The Torture Of Applying For CCs In-Store (In-Person) - Reverse Support Group...??

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the "support group". What's this reverse support group? Well, it is meant not to 'cure' you from your fears and anxieties of applying for a CC in person and being denied in front of the whole store, but it's purpose is rather to increase those fears so that your nightmares may become the amusement of certain, somewhat warped, individuals such as myself.

I've clipped some snippets from a couple of threads, listed below, and have shortened some of the posts for brevity and clarity (slang for humor). I have also altered some of the poster's IDs, not to protect them from further, repeated humiliation (this would be against the code of the group), but rather to protect my physical and psychological well being should they decide to retaliate.

If you have any stories (the more horrifying the better), by all means, please share....

ENJOY! - at the expense of the others' misery of course... Hehehe. Thanks brave posters for therapy!

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@Anonymous wrote:

Could anyone please explain to me why it is preferable to apply at the store rather than online when seeking a good store card? Why would I have a better chance at approval, or higher limit than I could get myself online? I'm not sure I can handle a denial in person at the store.

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@**bleep** wrote:

I have no doubt you will do fine in a store dealing with people.

Good Luck

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@Imhotrod wrote:
I got a chuckle out of your remark, ( "I'm not sure I can handle a denial in person" ). I am not laughing at you, I just thought it was cute.

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@Anonymous wrote:
I totally know what you mean with the embarrassment.....I thought technology was supposed to help us?? haha..If I wasn't embarrassed in person I would have like 50 IQs right now

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@hauling wrote:
I have read that the advantage of applying in the store rather than online is that they can verify your identity better...

And as someone mentioned, the threat of walking out of the store, leaving a shopping cart full of unbought merchandise, might help the approval process and/or CL calculation a bit as well.

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@Anonymous wrote:

Smrtshppr:

Thank you!!!! I'm glad someone understands how potentially humiliating it would be to be turned down at a store - especially if you shop there regularly.

SO - with that in mind, you'll be happy to know that I finally gave in and applied for Macy's in store. I was pretty much geared up for handling a rejection. I actually went to a department I don't usually shop in (just in case - I didn't want to risk repeated humiliation next time I shop), brought my purchase to the counter and when they asked if I wanted to apply, I said (truthfully) that I wasn't sure. They said it's a great card (which is what I hear from SO many people), and I said I guess I could try and see what happens. So they were as happy as I was when it was accepted.

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@Anonymous wrote:
Hey good for you! Maybe I'll muster up the balls of steel I will need to apply in person at Kohls or Penney's one of these days.

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@Aqua wrote:

I would suggest when you go in you apply at one of the back registers where there isn't many people around all of the time. That is where I will be hearding when I apply to Macy's after these two last medical bills delete.

good luck

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@Anonymous wrote:

Kinda like the scene in the Woody Allen movie where he quitely tries to buy adult magazines and the cashier announces the name of each magazine over the load speaker to find out what the price is. If there are muliple Macys in your area, I would go to one on the other side of town.

Seriously I would just go for it and dont worry about what other people think.

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@Aqua wrote:

Its not the cashier I am worrying about but the people waiting in line behind you....

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@Anonymous wrote:

I would suggest doing some research before you apply to better your chances. I've applied for several accounts in the past few months and have only been denied by one (Online - I too don't have the stomach to be rejected in person ) - Kohl's. Anyway, you get the idea - do a little research and know what your report/score is that they will be pulling - it will decrease your anxiety somewhat when you are facing the potential for the public embarassment, shame, misery, rejection, and total humiliation in front of the entire store.... Good luck!

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@utah2009 wrote:
I'm totally with you Bigtim! There's no way I would ever apply in store or online without doing my homework first.

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@haulingthescoreup wrote:
Back in my dumb days, I applied in person...

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@Anonymous wrote:

I was at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago, and the clerk was a hottie! While I was waiting for the person ahead to cash out, I picked up the pamphlet with the credit app and was looking it over. The clerk was prodding me to apply, several ppl behind me, etc. I almost went for it, but didn't have the guts - my GF was also with me, and I would've probably had to go to the bar after a rejection...

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@Anonymous wrote:

Hey gang. Well, I did it. I have wanted a Kohls credit card for a long time, and today I got ballsy and applied while in the store. I was approved and got an $800 limit. I thought that was lame considering we have recently been approved for over $25,000 worth of new credit lines, but hey, whatever. At least I didn't wimp out and I went through with it.

OK, if I can do it, so can you. Go for it. 

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Smrtshppr wrote: 
I am beat tonight. Applying in person wiped me out today....need sleep to recover....LOL!!

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Clipped from an older thread:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I was at Macy's this past weekend buying some cologne and the couple in front of me were turned down for a card. Man was it a bummer for all of us because I was actually going to try to get one too. Not after witnessing that though. I didn't want to go through the humiliation myself. Just an FYI for those who think Macy's might be a pushover.   

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@hauling wrote:
I got turned down for a Kohl's card a year and a half ago, and when I looked around, I think that half the store was watching!

