Buy One, Get One Annoyed Customer

(I work at a fairly large shoe store company where we do a gigantic “buy one, get one half off” sale twice a year. Very often we will have a pair of friends come in; each one gets a pair of shoes, then splits the total. They each pay less than they would have alone for the shoes, even if technically whoever is getting the half-off shoes is paying more than the shoes are actually worth. Usually, people understand this, but sometimes math is hard.)

Customer: “I need to return these shoes.”

Me: “I’d be happy to help with that. So it looks like you will be getting [amount] back today.”

Customer: “But I paid [amount higher].”

Me: “I see you did a split payment for a BOGO sale. You may have paid more, personally, but the amount paid for this item is only [amount].”

Customer: “But I PAID [amount higher]! Why am I not getting [amount higher] back? That’s how much I paid!”

Me: “I’m sorry that this wasn’t explained to you at the time of purchase, but you personally paid more than the price of these shoes. You paid for half the total, not just for your shoes. I can only return the price that was paid for these shoes because the other shoes aren’t being returned.”

Customer: “Where is your manager?”

Me: “I am the manager; that is why I can do a return for you.”

Customer: “The man who sold me this didn’t tell me that! You have to return everything I paid! I am returning my shoes and I want my money!”

Me: “Ma’am, I am returning the price paid for the item being returned. If you want the other $4, your friend has it because they paid less for their shoes with you both splitting the BOGO.”