Doesn’t Know How To Manage The Situation

(An older gentleman has placed a rather difficult glasses order with very thin lenses which are very easily chipped and so our lab has had to reorder the lenses twice already. My manager has assured the patient his glasses will be ready on a particular date. When he comes into store, I am sent to check in the lab for his glasses. I am a young, fairly attractive woman.)

Me: “[Manager], the lenses have been chipped again; [Patient] is going to be really upset.”

Manager: “Do you think you could tell him?”

Me: “Well, no offence, but I’m not the one who he spoke to last time. He’s going to ask for a manager at any rate.”

Manager: “But you could look all pretty and flirt with him and then he won’t shout!”

(When I refused to do so, the patient stormed out. The owner gave him the glasses for free when they were eventually made up.)