I used to work at a furniture store. One day, I had horribly bad luck, and my bank account got hacked and all my money went missing (that’s a saga for another time). Because of the time when I realized stuff was missing, I had to wait until the next day to go to my bank’s branch and take care of the onsite stuff. I’d already been planning on going to work late the next day because I also had a doctor’s appointment.

With everything going on — and the fact that my manager had already made me come in on my day off — I decided I didn’t want to go in the next day at all and deal with my manager and customers.

I go to my manager toward the end of the day.

Me: “Can I take tomorrow as my other day off? I have my appointment in the morning, and then I have to go to the bank to handle this stuff, so it’ll probably be early afternoon before I’m here anyway.”

Manager: “I don’t want you taking all day off. Just come in whenever you can.”

I didn’t even try to argue because she wouldn’t have listened. I just decided I was going to take my time with everything. She told me to get in whenever I could. She would have no way of knowing that it didn’t take me six-plus hours at the bank (Petty? Possibly. Did I give a single, solitary f***? NOPE.)

Apparently, my body had other ideas.

The next morning, I went to my appointment and then to the bank. It was just before lunch by the time everything was done. I decided that I didn’t want to spend money on fast food or anything, and I was still trying to stall going to work, so I went home and made lunch. I took about two bites and promptly ran into the bathroom and threw it all up.

Once I finished, I decided that I was not even going to walk into work super late, and I texted my manager.

Me: “I’m not feeling all that well. I’m not coming in at all today.”

Manager: “I really need you in.”

Me: “I literally just threw up, so I’m not coming in.”

Manager: “Fine. See you tomorrow.”

I cleaned up the rest of my lunch and put it in the fridge for later, got into my pajamas, and curled up and watched TV. I didn’t have any other issues, so I’m pretty sure I was just stressed beyond belief. I did make it in the next day and had to deal with my manager side-eyeing me all day. I got another job as fast as I could.

Back around 2007, I got laid off. It was not easy finding a job, but I did find one working as a sales associate for a small family-owned furniture store for $10 an hour plus commission. It didn’t sound bad. I was told my hours would be alternating Sundays on and off, Mondays off, and Tuesdays through Saturdays would be eight- to twelve-hour days. Training would take two weeks, and I’d be paid for it. I was told for training I would need to bring a notebook and a pen to take notes. 

I was hired with three others. The training was basically watching videos and going around the sales floor learning about the furniture and different materials and woods. 

I got my first paycheck and discovered that $25 had been deducted as a “training fee”. I talked to a lady who’d been training with me.

Me: “Do you have this ‘training fee’ on your paycheck, too?”

Coworker #1: “Yes, I do!”

Me: “Were you ever told about any training fees?”

Coworker #1: “Nope.”

I decided that since I needed a job and didn’t want to lose this one, I would just keep quiet.

When I got my next paycheck, I had the $25 training fee deducted from it again. On the last day of training, the new hires were all presented with business cards. When I got my last check from training, I noticed I had another $25 training fee deducted from my check as well as $25 deducted from my check for the business cards.

We were never told anything about any training fees or being charged for business cards. I should’ve questioned it, but I needed the job too badly.

Our manager told us that since we would be off on Mondays, we would need to schedule any doctor’s appointments or anything else for Mondays as we would not be able to take off when we were scheduled to work.

I had been there for about two months. My son’s school was going on a field trip, and parents were invited to go along. The field trip was on Monday, so I decided I wanted to go with him and went ahead and paid for the cost associated with the field trip.

However, the Saturday before the field trip, my manager told me and the other three new hires that he had a special trip he wanted to take us on. He said that it would be a tour of a manufacturing facility where they make the furniture. The trip was scheduled for that Monday — the same Monday as my son’s field trip.

My manager went over the itinerary and details of the trip.

• We would all meet at the store at eight o’clock and we would drive in our own vehicles to the manufacturing plant — a two-hour drive.
• He told us to get gas the night before because we would not be stopping anywhere; we would be driving straight to the plant.
• We would not be taking any lunch breaks, and we could not bring any food with us.
• We would be at the plant for at least six to eight hours.
• Once we were done, we would all drive straight back to our store and meet there around eight o’clock at night. Once we were all accounted for, we were all free to go home.
• We were not getting paid for this day, and we had to buy our own gas. We would not be reimbursed.

Me: “Hey, [Manager], my son has a field trip on Monday, and I planned to go. I’ve already paid for it.”

Manager: “No. This trip is mandatory.”

I talked to another sales associate who had been with the company a little longer, and he told me that most people quit right after this trip. He said they did this — scheduling these trips on our days off — at least two or three times a year. He also informed me that the company would deduct $25 from our paychecks as a “training fee” for this trip to this manufacturing plant.

Me: “Will I be in trouble if I don’t go?”

Coworker #2: “They won’t like it. But what can you do?”

I decided not to go on this mandatory trip, and I took my son on his field trip that we had already paid for. 

The manager did say something to me about it, and I told him that I had already paid for the trip, so I had to go. 

When I got my next paycheck, I saw a $25 training deduction on it. I went to talk to the payroll lady.

