Are Returns Just A Game To You People?!

I get called to the registers to approve a return on an item from my department and am directed to the customer when I arrive. She wants to return a computer game she purchased as she already had it and forgot. It’s part of a large series, so this is understandable. She hasn’t opened this copy and has her receipt, so returning it is no problem. We sell these games for $15 each, or you can buy two for $20, which is what I see on her receipt that she did.

Me: “We can definitely return that for you. Did you want to exchange it for another game in the series or get money back?”

Customer: “I don’t have time to look through what’s there, so I’ll just get my money back.”

Me: “No worries. It would be better value to exchange because a refund will only get you $5 back, but we can do that if you prefer.”

Customer: “$5? What do you mean?”

Me: “Well, these games are one for $15 or two for $20. You originally bought two, but now you want to return one, so we have to return the original deal you got for the two and sell back out just the one you’re keeping, which will cost $15, leaving a $5 refund.”

Customer: “That doesn’t make sense! I’m returning a $15 game, so I should get $15 back!”

Me: “But then you’d have purchased one game for $5. With grouped deals like this, we have to return the entire deal and sell back out what you’re keeping, which is why an exchange is always better value.”

Customer: “I don’t want an exchange. If you won’t give me back $15, I should at least get $10 back. I paid $20 for two and I’m returning one now; half of $20 is $10.”

We go around in circles for several minutes. I try to explain several different ways that, as her items are grouped together on her original receipt to give her the deal, they have to be returned that way, and then we sell out the one she’s keeping, which is why she only gets $5 refunded. She alternated between arguing that she should get back either $10 or $15. Eventually, she finds something different to say.

Customer: “Fine! You can shove your store up your a**!”

As she said this, she slid the game across the returns desk with the receipt, and then she stormed out without the game, receipt, or refund of any amount.