A customer’s child has a leaky butt, so the poor cart attendant has to follow the trail with a mop and bucket.
Later that day, we tell the cart attendant:
Me: “There’s a new trail of poo in the toy aisle.”
When he shows up, he sees that we had set up a line of Winnie the Pooh toys!
I am a manager at a resale shop that is donation-focused for the items we sell. The shop has a rewards card; for every dollar you spend, you get a point. When you get 100 points, you get a virtual coupon that you can use for $5 off a future purchase. The coupon takes a certain amount off of each item to total up to $5.
We have a no returns or exchanges policy in effect. I can do returns, but only if the reason is the fault of the store. This story does not count as a fault of the store. We do have signs that say, “Items may have faults that are not apparent at time of purchase.”
I’m cashiering as there is a long line.
Customer: “I want to return this CD. The disc inside does not match the case.”
Me: “I’m terribly sorry, but all sales are final. We do not do returns or exchanges anymore.”
Customer: “That’s ridiculous. I do not want this. Give me my money back!”
Me: “Sir, again, I’m sorry, but that’s not possible. All sales are final. The only option for you if you do not want the CD anymore is to donate it. You can use that as a tax deduction.”
Customer: “No. I want my money back! I want the manager!”
Me: “I am the manager tonight.”
Customer: “Get your supervisor, now!”
I page for the production manager, who also happened to be the store manager, to call the wireless phone I have. Not even two minutes pass while we wait.
Customer: “What’s taking so long?!”
Me: “I’m sorry. He must be on a phone call or in a meeting.”
A minute later, the phone rings and I answer. It’s the production manager.
Production Manager: “What’s up?”
Me: “I have a customer who wants to return a CD because the disc doesn’t match the cover. I already explained about the policy that all sales are final. He does not accept that.”
Production Manager: “Okay, do a return, but only for store credit.”
Me: “Okay.” *To the customer* “I spoke with the other manager, and they approved a return, but only for store credit. Do you have your receipt?”
The customer thrusts the receipt at me.
I scan the receipt and go through the process of the return. Before I print the receipt, I always tell the customer the total.
Me: “Your total return will be sixty-five cents.”
Customer: “Why is it sixty-five cents?! It cost ninety-nine cents!”
Me: “On the purchase, you used your rewards coupon, which took $5 off your entire purchase. The way the system does that is it takes a certain percentage off of each item to add up to $5, so that is why your total is only sixty-five cents.”
Customer: “No. I paid ninety-nine cents for this, and I want my full amount back!”
Me: “Sir, there is no way for me to return this item for full value when you used the coupon.”
Customer: “Cancel this and get that supervisor up here!”
I cancel the return and page for the production manager to come to my register. We are waiting for maybe twenty seconds before this exchange.
Customer: “You know what?! Forget it! I’ll just keep it.”
I return his purchase receipt to him while we wait maybe another twenty seconds for the manager.
Customer: “Ugh! I don’t have time for this! Just give me the d*** store credit!”
Me: “Of course. May I see your receipt one more time?”
I process the return and hand him back all his receipts. He says he’s never going to come back and leaves. After he leaves, I head to the office to talk with the manager.
Production Manager: “Sorry I couldn’t come up. I was on a phone call. What was that all about?”
Me: “He was mad that he only got sixty-five cents back since he used a coupon, didn’t accept my explanation as to why, and then didn’t want to wait for you. Can I take a five-minute break?
Production Manager: “Sure. You deserve it after that guy. I can cover for you.”
Good thing that was near the end of my shift! I haven’t seen him since.
Related:
The Couponator 28: Panic Attack!
The Couponator 27: Red Friday
The Couponator 26: Father’s Day
The Couponator 25: The Cheese Explosion
The Couponator 24: My Funds, My Rules
Working with customers online can sometimes be a rollercoaster. This caller wrote the wrong address on their order and wants us to change it. It’s not possible to change it on the order itself, but we try to contact the delivery company to get them to change it. Unfortunately, we are too late, and three out of four parcels will be returned to us.
