It Pays To Be Patient, Part 4

(I work in a medical uniform store. The first customer of the day comes into our store with her father; she’s making a big return on several different items. Instead of doing an even exchange, she picks out different clothes as well as adding a watch that wasn’t originally with the purchase. I’ve rung everything through and the new total is five or six dollars above $100. This is important, as the place she works at gives her a $100 allowance at our store.)

Customer: “Are you sure the price is right?”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, one of the tops rang up above price, but I knocked it down to the ticketed price for you.”

Customer: “What about the money from my return?”

Me: “It was taken out of what you were buying already. [Price] is what’s left over after the return money has been taken out.”

Customer: “That’s still not right. I took a cheaper pair of shoes to afford the watch.”

Me: “Let me show you how this breaks down…”

(I take out the register calculator and add up her returns for her. I then add up her purchases total, which comes out bigger than the returns. She makes me repeat this another time. Meanwhile a line is starting to form with other customers; it’s a small store and I’m the only register open. She decides to switch tactics.)

Customer: “I think I was overcharged when I first bought the clothes. The tag and the charge on the receipt don’t match, see?”

(She holds out the original receipt and makes me recalculate everything again. Sure enough, she hasn’t been overcharged on anything. As the line is growing longer, she switches tactics again.)

Customer: “I get a discount for working at [hospital] right?”

Me: “Normally, yes, but that’s only for full priced items. All of yours are already on sale. I can’t compound discounts.”

Customer: “But I work at [hospital]! You should give me the discount!”

Me: “Ma’am, store policy says I cannot put a hospital discount on something that is already discounted.”

Customer: “The girl who rang me up the first time did!”

Me: “Ma’am, we just went through the receipt. Nowhere were you given a hospital discount when the item was already on sale. And, regardless, that was her and this is me; store policy says I cannot compound the discount.”

(The customer opens her mouth to try again, but thankfully her father, who has been patiently waiting along with the other customers in line, intervenes.)

Customer’s Father: “She has given you all the discounts she can. Here, I will pay for it.”

(He hands me the money, I finish the transaction, and they leave. The next customer in line steps up and I thank her for waiting.)

Next Customer: “You have a lot of patience, young lady! I would have kicked her out of the store a long time ago.”