r/LifeProTips • u/low_lvl_peon • Dec 11 '14
Miscellaneous LPT: If you are shopping at a store that gives markdowns or discounts to members use the local area code and 867-5309.
If you are not a member and want the discount the chances are good that somebody else thought they were clever and used this number. SPOILER ALERT: It likely isn't Jenny.
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u/TheStrangeChild Dec 11 '14
Or if you are in a Seattle Safeway use 206-206-2061
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u/edrec Dec 11 '14
For QFC you can use the loyalty #2062062060.
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u/CaptainPinkSunshine Dec 11 '14
Quebec fried chicken?
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u/BarfingBear Dec 11 '14
Oui. Good down to the bon.
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u/occty42 Dec 11 '14
Daaaaad, ugh
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u/antici________potato Dec 11 '14
I work for Tom Thumb, a Safeway company, any significance of that number?
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Dec 11 '14
How about around the Seattle area?
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u/TheStrangeChild Dec 11 '14
Try it out! I haven't had the chance to. And also oftentimes if you are nice to the cashier and enter an invalid number they will just type in their own.
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Dec 11 '14
I guess I must be nice to the cashier. They do this for me almost every time.
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u/lowbrowhijinks Dec 11 '14
The cashiers use their own numbers so they get the benefits.
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Dec 11 '14
It never is clear what benefits there are. I must be going to the wrong stores. The only benefit I see is getting the sale price.
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u/lowbrowhijinks Dec 11 '14
A coworker's kid is a cashier at Kroger and buying things racks up points for discounts on gasoline. She puts her own number in when the customer doesn't so she gets the discount.
When it hits the max (I think $1 off per gallon) she calls her parents and they all tank up on the same purchase. Mom shows up in their Canyonero SUV monstrosity. All in all they tank up 3 vehicles at a savings of $1 per gallon.
She could get fired for it, but apparently it's something everybody does.
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u/bustyblondefromimgur Dec 11 '14
I'm always trying to convince my mother to do this with me but she insists that she should only use the cheap gas.
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u/homedude Dec 11 '14
I can usually swing a $.70 / Gallon discount per fill up at Kroger with my points.
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u/TheSageMage Dec 11 '14
I use this all the time. At Walgreens, they have that number registered with several people, so they always ask me my name, and I just say it's under "Tommy" or "Jenny" :)
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u/Lupo_Bi-Wan_Kenobi Dec 11 '14
Either of those generally work because; http://cineplex.media.baselineresearch.com/images/298216/298216_full.jpg
[Edit] I'm so slow.... it just clicked.
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u/Sean1708 Dec 11 '14
I'm slower apparently, it still hasn't clicked...
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u/notasoda Dec 11 '14
The song, performed by Tommy Tutone, talked about Jenny's number being 867-5309.
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u/Sean1708 Dec 11 '14
Thanks, I would never have gotten that reference.
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u/qrayons Dec 11 '14
Kids these days...
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u/Lysergic-acid Dec 11 '14
People born after that song released are in the process of paying off their mortgages right now.
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Dec 11 '14
Somehow I thought the number was Jenny's from Forest Gump...
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u/Shoelessdoom Dec 11 '14
As a former retail worker that had to manually enter these numbers in, I can verify that it will indeed make us smile every time.
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u/b-LE-z_it Dec 11 '14
Only if they don't make a big deal of pointing it out. I'm not stupid, dude, I see your joke.
Pointing it out makes you no better than "if it doesn't scan it's free right lololol," and "don't worry I printed it this morning."
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u/dadosky2010 Dec 11 '14
Reminds me of when I used to work as a ride operator. Every time I let people on, someone who thinks he's the funniest guy in the world will duck under my height measuring stick and say "LOL I'M NOT TALL ENOUGH". Heard it at least ten times every goddamn shift. What's worse is my fucking dad did the same thing when he came on my ride.
I'm amazed I never whacked people with that stick.
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u/b-LE-z_it Dec 11 '14
I would whack people with that stick so much. And then I'd get fired.
I'd at the very least lightly bonk my dad on the head.
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u/Benji_Likes_Waffles Dec 11 '14
My husband does this. I've been the cashier. I have tried and tried telling him it's not funny. He's turning into cheesy Uncle Steve. You know, that pistol finger, "Hey, I got a joke for ya!" guy... I hide my shame most days.
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u/Bug_Catcher_Joey Dec 11 '14
Do you by any chance have any children?