The customer becomes very angry and pretty much wants to cancel every other order and return everything. She ends the call with our favourite words, “I’ll never shop from you again!”
Not even five minutes later, I get the same customer on call again.
Customer: *Calmer, but still angry* “If I order the articles again, can you make a price match?”
What happened to the “never shop from you again” threat? I do always wish that the customers who say this would stick to their words, since this kind of customer will always be a nightmare to deal with, no matter what.
I need to change some signs at work so I have to get our tallest ladder out. The three-metre-high ladder is not tall enough for me to work safely on but, unfortunately, I am forced to do so by stretching as high as I can to reach the bar holding the sign without having to stand on the second rung. As I get the ladder into place, I see a customer at one of our displays.
Me: “Hi, is there anything I can help you with?”
Customer: “No, thanks. I am just looking.”
I start climbing the ladder, noticing that the customer is watching me from near the display. I get to the top and stretch up to get the bar holding the sign to incline it. I need to use both hands — a huge safety risk as you are supposed to always have three limbs in contact with the ladder. I have my legs braced against the ladder, trying and hoping not to fall, when I hear the customer calling out.
Customer: “Excuse me, I need some help.”
I am thinking, “You waited until I got all the way up the f****** ladder.” I step down to a safer rung.
Me: “Okay, is it just a question I can answer from here?”
She picks up the smallest thing on the display.
Customer: “How much is this?”
Me: “The price ticket is on the shelf; it should be right in front of where you got that from.”
Customer: “I can’t work out which one it is. I need you to help me.”
I have to get off the ladder, fully knowing she did this on purpose, and go to point out the price ticket that was directly in front of the product. She puts the item back then moves away but keeps an eye on me. I am positive she’ll do the same thing, so I wait until she finally leaves the store before going back to my task.
On a side note, management will do nothing about the ladders being too short. After coming close to falling, I refuse to use them, so they resort to having taller staff placing signs. I am only 158 cm — about 5’2” — tall. A few months later, all of our stores are given platform ladders that we can use safely due to being able to stand on a platform at the top that has a waist-high safety rail.
Manager: “Oh, [Corporate] must have finally listened to all of the complaints. There was a message to say that we were to stop using the other ladders immediately.”
Me: “You know that someone had to have fallen off a ladder for them to finally acknowledge there was a problem.”
Manager: “Yeah! I know, but I am trying to believe that someone somewhere in the head office actually has some brains.”
Me: “I bet not. I just hope that whoever fell didn’t get badly injured.”
I work for a twenty-four-seven gas station that has locations in six states on the east coast and is very popular in my home state. It’s late summer, and there are a few locations nearby that are perfect wedding spots, as well as a hospital that gives us a HUGE amount of business.
It’s about 12:30 or 1:00 am, and we’re in a rush due to a wedding party coming in, as well as hospital workers going home. Lines are at least seven deep, and my coworker on the other register is a bit slower than me. We also have three in the kitchen making food as fast as possible, but we’re SO packed it’s not fast enough. Most people know each other, but there are still a few strangers amongst the crowd.
I have a tipsy gentleman with his partner, and he turns to the next guy.
Tipsy Gentleman: “Put your s*** up; I’m buying.”
Despite the guy trying to say no, the tipsy gentleman is insistent, so the guy complies.
Tipsy Gentleman: “All I want is that one day you pay it forward.”
As a result, this guy paid for the next woman’s things. The line was a good mix of drunk wedding attendees and sober hospital workers, and at this point, they were all cracking jokes with each other, making new friends that some would totally not remember the next morning, and having a good time.
The woman, not having to pay for her things, in turn, paid for the next person’s. All in all, twelve people had their things bought by the person in front of them, so they bought the next person’s. I just kept laughing because, like I said, everyone was cracking jokes, even to the chick behind the counter, and because I was legitimately happy.
My store is in a town where people can be a pain in the rear, and they’re majorly wannabe r**-necks, but whenever I get to see displays of kindness like this, it makes me really proud of the town, and that despite being in a state where they could be destructive, all these people want to do is keep up the happy atmosphere.
