It’s Curtains For Your Price!

(I am in a decent-sized secondhand store run by three separate church organizations. The people working there work for no pay, so it is mainly senior citizens. My brother and I are there to pick up a shelf after work. I overhear a nasty old lady walk up to one of the workers who is hunched over when he walks — some kind of back problem I assume — is soft-spoken, and was very polite when we talked to him earlier.)

Lady: “How much for this curtain hanger? It has no price tag.”

Worker: “15 kroner.”

Lady: “How can it be that much? I bought one before from here just like this one for just 10 kroner; why is it so expensive?”

(Off she goes with the hanger and I assume she’s changed her mind, so I keep on focusing on taking apart the shelf so I can bring it back home. Lo and behold, back she comes, this time with a manager.)

Lady: “Him. He promised me it was 15 kroner.”

Manager: “I don’t know why he would say it’s 15 kroner when it’s actually priced 30. But if he promised you 15 kroner, then you can have it for 15 and he will be retrained in regards to pricing.”

(I wish I had spoken out about her alleged claim of the low price she’d made at the start but I was so focused on getting the shelf and going home so I just kept quiet. It was pretty clear to me that she was trying to scam a lower price when she didn’t lead with the lowest price of ten kroner.)