I work at a pet store with a grooming salon. A woman comes up to the register with her freshly groomed dog under her arm.

Me: “Hi there, how—”

She rattles off her phone number.

Customer: “…and I have a coupon.”

She hands me her grooming paperwork showing an $80 bill and a photocopy of the front of a coupon from a booklet you can buy. It is for a free bath, not a full groom which includes nails, ears, and a haircut, and, again, it’s only a photocopy of the front of the coupon.

Me: “I’m sorry, but I can’t—”

Customer: “Your manager approved using this already.”

Me: “I didn’t—”

Customer: “Listen, sweetheart. I’m good at getting people fired. Just put the coupon through, or I’ll stand here and call corporate.”

Me: “This coupon is invalid. I’m sorry.”

Customer: *Heavy sigh* “Okay. I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice.”

She pulls her phone out, dials a number, and starts talking almost immediately.

Customer: “Yes, I’m at your [Town] location, and… *reads my name tag* “…[My Name] won’t honor your coupon for a free bath.” *Barely a pause* “Yes, I spoke to the manager, [Generic Man’s Name], and he approved it.”

Me: “Ma’am—”

Customer: *Holding up a finger in my face* “Yes, I told [My Name] to do it, but she is refusing. I expect more from [Pet Store], to be quite honest.”

Me: “Ma’am—”

Customer: “I am talking to your corporate.”

Me: “Okay.”

I lean against the register and wait.

Customer: “Yes, you agree she should put it through, or she’s fired? Thank you.”

She puts her phone away, smiling.

Customer: “Well, go ahead.”

Me: “Ma’am, not only is this a photocopy of a coupon — which is invalid — but it’s a photocopy of an expired coupon.”

Customer: “Well, corporate said—”

Me: “And our corporate office closed two hours ago.”

Customer: “But your manager said—”

Me: “Who?”

Customer: “[Generic Man’s Name].”

Me: “I am the store manager. I did not approve this coupon. You did not speak to corporate. Now, you can pay, or I can call the police.”

She slams down a $100 bill. I make a whole show of checking the authenticity before returning the change. 

Customer: “I will never be back.”

Me: “Okay. Have a nice life.”

She has been back several times since but has not tried to pull that scam again.

I work at a pet store. Sundays are scary when the after-church crowd shows up. A customer lays a bag of dog food and eight cans of dog food on the counter. He gives me a coupon for $5 off a bag of food and fifty cents off a can of dog food.

I ring him up, and he flips out.

Customer: “You overcharged me!”

I call for the supervisor on duty. She reads the coupon.

Supervisor: “This coupon is good for fifty cents off only one can of dog food.”

Customer: “So, you are telling me that if I buy a can of dog food, go to my car, come back, and buy another can of dog food, go to my car, come back, and buy another can of dog food, that this is what I have to do to get the fifty cents off a can of dog food like the coupon says?”

Supervisor: “Well, actually, once you use a coupon, we keep it, and you can’t use it again.”

Customer: “What the h*** is this bulls***? You’re trying to get one over on me! I’d go out of business if I pulled this s*** on a customer. I am going to report you!”

Then, he left with his purchase. He had railed for so long that by the time he was done, there was a long line at the register. Everybody just looked stunned.

Related:
The Couponator 34: Blast From The Past
The Couponator 33: The Double Cross
The Couponator 32: Attack Of The Rulebreaker
The Couponator 31: Saved By The Next Generation
The Couponator 30: Managerial Override

A lady came in looking to buy an Anole lizard from us. I pointed out to her a good starter cage size — 24 by 16 by 16 inches — and other essentials she would need.

Me: “You should know that Anoles don’t like being held, so if you want something you can hold, this is not the best choice.”

Customer: “I don’t have the money for that! I’ll just use this since it’s a small lizard.”

She grabbed a small cricket cage, maybe 5 by 6 by 12 inches.

I refused to sell her the lizard due to the cage size she was putting it in. She came back three days later and got the big cage and two lizards from my coworker. I had warned him she might be back, but he forgot about it.

Two weeks later, the woman returned the lizards in a cup.

Customer: “These lizards are boring, and they don’t like being held!”

I work for a pet store chain in one of their big warehouse stores. Someone dragged their dog the length of the store while it was having diarrhea. And then, they just left it on the floor. They didn’t notify anyone to ask to get it cleaned up and didn’t go to any of the stations meant to clean up after dogs.

My manager pulled rank over me, so I had to clean it up while he covered my register.

I’m working in a mall pet store. It is my first day and I encounter a very harried older woman who needs a question answered.

Customer: “Excuse me. Do you have condors?”

Me: “Do you mean ‘conURES’?”

Customer: “No, conDORS.”

Me: “Unfortunately, ma’am, we don’t. California condors are critically endangered, and so much as harassing one is a felony offense. Andean condors aren’t as endangered, but they’re not available for sale, and we definitely couldn’t get one.”

Customer: “Well. My neighbors have one, and I want one, too.”

Over the next two months, she came in nearly every day, insisting that we just HAD to have condors “in the back.” The store shut down years ago when the chain collapsed, and I suspect she’s still going back, swearing that “the store was going to sell me a condor, and it was here just yesterday.”