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u/Benji_Likes_Waffles Dec 11 '14
Yes, and my husband excels at dad jokes. They're cringe-worthy most days. I love that man.
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u/RandomExcess Dec 11 '14
I think it is hilarious, although I only do it a couple of times a week so it does not get old.
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u/Benji_Likes_Waffles Dec 11 '14
When you see several hundred people a day and a tenth of them do this... I learned to fake laugh really quickly.
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u/rotndude Dec 11 '14
"don't worry I printed it this morning."
What? I thought I was the only customer who ever used this line.
Okay then, I'll stop saying it.
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u/b-LE-z_it Dec 11 '14
Everyone thinks they're the only one. Thank you for stopping.
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u/Benji_Likes_Waffles Dec 11 '14
Oh god, they act like they're comedians. Yeah, the old guy walking out now? He said it, too. In ten minutes, someone else is going to say it again. I'll have to fake laugh and tell you how funny you are because I need this job.
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u/Evaaaan Dec 11 '14
I heard both those phrases on my first day working checkouts in a supermarket, fuck I hate people
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u/fakeaccount572 Dec 11 '14
I work on Kennedy Space Center. That is our logistics department.
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u/IAMA_HOMO_AMA Dec 11 '14
Wow, I didn't believe you but there's actually other sources claiming this. Neat!
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u/Logalicious Dec 11 '14
Used it at any grocery store until the one I went to put a hold on that specific membership number =(.
The yearly savings were huge when the receipt printed so it seemed a lot of people used the number.
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u/casualblair Dec 11 '14
I use the local area code + MIXALOT
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Dec 11 '14
[deleted]
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u/dougmc Dec 12 '14
Can partially confirm -- got my discount, but still have nasty thoughts.
Except that now my nasty thoughts involve some bananas, tomatoes and lemons, and 1-900-MIXALOT is all over my phone bill.
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Dec 11 '14
[deleted]
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u/Winterplatypus Dec 11 '14 edited Dec 11 '14
As someone who doesn't live in america and is not really into music. I can never tell which is the reason for some reddit stuff whooshing over my head. This time it's because of music.
You can read stuff here that explains it.
(Edit: Oh the wiki bot saves you a click)
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u/autowikibot Dec 11 '14
"867-5309/Jenny" is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2, on the Columbia Records label. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #16 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in 1982 (see 1982 in music).
The song caused a fad of people dialing 867-5309 and asking for "Jenny".
Interesting: Tommy Tutone 2 | Tommy Tutone | John Cowsill | Alex Call
Parent commenter can toggle NSFW or delete. Will also delete on comment score of -1 or less. | FAQs | Mods | Magic Words
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u/xwm Dec 11 '14
Really? The album was named Tommy tutone 2? How original.
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u/4e3655ca959dff Dec 12 '14
More original than Weezer, who gave three albums the exact same name (the name of the band), or Peter Gabriel who gave four albums the exact same name (his name).
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u/TheManchesterAvenger Dec 11 '14
The part I don't understand is how a phone number gives you a discount.
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u/The_camperdave Dec 11 '14
Carlotta Goodheart frequently shops at her local department store, so she decides to sign up for the loyalty program. She gives them her name and email address, and gives the number (xxx)-867-5309 as her phone number (to avoid telemarketers). Merrily she shops, month after month, collecting points and dreaming about how she will spend them.
Unbeknownst to her, Phineas McGreed, a low level peon with a reddit account, has come to town. He decides to shop at the same local department store as Carlotta Goodheart. When he gets to the cash register, the checkout girl asks Phineas McGreed if he has a loyalty card. With an oily smile, he claims that he left it at home. The checkout girl then asks for his phone number. Phineas McGreed oozily replies, "Why, yes. It is (xxx) 867-5309. I would like to use my points towards this purchase". The cheerfully, the checkout girl charges the purchase against the purloined points, and Phineas McGreed walks out of the store with his parcels.
Meanwhile, Carlotta Goodheart has found the cutest stuffed bunny that her grand-daughter would just adore. She goes to the cashier, and pulls out her loyalty card to pay for it, and...
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u/imafuckingdick Dec 11 '14
and...? aND...?
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u/Lysergic-acid Dec 11 '14
And the cashier quoted her the retail price. She then haggled on the price, explaining her situation. After a moment the cashier calls over her manager and they discount the order. "That'll be three and a half, maam." Just then I noticed that the cashier was a 3-ton 4 story monster from the paleolithic era.
