A Penny For Your Stupid Thoughts

(I am a manager in the freezer/cooler section of a big box retail company. A woman approaches me with a display model of an electric griddle and the display model’s tag, which lists its price as one cent. I already know this will be trouble.)

Customer: “Is this item really a penny?”

Me: “Well, yes, ma’am. However, that is the non-working display. It has no power cord, and the lid doesn’t open. That tag is for store use, in case we need to order a replacement display.”

Customer: *suddenly screaming and furious* “I don’t understand what you’re saying! I ain’t got no fancy education. I ain’t graduated no f****** high school! That don’t make no f****** sense!”

Me: “Ma’am, it’s a display, an example, so you can see the product before you buy it. Sometimes they break or get stolen, so we have a tag to order new ones.”

Customer: *still screaming* “Well, that’s f****** stupid! If I want to see the g**d*** griddle I’m going to tear that f****** box open! How can you f****** put things out you don’t sell?! Can I buy this for a penny or f****** not?!”

Me: “No, ma’am, it’s not for sale. Even if you buy it, it doesn’t work. It doesn’t do anything.”

(The customer stomps away. I think that will be the end of it, but I hear her a few aisles over, still screaming.)

Customer: “No, they won’t f****** sell it! They’re trying to scam me! They’re a bunch of f****** shysters!”

(About ten minutes later, the whole scene repeated at the checkout when she tried to buy it anyway.)