Has Some Serious Bag Baggage

(I work in a fairly high-end department store in the handbag department. Recently we’ve started contracting with a secondhand vendor to sell either retired display models or used and refurbished handbags from an haute couture French designer — an average price range $1000 for a bag. While some of the bags are actually used, some were only on display in the store or carried by a model in a fashion show, which in the designer’s eyes is enough to be “used,” but for the average person is no big deal. People get very excited about the bags and we sell a lot of them.)

Customer: “Can I see this bag?”

Me: “Of course!” *pulls bag out of case* “These bags are from [Secondhand Vendor], so they’re all either retired display models or used and refurbished.”

(I may as well have said, based on the horror with which this woman reacted: “These bags are made out of human skin by Satan himself.”)

Customer: *literally DROPS bag as if it burned her, lets out horrified gasp* “They’re USED? I don’t want a USED handbag!” *literally RUNS several feet away before turning around, waving, and saying* “Thank you!”

(If she hadn’t run off, I could’ve told her that based on its condition, the bag she was looking at had in fact likely never been used more than sitting on display in a store, but oh well. I’m sure we’ll sell it to someone who’s excited to be able to buy a bag at a lower retail price when they’re otherwise unavailable in our state!)