Now That’s What You Call A Clap-Back

Awesome, Bosses/Owners/Managers, Impossible Demands, Jerk, Retail, UK | Right | October 1, 2021

Our manager is the owner’s daughter, so she can do more or less whatever she wants. Rather than using it to be a b**** or a bad boss, she uses that power to make sure none of us have to put up with a**hole customers.

I’m putting out some stock and a customer approaches me.

Me: “Hi there, how can I help you?”

Customer: “That stuff over there.” *Gestures to a shelf of figurines* “That was on sale last week.”

The stuff she is pointing at was indeed on sale for a few weeks, but now the sale is over.

Me: “Oh, yeah, the sale ended Sunday. Sorry. We have some items on sale over here.”

I try to lead her to a case where we have some items on sale but the customer glares at me.

Customer: “I wanted that ornament there.” *Jabs her finger at one of the figurines* “But it’s too expensive now.”

Me: “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do about it. We do have something similar over here. It’s a little smaller but—”

Customer: “I. Want. That. One.”

Me: “Oh, sure, I can get it down.”

Customer: “I want it at the sale price.”

I stop reaching for the figurine.

Me: “I can only give you it at the current price.”

The woman steps closer, getting right in my face.

Customer: “I wasn’t able to come in during the sale. I do shift work. It’s not fair that I missed the sale. I only missed it by a few days. I want the sale price or I’m not buying it.”

Me: “I can’t give you it for the sale price—”

The customer starts to raise her voice and begins clapping with every word she says.

Customer: *Clapping* “Get me your manager. Get me your manager. Get me your manager.”

My manager is already on her way over, eyes locked on the customer. I know that look on her face; it’s the “I’m about to kick you out” look.

Manager: “I’m the manager. What seems to be the problem here?”

Customer: “You had a sale a few days ago, but I was busy. I work nights. I couldn’t come in. I missed the sale. I want that ornament but I’m not paying full price for it. I asked your employee but that idiot wouldn’t—”

Manager: “My employees are not idiots. You either buy this at what it is priced now or you leave. I am not giving you a discount. It’s not our fault you couldn’t find time to come in when we had the sale.”

The woman starts doing her weird clapping thing again.

Customer: *Clapping* “Give me the sale price!”

Manager: *Clapping back* “Get out of my store.”

The customer is shocked to have been clapped back at and shuts up. She stares at my manager, confused.

Customer: “You’re not really the manager. You can’t be.”

Manager: *Clapping* “Get out of my store.”

Customer: “You can’t do this—”

Manager: “You are banned. Get out of the store.”

At first, the customer refused to leave until she got her way, but my manager shut her down by saying if she didn’t leave right now, she would call the police. This seemed to do the trick and the customer left in a hurry, but not before hurling insults at us and threatening to call the head office and the papers.

My manager took genuine complaints seriously, and if we were rude to customers we’d be in trouble. She just had zero tolerance for bulls*** complaints like this.

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