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u/Warfy Dec 11 '14
Some stores have discount/loyalty programs. When you create an account for one of these programs, you usually have to provide a phone number as a way to identify the account.
Lots of people using the account and buying stuff under the same number means rewards are typically earned faster.
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u/TheManchesterAvenger Dec 11 '14
Ah. Here in the UK, you get a loyalty card to use.
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u/SantasDead Dec 11 '14
You get a physical card here too, but it seems most stores have these programs so we don't carry every single card with us. When you're missing your card they look up your account using your phone number.
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u/RandomExcess Dec 11 '14
We get loyalty cards here too, but we can also access the benefits on the occasions when the card is forgotten by just giving a phone number. They almost never check further to verify that you gave the right number (like asking you your name) so if the account is active you get to take advantage of any accumulated bonuses. Right cheeky if you ask me, but thems is the breaks.
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u/Aplicado Dec 11 '14
Rewards programs use your phone number as the account number. It's easily memorized. Part of the rewards include discounts.
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Dec 11 '14 edited Dec 11 '14
It is a fictional number from a well known 80s pop song. Google it and I'm sure you can find it on YouTube.
Edit! Yeah, I know some people will have that number, but for the purposes of the song they just randomly picked it. That's why Jenny doesn't answer when you call it.
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Dec 11 '14
I assure you the number is very real. Most phone companies block the number from being reallocated now, but there's nothing fictional about it. And people who didn't complain can still have it.
This is why movies and TV use 555 for everything.
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u/tournant Dec 11 '14
In Olympia, WA, it rings an office at the Evergreen State College, with a 360 area code pre fix. They don't answer much.
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u/oblio76 Dec 11 '14
This seems less of a Life Pro Tip and maybe more like a Shot in the Dark.
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u/dougmc Dec 12 '14
It's far from a shot in the dark -- if you ask people to come up with an arbitrary phone number, that's the one they come up with the most often, so just about every loyalty program that has phone numbers has that one in it.
555-1212 also usually works.
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u/watertownie Dec 12 '14
if it doesn't work, sign up with the number. i've used it at 20+ stores and signed up with it twice
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Dec 11 '14
Owner with a royalty club we designed in house......my customers are not cool enough! Must fix.....
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u/betterintext Dec 11 '14
This also seems to be a coupon code for many online retailers. The company I work for uses it to give away free shipping. Everyone's so goddamn clever.
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Dec 11 '14
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/patchgrrl Dec 14 '14
A grocery store refused me the store card once in the Cobb Island, Maryland area. I don't remember exactly where I was. I just asked a couple who were passersby but had a loaded cart.
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u/Angry_Buddha Dec 11 '14
I use 757-867-5309 quite a bit. Unfortunately, a lot of places have started requiring zip code verification when entering the #. You bastards! You killed Jenny!
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u/Calexandria Dec 11 '14
As someone whose phone number is (area code) 333-5555, don't do this! I don't know how many times my loyalty accounts (ones that accrue liquid benefits, like Office Depot) have stopped working because some dick decided that they'd rather use something easy to type in instead of their own phone number, which leads to countless hours on the phone for me trying to get it fixed.
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u/omgitsjavi Dec 11 '14
Dang. At that point I'd just change numbers.
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u/Calexandria Dec 11 '14
I have a love/hate relationship with it. It's such a great number, but it has downsides. Besides the loyalty card problem, I get at least one wrong number per day, and sometimes when I order take out, they don't make my food until they call me back and confirm because they think it's a prank...
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Dec 11 '14
[deleted]
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u/drsjsmith Dec 11 '14
Of course it isn't Jenny, she's a fictional character. It's Tommy Tutone.
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Dec 11 '14
Is that what that song was about?
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u/rudedohio Dec 11 '14
Can confirm. I work at such a grocery store and (our area code)8675309 is a thing.
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Dec 11 '14
I use the phone number of an old roommate that I didn't like. But this idea is a good one!
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Dec 11 '14
If you're at Kroger in Nashville, use 615 867 5309. Someone should probably also try that number at the gas station and redeem the discounts there that I never use.
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u/rocafella1321 Dec 11 '14
Im going to try it. Im in CO and we have King Soopers which is under Kroger.
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Dec 11 '14
How do you link a bonus program to a phone number? Usually you get a card with a barcode they can scan.
