Some store's managers are shytty.
shytty Leaders= shytty Employees.
I am not one of them.
If I catch a muthafukka on his phone while ringing up a customer that employee won't be there for long
As far as mark up, honestly that is standard business practice. A lot of the times many of the prices that you bytch about is actually CHEAPER than what you will pay online after shipping/handling. PLUS we price match Amazon (if the item is shipped and sold by them) Fry's, Walmart, and pretty much any reputable brick and mortar or online store we will match their price.
It is the responsibility of the Manager on duty to make sure that employees are engaged and ready to help customers, that person that was on their phone, as soon as they finished ringing you up, you should have calmly asked to speak to a manager and told that manager what shytty service you got. RIGHT in front of that employee. I'll bet you next time you see that individual he/she will either have a changed perspective of their job or they'll be the ones serving you fries and your closest McDonalds.
As far as the Protection Plan, it depends on the item, but the reason I recommend it is because it is EASIER for us at the store to take of you if something goes wrong, versus if you didn't buy it, break or damage it, and then want us to assist you. With the Protection Plan, I ALWAYS find a way to help the customer, it might not ALWAYS be what the customer EXPECTS, but there is always a solution to be found. Without it, you are at the mercy of the manufacturer, and the manufacturer gives ZERO fukks.