Cooler Heads Did Not Prevail

Decades ago, I worked in a liquor store. Our store had a policy: An extra dollar for cartons from the cool room.

This led to so many arguments over the years from customers who couldn’t understand why this carton from the fridge was not the same price as that carton over there on the shelf. The company finally got sick of it and changed to a new policy: No surcharge for cold stuff.

A week after the new policy came into effect, an old guy marches in, marches past the entry to the cool room, grabs a carton from the shelf, and brings it back.

I ring it up: It’s $19.99.

Customer: “No, I got it from the shelf, that’s the cool room price.”

Me: “Cool room and shelf are the same price.”

Customer: “I got it from the shelf, so it should be cheaper.”

Me: “I’m sorry, I just work here. The company sets the price, and it’s the same.”

The old guy stares at me for a moment in disbelief.

Customer: “…I was gonna buy two bottles of whisky too, but you can shove it now!”

And he marches out of the store.

So… if we charge more for cold ones, customers complain.

But if we don’t charge less for hot ones, customers still complain.