It’s My Fault You Have No Money?

The gym I work at has memberships that include access to our tanning booths. We are legally required to ask members if they have tanning goggles before letting them use a tanning booth. This is something they agreed to when they signed up for a membership and signed the contract. However, the member doesn’t have to show us proof they have goggles. I’m currently working the desk for tanning booths when a member comes up.

Me: “Hi there! Just a few questions before I set you up. Do you have your tanning goggles?”

Member: “Yes.”

Me: “Okay, perfect. How long would you—”

Member: *Cutting me off* “Actually, I don’t.”

Me: “Oh, okay. Well, it is legally required for you to have them. We do have some for sale. They’re about $3.”

Member: “Can’t you just let me use it this one time?”

Me: “Since you did tell me you don’t have them, unfortunately, I can’t unless you do have a pair.”

Member: *Checks his pocket* “I don’t have any cash on me.”

Me: “Do you have a card?”

Member: “No! I don’t have my wallet on me. Do you take Apple Pay?”

Me: “We do.”

He checks his phone, but it turns out he doesn’t have Apple Pay set up. He is starting to get frustrated.

Me: “Let me check real quick and see if you have a card on your account.”

Member: “Okay.”

Me: “So, it looks like we don’t have a card added onto your account. I do apologize for that. We can set that up for you next time you come in and bring in a card. In the meantime, let me check your reward program and see if you have any points that we can use to redeem a pair.”

I check and he doesn’t have enough points. I inform him and apologize for the inconvenience. At this point, he is fuming with me.

Member: *Throws his hands up in the air* “You know what?! Forget it! You’re making this way too difficult.”

He storms out of the building and my manager comes over and asks what happened.

Manager: “Wait, so you offered him five different options, and he didn’t have anything set up, and yet it’s somehow your fault?”

Me: “Funny thing is, if he hadn’t changed his answer, I was about to send him to a booth.”