It’s Gonna Be Them, This I Promise You

(A customer comes into the music store where I work and asks me and my coworker if we can identify a song for him.  He sings a little bit and I immediately recognize it as being by NSYNC.)

Customer: “No, I’m sure it’s not them. A woman sings it.”

Me: “I’m sure the song you were singing is by NSYNC. I’ll show you the CD.”

Coworker: “She’s right, sir. The song you want is definitely by NSYNC.”

Customer: “It’s by a WOMAN! I’ll find it myself!”

(A little while later, the customer comes up to the register with a CD by Alicia Keys.)

Customer: “This has to be it! It sounds just like her!”

Me: “Okay, but I have to warn you that we do not give refunds on open CDs, so if you find out this isn’t the right one you won’t be able to return it.”

Customer: “I’m sure it’s the right one!”

Me: “You’re sure you don’t want to give the NSYNC one a try?”

Customer: “It’s not by them! I told you already!”

(I sell the man the CD and watch as he walks across the parking lot to his car. He sits in his car for a few minutes, gets out, and starts to head back to the store with the CD and wrapper in his hand.)

Customer: “This isn’t the song I wanted! I need to return this!”

Me: “Unfortunately, as I said a few minutes ago, we cannot give refunds for CDs that have been opened.”

Customer: “But I just bought it!”

Me: “I understand that, but I told you before you bought it that it was not right one. You didn’t want to listen to me.”

(The customer and I go back and forth for a few minutes.)

Me: “Look, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll let you exchange this CD for the NSYNC one.”

Customer: “It’s not them! It’s a woman!”

Me: “Humor me. I’ll let you exchange this CD for the NSYNC one and if it turns out that I’m wrong, I’ll give you a refund. What have you got to lose?”

Customer: “This is a waste of my time! Fine!”

Me: *gets the CD for him and does the exchange*

Customer: “I’ll be back for my refund!”

(Again, I watch the man walk to his car. Not surprisingly, after listening to the CD for a few minutes, he starts his car and then drives off.)