It Never Hurts To Ask…And Ask…And Ask, Part 2
(A car pulls up to our store. Two teenagers get out while the driver waits inside. I know the second teenager as a petty shoplifter, so I keep a very close eye on them.)
Teenager #1: “I’d like a pack of cigarettes.”
Me: “Okay, I’ll need to see a valid, current, driver’s license in order to sell them to you.”
Teenager #1: “Why?”
Me: “Because I need to verify your age. By law, you need to be eighteen or older to purchase tobacco products in this state.”
Teenager #1: “I don’t have one.”
Me: “Sorry, I can’t sell you the cigarettes, then.”
(The two teenagers leave the store and talk with the driver. They then come back in and resume begging.)
Teenager #1: “Please?”
Me: “No. It’s against the law. I’m not able to do it.”
(They leave to the car and return again.)
Teenager #1: “Okay, I’ve got the license.” *hands me an old learner’s permit*
Me: “I’m afraid I still can’t sell you the cigarettes.”
Teenager #1: “Why not!? I’ve given you the license!”
Me: “It’s still not possible. You see, this is a learner’s permit, not a license. That alone wouldn’t be too bad if you could prove this is your permit. However, this doesn’t have a picture of you on it. But before you go fishing out a student ID or anything like that, I can’t accept this for other reasons. First of all, it has expired. Secondly, it isn’t a license with your picture on it. Lastly, it says you are only seventeen and that you had a birthday last month. You still aren’t eighteen.”
Teenager #1: “Oh, come on, please?”
(The teenagers leave yet again, talk to the driver, and return. This time, they take their begging to another customer who has been filling out paperwork and drinking coffee near the front door.)
Teenager #1: “Sir, could you buy some cigarettes for me? That guy won’t sell them to us.”
Another Customer: “Seriously? You are seriously asking me that?”
Teenager #1: “Well, yeah. He won’t sell them, and we really want them!”
(The other customer looks at them as if they have gone into the Twilight Zone.)
Another Customer: “You want me…”
Teenager #1: “…to buy the cigarettes.”
Another Customer: “Wait a moment. You want ME to buy you cigarettes. He’s already heard you ask me, and by law he can’t sell them to me because he will know that I am buying them for you.”
Teenager #1: “Oh, come on, just buy them, will you?”
Another Customer: “Furthermore, you are asking ME to break the law…”
Teenager #1: “Come on, man… please?”
Another Customer: “…an on-duty, fully in-uniform police officer to break the law and buy you cigarettes?”
Teenager #1: “Yeah, please?”
Another Customer: “Think. About. It.”
(Seeing the officer’s answering glare, the teenager and his friend finally decide the game is over. No cigarettes tonight!)
Did you find this story from our No Smoking roundup?
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?