Layaway Stayaway

(I work for a women’s clothing store that has filed for bankruptcy and is going out of business. We have a customer that will put things on layaway and then forget about them until we call her to come pick up her stuff. About a month before we are going to close for good, she comes into the store.)

Customer: “I just heard you’re going to close! That’s awful. I love this store!”

Me: “I’m sorry, too. You’ve been a good customer of ours.”

Customer: “Well, I’m going to get some things while I can!”

(She shops for about half an hour before coming to the register.)

Customer: “I’d like to put these things on layaway, please.”

Me: “Of course, ma’am, but I have to tell you that all merchandise must be picked up before [date], because we will be closing our doors shortly after.”

Customer: “Of course. Of course. I understand. I’ll be back in to pick everything up next week.”

(I process the layaway and take her deposit payment of about thirty dollars.)

Me: “All right, ma’am, your layaway has been processed, and, just to remind you, it has to be paid for and picked up by [date]. We’re closing our doors a couple of weeks after that and we can’t have any merchandise left in the store. Any layaways left here will be returned and refunded.”

Customer: “Of course, I’ll be in next week! I promise!”

(Sure enough, the final day comes, and we’ve called her numerous times to tell her she has to pick up her things or have us return them for her, but she hasn’t come in or returned our calls.)

Boss: “Well, we have to do a return and process a refund.”

(We did the return, but she had paid in cash, so she would have to come into the store to pick up her refund. Two weeks later, after many voicemails, she has not come in to pick up her cash.)

Boss: “Lunch is on [Customer] today. She’ll have to go through the bankruptcy court now to get her money back.”

(To this day, I have no idea if she ever remembered she had left cash at the store.)