Me: “What is this deduction for?”

Payroll Lady: “It’s for the trip you all took to the manufacturing plant.”

Me: “I didn’t go.”

Payroll Lady: “I know, but we have to charge you the fee regardless of whether you went or not.”

I was mad, and I decided right then to walk out and never look back. The good news is that I got another job two weeks later, and that furniture store went out of business about two years later.

A year or so ago, I was at the Swedish furniture store to get some things for my new flat. As one does, I needed some garbage bins and couldn’t find the particular one I was looking for, so I asked for help.

Employee: “You won’t find those downstairs; you’ll have to upstairs to the kitchen section.”

So, I began my journey back through the masses and upstairs to collect my desired garbage bin. Since I was given directions and know the place quite well, I was going quite fast and confidently toward the kitchen section when I was stopped by someone.

Customer #1: “Hi, excuse me! Can you help me?”

Me: “Sorry, I don’t work here.”

I gave them a puzzled look because everyone knows the employees in this store wear blue and yellow uniforms, and I was wearing a combination of a crop top and jeans, but I went on.

Just one minute later, the next person got in my way and started:

Customer #2: “Yeah, hi, can you help me find [item #1]?”

Me: *Confused* “Sorry, I don’t work here.”

And I rushed by. Mind you, my boyfriend was waiting for me, and I didn’t want to leave him waiting so long while I idled around.

Lo and behold, yet another woman approached me.

Customer #3: “Hi! Where can I find [item #2]?”

To be honest, at that point, I was a bit fed up.

Me: “Why? Do I look like I work here?”

I pointed at my not-yellow-and-blue attire.

Customer #3: *Angrily* “Yes!”

I must have looked very competent that day since I walked fast and knew where I was going.

I work the front desk at a furniture store. We have a woman come in one day who is just naturally loud, but she isn’t yelling. She makes several purchases that are all various accessories, and for whatever reason, she pays for us to deliver them the next day.

The next day, she calls first thing in the morning. This time, she is yelling; I can hold the phone a foot from my ear and have no issues hearing her.

Customer: “I need you to cancel my delivery for today!”

Me: “I can assist, but please don’t yell in my ear. May I ask why you need to cancel? Can we reschedule?”

Customer: *Now shrieking* “I’m not yelling at you! I’m just loud! And you need to cancel my delivery.”

Me: “Please stop yelling in my ear; I will disconnect this call. May I ask why you need to cancel?

She continues shrieking but her voice jumps about twelve octaves.

Customer: “You haven’t seen yelling! I’m not yelling at you! You just need to cancel my delivery now!”

I hang up on her. In my defence, it is early morning. I’m not actually supposed to be in because it’s supposed to be my day off, but my manager called me like twenty minutes ago claiming she won’t be able to make it. I am just tired of dealing with customers yelling at me for things I have no control over. (My manager is the queen of making various promises and then never following through, and when people call to complain, she blames me and makes me take the calls.)

The yelling customer calls back two minutes later, still shrieking.

Customer: “Why’d you hang up on me? I was not yelling!”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m holding the phone away from my ear and I can still hear you clearly. Please stop yelling.”

Customer: “I’m not yelling! You’re just too sensitive! I need you to cancel my order now!”

I hang up on her again because I am not going to deal with it. Again, probably not the best course, but that job is so soul-sucking and I am just DONE. Her salesman happens to be nearby and knows she’s been calling, so when she calls back again, he kind of nudges me away from the phone.

Salesman: “I’ve got it.”

I get out of my seat and walk around the edge of the desk, leaning against the front of it. He answers and immediately holds the phone almost as far away as I did. I have no issues understanding what she is saying.

Customer: “Why’d that little girl hang up on me? I’m not yelling!”

Salesman: “Ma’am, you are yelling. Please calm down. How can we assist?”

Customer: *Barely dropping her voice* “I need you to cancel my delivery for this morning right now!”

Salesman: “Okay, may I ask why? Can we reschedule?”

Customer: “You just need to hold onto my stuff! I forgot I’m supposed to go out of town, and I have to be at the airport in an hour! I’ll figure out when I’m getting my stuff when I get back! Make sure you cancel my delivery! And tell that little girl who kept hanging up on me that it’s rude to hang up on paying customers! If she’s too sensitive to deal with customers, she shouldn’t be answering the phone! Make sure you tell her that and cancel my delivery!” *Click*

He called the warehouse and had our delivery guys put her order aside. She hadn’t called to reschedule (or cancel) by the time I left the job about four months later, so I have no idea if she was really out of town for that long or if she’d forgotten or what. I didn’t get in any trouble for hanging up on her, though, although I think that was because the salesman wasn’t going to say anything because he knew what I dealt with, and the customer wouldn’t have cared enough to file a formal complaint.

Customer: “This furniture set seems expensive. What kind of discount can you give me?”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t give you any discount.”

The customer gets very upset. She continues to ask for a discount, and I continue to refuse.

Customer: “I always get my way. Don’t underestimate me.”

Me: “I wouldn’t do that. Clearly, you’re impossible to underestimate.”

Related:
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 25
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 24
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 23
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 22
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 21