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Retail Mock Interview

Question 23 of 30 for our Retail Mock Interview

Retail was updated by on March 23rd, 2021. Learn more here.

Question 23 of 30

The credit card machine is broken. What do you say to the customers?

"If we had a broken credit card machine, I would first try to restart the system. A reboot will usually fix a point of sale quickly. If that did not work, I would call the company to see what they could do on their end. In the meantime, I would give customers options on how to pay, or ask to put their purchase on hold until the situation was worked out."

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How to Answer: The credit card machine is broken. What do you say to the customers?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Retail job interview.

  • 23. The credit card machine is broken. What do you say to the customers?

      How to Answer

      This question is situational-based, and the interviewer is looking to see if you have the ability to problem-solve, even in high-pressure situations. Show that you can troubleshoot while remaining helpful to others.

      Written by Rachelle Enns on February 16th, 2021

      Entry Level

      "I am sure that you have the policy to follow for a situation like that. My first instinct would be to let the customer know that we value their business and if they were willing to take out cash to pay for their purchase, we would give them a small discount to offset the bank fees and inconvenience."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on February 16th, 2021

      Answer Example

      "If we had a broken credit card machine, I would first try to restart the system. A reboot will usually fix a point of sale quickly. If that did not work, I would call the company to see what they could do on their end. In the meantime, I would give customers options on how to pay, or ask to put their purchase on hold until the situation was worked out."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on February 16th, 2021

      Experienced

      "The last thing we would want, in a situation like this, is for customers to walk out of the store without a purchase, because of the credit card machine. If possible, and in alignment with store policy, I would use the manual credit-card imprinter, making a carbon copy of the credit card and later submitting it to the bank. I would give options for the closest cash machine, and I would suggest putting items on hold with the customers' cell number so that I could call them the moment the machine was back up and running."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on February 16th, 2021

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I am sure that you have the policy to follow for a situation like that, will be trained for that.

      Based on previous experience, I would first try to restart the system,

      apologize, and advise other payment ways-cash-nearest ATM or

      put the product on hold-instead of walking out without a purchase."

      Rachelle's Feedback

      Great thinking! I like that you give the nod to the company's policy/training while also displaying confidence in your problem-solving ability. The fact that you mention not losing the sale is a great value-add to your reply :)

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