Needs A Timeout With Her Juice

(I am serving a plate to a customer. Before I can even set it down on her table, she reaches out to grab it and knocks over her glass bottle of juice. Note that the juice is from a grocery store across the street.)

Customer: “My juice!”

Me: “Uh-oh! Let me sweep that up before someone gets hurt. Don’t worry; accidents happen!”

Customer: “That was $6!”

Me: “Oh, no! How about I get you a cup of whatever drink you’d like?”

Customer: “I only drank half of it!”

Me: “Aw… Well, like I said, I’ll get you a free cup as soon as I sweep up this glass.”

Customer: *starts crying* “I don’t want a free cup; I want my juice!”

Me: “I understand; however, your juice is from [Grocery Store] and is not something we sell here. Therefore, I’m afraid I can’t give you an exact replacement.”

Customer: “I know that! I want some sort of compensation!”

Me: “What would you like, if not the cup, ma’am?”

Customer: “Money! At least give me back what I spent on my juice! It was $6! I didn’t even finish it! It was $6!”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I don’t have $6 to give you.”

Customer: “You knocked it over on purpose!” *screaming* “I WANT TO SPEAK TO A MANAGER!”

Me: “Sure thing. I’ll go get him.”

(I pull my manager aside and explain how my customer accidentally knocked over her drink. We go over to the customer.)

Manager: “Hi, ma’am. What seems to be the problem?”

Customer: “This b**** knocked over my drink! I want compensation!”

Manager: *explains what I already told her*

Customer: “THEN I WANT A REFUND! SHE DID IT ON PURPOSE!”

Manager: “All right, ma’am. Wait here.”

(As he turns away, one of my other tables calls him over for a moment. My manager performs the refund, then returns to the customer.)

Manager: “All right, here’s your change for the refund.”

Customer: *counts change* “YOU STILL OWE ME $6 FOR MY JUICE!”

Manager: “Ma’am, I have eyewitnesses that confirm that you, in fact, knocked your own drink over. I gave you your money back, regardless. Now, stop harassing my employee and me, or I will have you removed from the building.”

Customer: *falls silent*

(She finished her food. She actually had the nerve to later ask me for a nickel in exchange for five pennies. That nickel ended up being my tip. Luckily, the customers from my other table complimented my customer service after she left, and they left me a 50% tip!)