The customer is not always right, and in these stories, they’re also not always bright… 😂
Caller: “Is this 1-800-Flowers?”
Me: “I’m afraid you have the wrong number.”
Caller: “Are you sure?”
Me: “I’m sorry; this number isn’t even 1-800.”
Caller: “Oh, do you have the number for 1-800-Flowers?”
Essential workers have been stuck between a rock and a hard place for much of 2020 and 2021, working hard to pay the bills, but also dealing with difficult customers.
We recently asked essential workers in the NAR community for examples of the worst customer behavior they witnessed Here’s what they told us. Note: names have been pixelated for privacy.
1-2) Rampaging toilet paper hoarders:
3) This grocery store customer who screamed at an exhausted nurse who was shopping after work:
4) This lady who went full Godwin’s Law on employees for not accepting cash:
5) This customer who catapulted cucumbers at other customers:
6) This random woman screaming at a cashier:
7) Coughing and sneezing customers who refuse to wear masks:
8) This Halloween customer who accused an employee of not doing their job, except they were:
9) This wiseguy with a “creative” interpretation of “wearing”:
10) This person who doesn’t work on the front lines, but has still has seen WAY too much:
11) This threatening customer who cost herself a discount:
12) This disgusting diner who turned a salad bar into their personal dining room:
13) This customer who didn’t just throw a fit, but literally threw things:
14) Families who turn school events into potential superspreader situations:
15) This yucky customer who left their saliva on a shopping cart:
16) This sneezer who clearly didn’t get the memo about how masks should be used:
17) Thankfully, not ALL customers are bad … as long as they walk on 4 legs!
If you’re an essential worker (or even a customer), have you experienced terrible customer behavior lately? Leave a comment and let us know!
Is the customer always right? These stories suggest otherwise…
Guest: “I’d like to return this toaster.”
Me: “Okay, ma’am, do you have a receipt for the purchase dated within ninety days?”
Guest: “No.”
Me: “Okay, well you can’t return it then. However, if you have an ID you can exchange it for an item of equal or lesser value from the same department.”
Guest: “But I don’t want to exchange it. I want my money.”
Me: “Well, I’m sorry but if you don’t have a receipt, you can’t return the item.”
Guest: “[Other Store Name] would take it back!”
Another Guest In Line: “Excuse me, I work there and, no we wouldn’t!”
For those who work in tech support, “technical difficulty” usually refers to the customer:
Coworker: “Tech support, how can I help you?”
Customer: “I need LSD for my son. You have that, right?”
Coworker: “Uh?”
Customer: “You know, that high-speed Internet thing…”
Coworker: *trying not to laugh* “You mean DSL?”
Anyone who works in retail knows the customer is not always right OR bright:
Customer: “I want to return this computer.”
Me: “Okay, I can help you with that. Where is it?”
(The customer puts a badly damaged computer box on the counter. I open the box and find that it’s filled with oranges.)
Me: “I’m sorry, sir, I’m unable to accept this for return.”
Customer: “When I opened the box, it was filled with oranges! I want my money back.”
Me: “Can I see your receipt?”
(The customer hands me a handwritten receipt from a generic receipt book.)
Me: “I’m sorry, sir, this is not a store receipt. I’m unable to accept this.”
Customer: “The guy I bought it from said he got it here for $99 dollars and if I didn’t like it, I could return it here. I want my money back! I got ripped off!”
Me: “Sir, I apologize that you gave this guy your money, but it seems he gave you a box of oranges and a fake receipt. I’m unable to help you…”
(At this point, the customer got very loud and started throwing oranges around the store. Someone called the police and he was eventually arrested. To this day, I’m unsure if I should laugh or feel sorry for the guy.)
