Charity Begins At Home Furnishing
(As a charity shop, all items are donated to us. The staff are volunteers and so do not receive wages. The money made from sales goes to our cause – in this case, the care of the elderly in a local home. I approach a customer that has been looking at a sofa for some time.)
Me: “Can I help?”
Customer: “This sofa, isn’t it a bit expensive?”
(Customers sometimes try to haggle or cheat us, so I’m not surprised so far.)
Me: “Well, even though the sofa has no signs of wear and looks to be new, it has been heavily discounted. It would be triple the price from any other shop.”
Customer: “Yeah, but this is a charity shop.”
Me: “Yes…”
Customer: “So I don’t see why you can’t just give it away.”
Me: “…”
Customer: “I rent out property, you see. I get more if the places are furnished, but if I have to buy the furniture…”
Me: “We can’t just give things away. We raise money for the charity, which cares for elderly people.”
Customer: “Yeah, but you get this stuff for free.”
Me: “… ”
This story is part of our Hagglers roundup.
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Read the Hagglers roundup!
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
