Don’t Blame Graham

It’s my first day at a retail job. I am ringing out an elderly woman with a few items, one of which is a package of store-brand cookies that are classified as “fudge grahams”. After I finish scanning her items, she hands me a coupon for a brand of cereal bar treats whose name includes the word “grahams”. I immediately put it down and look at her, namely since I know for a fact that we don’t carry those cereal bar treats at our store.

Me: “Excuse me, ma’am, but I think there was a mistake here?”

Customer: “What?”

Me: “This coupon right here.”

I point to the coupon she gave me.

Me: “We don’t sell these.”

Customer: “Yes, you do!”

Me: *Confused* “Um, no, I don’t believe we do.”

Customer: “Yes, you do! Right here!”

She points at the fudge graham cookies.

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but this coupon is for [Cereal Brand] treats. These here are fudge grahams.”

Customer: *In a tone that’s confused and annoyed* “So? It says ‘grahams’!”

Me: *Pointing to the word on the coupon* “It says, ‘[Cereal Brand] treats’. These are fudge grahams. They’re two different things.”

Customer: *In the same tone as before* “So? It says ‘grahams’!”

Me: “Ma’am, those are cookies. This coupon is for a cereal bar treat. They’re two different products.”

Customer: *Still in the same tone* “So? It says ‘grahams’!”

By now, I’m doing my best not to facepalm and trying to maintain a professional tone of voice.*

Me: “Ma’am, it says ‘[Cereal Brand] Treats.'”

I read each word carefully.

Me: “They’re a type of cereal bar that we don’t sell here. These are fudge graham cookies. They’re not the same thing.”

Customer: *Now acting like I’m doing this on purpose* “Are you going to accept this coupon or not?”

Me: *Politely, shaking my head* “I’m sorry, ma’am, but there’s no way I can accept this.”

Customer: *Demanding* “Take the fudge graham cookies off of my order.” 

I obliged without saying another word. To this day, I have no idea if she was confused, trying to play by her own rules, or just trying to pull a fast one on me. Either way, it taught me that you truly never know what to expect in the world of retail!