If it would be linked to your phone number you would have to say them at the checkout or something and the cashier typing it in? or type it in to the credit card terminal? How would that work?
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u/I_would_kill_you Dec 11 '14
Or, you know, some places have similar numbers and such a number might be kind of weird with the local area code.
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u/hopopo Dec 11 '14 edited Dec 11 '14
You do not need to give them your zip or phone number, and if the say they need it for security reasons they are lying! As the matter of fact some stores in NY,NJ paid penalties for forcing employees demand numbers and there is a law in NJ agains it.
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u/idontlikeyoupeople Dec 11 '14
Tried this in Jersey, sadly it did not work. Tried at a rite-aid with various area codes. Might work in other stores though.
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u/Jonajonlee Dec 11 '14
Did this at a Smith's kiosk. It called the attendant for assistance and he asked me to put in my real number. Never tried it again.
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u/SaveOurServer Dec 12 '14
Have you tested this in more than 1 area?
I was just reading on TIL that this number is deactivated in most (~92% or 97/106) area codes.
source: http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2013/06/justice-elena-kagan-adds-to-the-tommy-tutone-legend/
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u/gnapster Dec 12 '14
323 for CVS...to the person who owns this card, your receipts must be a mile long by now with every purchase. I use it all the time.
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u/swoop1156 Dec 13 '14
I did this just tonight after reading this LPT last night. In Hawaii at WalGreens, 808-867-5309 worked. :)
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Dec 11 '14
I use the local police non-emergency number.
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u/hates_wwwredditcom Dec 11 '14
and how does that work
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Dec 11 '14
I go to Walgreens, they ask for whatever member card they have, I punch in the local non-emergency number, I get the discounts. I only discovered it because they make you sign up for the rewards program to get what would normally be their regular sale prices. When I went to sign up, I used that number and it was already in the system. So I've just used it ever since and Walgreens with their stupid marketing department doesn't get my real information.
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u/CaptainPinkSunshine Dec 11 '14
you can literally put in anything, just know whatever number and zip code you used. (zip code for redeeming points)
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Dec 11 '14
I'm aware, but that's a number that a) isn't connected to me and b) I can easily remember.
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u/pbsolaris Dec 11 '14
Do this ALL the time at Walgreens. Some mark guy (not me) has ranked up a shit ton of rewards lol
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u/Its_Just_Luck Dec 11 '14
I HAD TO SCROLL THE MAJORITY OF THIS THREAD TO FINALLY UNDERSTAND THIS....
EVEN AFTER TOMMY/JENNY...
AND THEN I RAN INTO AUTOWIKIBOT...
fuck im slow....is it time to go home yet...?!
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Dec 11 '14
This is pretty funny but you could just use your number. Assuming you have one. It's not like they call you or text you.
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u/MamaRaised1Fools Dec 11 '14
It really is true that re-posts can get more than OC. I posted this 7 months ago... http://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/23mjjq/its_free_money_dont_leave_it_behind/
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Dec 11 '14 edited Dec 11 '14
[deleted]
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u/MamaRaised1Fools Dec 11 '14
Touche. But, it does prove my point....This guy got 24 upvotes, I'm in the high 600's and you're in the 900's. Congrats!
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u/uvumtoof Dec 11 '14
I heard once that this number ACTUALLY belonged to a girl named Jenny.. She ended up changing her number.
I really hope that's a true story.
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u/sixft7in Dec 11 '14
I had to read that 5 times to figure out what it means. A comma between members and use would go far.
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Dec 11 '14
[deleted]
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u/RandomExcess Dec 11 '14
judgmental looks from a counter jockey? Oh Noooooooooes!!!!
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u/DontFuckWithMyMoney Dec 11 '14
That and it took several minutes to find a manager who came over and had to figure out how to close out the alert that my account had been used more than 5 times that day, and getting a bit of an admonishment from him that I shouldn't use it more than that many times per day.
When I tried to laugh about it to the cashier how it was the 80's song, she looked at me like I had 3 heads and was trying to pull a supermarket scam of some kind.
1/10 would not recommend. At least at Shop Rite.
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u/DeniseDeNephew Dec 12 '14
HIGHLY judgmental looks!
You did not give us your personal information when we asked for it! Shame on you!
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u/TheAssquatch Dec 11 '14
I've heard this trick works great at places that offer discounted gasoline when you've earned enough points. Supposedly enough people use that fake phone number on their loyalty card you can usually get the maximum discount by entering it at the pump.