Next time, it won't be at the register --it will be back at customer service, with a paper bag over my head, like Saints football fans. whew

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@mjbfan wrote:

I'm sure that was embarrassing better luck next time.

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@Anonymous wrote:

@Anonymous's happened to me, but it didn't bother me @ all. I must be thick skinned that way.

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@shyboy wrote:

I would have past out if that happen to me. LOL

Once my card was even delicined for 87 cent. Worst day in my life it felt like. LOL

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@calichik wrote:

It's really not that bad getting declined.  more than likely the people watching are more concerned with you getting your transaction completed so they can leave the store than whether you get approved or not.

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@hauling wrote:
Well, other than leaving with red cheeks, it wasn't that bad for me.

But when I glanced at what appeared to be several hundred observing faces in the check-out area, they all had that expression that you use when you're driving along and pull over to the side for a funeral procession to go by. Kind of a solemn sympathy with vague good wishes mixed in.

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@Anonymous wrote:

I hear ya. I felt bad for the couple, and that is why I did not apply as well. With a FICO of --- (as in zero) I felt it in my best interest not to get pummeled by security for wasting the time of their precious sales staff. LOL

I am living proof that RECONS and PRE-APPROVALS don't work, well for me anyway.

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[aquatic1]

Thanks for the laughs this morning!  I am sure I will have something more to say once I walk into the Largest Macy's in the world in NYC to apply.....

[BungalowMo]

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@aquatic1 wrote:
Thanks for the laughs this morning!  I am sure I will have something more to say once I walk into the Largest Macy's in the world in NYC to apply.....

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That's the spirit!!!  If you're gonna do it...go all out!!!!

[Imhotrodcrazy]

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shyboy wrote:

Once my card was even delicined for 87 cent. Worst day in my life it felt like. LOL

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I am still lol over this one.  Can you "imagine" being turned down for 87 cents????  This is hysterical....

[marty56]

I had a great story but the mods didn't the original version.

An yway if you are going to apply for in store credit at checkout, dont do it when you have a lot of items and dont do it on a big line.

Also it helps to have a comeback like:

I was a victim of ID theft and fogot to take the CR feeze off.

The EX has been ruining my credit again.

I allready have an account but left my card home. 

Message Edited by marty56 on 07-12-2009 01:44 PM

[Anonymous]

Send it to me privately...is there a private message feature on this forum?

[Anonymous]

My spouse litterally FREAKS OUT when we apply for any kind of credit...."oh we won't get approved"...."we're gonna be denied"....he sweats, starts shaking, and stuttering. I want a divorce that's how annoying he becomes. When we refinanced our house a few weeks ago, he would not believe me that we got a 4.5% rate until the day we closed and he saw it with his own eyes on the note. MAKES ME CRAZY. He would NEVER have the nerve to apply for a store card in person. He'd likely stroke out completely.

OK, so yesterday when I applied for the Kohl's card, the whole reason I was even there was because I had quite a bit of Kohl'sKash to spend before it expired. I was so uptight applying for that card that I forgot to give the cashier girl my KK!!!!! I was livid a couple hours later when I realized what I had done (not done). I went back, needless to say. 

[fishbjc]

I worked @ Kohl's for 3 years while the youngster was in college.  Funniest story....had a guy come through with clothing....every single cc in his wallet was declined, and he tried them all.

I once had a girl try to sneak through a cc not in her name after the store was closed.  She said it belonged to her *husband*.  She offered to call him, I declined.  It was ON.  It got UGLY.

Another girl tried to open up a cc in her dead twins name. 

Last time I worked there (after Chase took over their accounts), the system was completely different.  If I was running the app, as an employee, we really don't care if you get declined.  People get declined for tons of reason, not always because they didn't pay their bills.  Sometimes it was no phone on the bureau, or the bureau was down, etc.  We just want to get you out of our lines as quickly as possible so we could get on with our jobs.

During Christmas season, AMEX cards were being declined left and right.  People were pizzed...like it was MY fault.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

My spouse litterally FREAKS OUT when we apply for any kind of credit...."oh we won't get approved"...."we're gonna be denied"....he sweats, starts shaking, and stuttering. I want a divorce that's how annoying he becomes.[...] He would NEVER have the nerve to apply for a store card in person. He'd likely stroke out completely.

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LOL. I think I'm with your husband on this. I doubt I'd ever have the bal*s. I would have to have a perfect CR - high 7's mixed with a rock-solid mortgage (paid down to 50%), auto loan paid down, several closed paid loans, 2 or 3 major cards with high CLs, low util, etc. before I'd have the nerve of even thinking about it again. It's bad enough getting a decline online, but in the store with a bunch of people waiting on the suspense of your application - not for me...

[Anonymous]

I don't see the horror in being rejected at the store.  But then again, I would never apply without first doing some research as far as what that store's criteria is for min score etc.

There are many valid reasons for someone being declined other than bad credit. I've always felt sorry for people who lived their lives worrying about what other people think about them and things that concern them.  Oh well!