Customers Make Strange Bedfellows

(Our store manager keeps some chairs at the front of the store, for people who want to sit while the rest of their party shops. One day at our morning meeting, he tells us that the regional manager will be visiting next week.)

Store Manager: “And you know how [Regional Manager] always gets on me about the chairs. So, when we hear he’s on his way, we’ll need to get them out of there.”

Coworker: “We should stage an argument. Tell customers to go up to him and complain that the chairs aren’t there.”

Supervisor: “My grandpa can do it!”

(A week later, after the visit is over, at the morning meeting, the store manager tells us about what happened right after the regional manager arrived. It went like this:)

Customer: “Hey, are you corporate?”

Regional Manager: “Not quite, but maybe I can help. What do you need?”

Customer: “I heard they’re having a visit from corporate so they had to take away all the chairs!“

(Upon hearing this at the meeting…)

Coworker: “[Supervisor], was that your grandpa?”

Supervisor: *laughing* “No, I swear!”

Store Manager: “So [Regional Manager] says that since chairs are apparently a special thing that we do, we can keep them out. They’re back on the floor.”

(He then delivered a half-hearted admonishment for whoever let customers know that we were having a visit from a higher-up. Since he was clearly happy about the results, it was not super effective.)