everyone thought they were the inventor of the lightbulb, too, man. figured they were the only ones clever enough to figure out "the system."

[novi tony]

My main beef is that it doesn't take half of the beers I drink.

I go to different places for different imports. I'm not a bud light guy.

So everytime I go, I end up stuck with fifty bottles of imports that I payed deposit on but can't get my credit for.

It is just the principal of the whole thing.

[Viva'sReef]

Next time you go looking for those imports take your emptys to beer store you go too, they have to refund them if they sold them too you right? Well at least thats how it should be

[The captain]

Well tell you what, if you really are interested in recycling for the environment, then you can take them to a proper waste management plant. but from that i understand you want to recycle for the deposits.

I wonder how many people would still recycle if there were no deposits.

I doubt many.

sorry for the rant.

[tekknoschtev]

Originally Posted by novi tony

My main beef is that it doesn't take half of the beers I drink.

I go to different places for different imports. I'm not a bud light guy.

So everytime I go, I end up stuck with fifty bottles of imports that I payed deposit on but can't get my credit for.

It is just the principal of the whole thing.

As mentioned, I believe the rule/law is that the store which sold you the item that had a deposit is required to pay out the deposit. But, heck, half of the beer we drink doesn't work at the meijer returns even though it was purchased at meijer. Molson XXX doesn't go well due to the bar code on the bottles being silver on white, and on the neck of the bottle which is angled. We end up leaving them there in the cart for someone who feels like fussing with it. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the same.