A Soleful Exchange

I work for a crazy woman who owns her own shoe store. I’ve worked there waaaay past college graduation because she’s awesome and suffers no fools.

A customer is looking at the discounted shoes section, the dregs of previous seasons that we’re trying to get rid of, and keeps tutting and sighing.

Customer: “Are these all the discounted shoes you have?!”

Me: “Yes, ma’am.”

Customer: “These are all old-looking!”

Me: “That’s why they’re discounted.”

Customer: “Fine, whatever. I’ll take these, but in a size six.”

Me: “We only have the sizes on display available. We don’t keep discounted shoes in the back.”

Customer: “I want these, but I want a size bigger. I got wide feet!”

Owner: *Stepping in.* “I can adjust them for you if you like, if it’s just a case of making them fit a wider foot.”

Customer: “For free?”

Owner: “No, there’s an adjustment fee, but I can do it tonight, and you can get them tomorrow.”

Customer: *Turns around.* “Okay, I’ll come get them tomorrow.”

Owner: “Ma’am, you need to pay for the shoes and the adjustment now. Also, I need to measure your foot to—”

Customer: *Immediately angry.* “You just wanna take my money now and run! You’re trying to scam me out of my money, you b****!”

Owner: *Immediately tone matching.* “What money, you broke a** b****?! You can’t even afford my New Arrivals!”

The customer shouts a string of obscenities and storms out of the store, and I remind the owner that I love working for her.