One Annoying Mother-Pricer

I handle all the incoming toys and kids’ stuff at our thrift store. I have difficulty working with numbers due to autism, so the pricing is done by either our store manager or the owner’s mother, who mostly works the clothing section.

I’d rather have the store manager do it. She’s fast, thorough, and good at guessing prices based on the condition of the item and such. This is not the case with the owner’s mother. She has been reprimanded for pricing items too high several times, and the manager told me to call her to do the pricing if she was available.

Today, the store manager is very busy and not present in the back room where I’m working. The pile of toys to be priced is growing, and I need to step out for a bit to use the bathroom. When I return, I see the owner’s mother at my table, price gun in hand, working her way through the pile.

Owner’s Mother: “Hey, [My Name], I saw that you had a lot that needed pricing so I stepped up to help. Nice of me, isn’t it?”

Me: “You did get the memo that [Store Manager] would rather handle the pricing herself, right?”

Owner’s Mother: “She’s busy, and I had some time on my hands, so I thought I’d help you out. I’m sure she doesn’t mind.” *Holds up a game box* “Oh, what’s this?”

Me: “It’s [Well-Known Board Game], as you can see.”

Owner’s Mother: “And what does it do? What should I price it as?”

Me: “I don’t know. Erm… two euro… fifty?”

She does this with almost every item she has in her hands. That’s one of the many reasons I’d rather not have her do the pricing. After she asks me for the umpteenth time, I get fed up.

Me: “Look, most of the games have the name and an image on the box that tells you what it is. You can use your eyes.”

Owner’s Mother: *With a sugary sweet smile* “That’s true, but asking you is so much quicker and more convenient for me. Ooh, what’s this, then?”

She’s almost worked her way through so I’d rather just have her be done so I can go and shelve the items. Once she’s done and I wheel my cart of priced goods out to the shop floor, I bump into [Store Manager].

Store Manager: “I’m on my way to price your stuff, [My Name]! O-oh… it’s already priced?”

Me: “Yeah. [Owner’s Mother] couldn’t help herself.”

Store Manager: *Sighs* “Right. Okay. Your shift’s almost over, is it? Just… shelve the items, and the first thing you do tomorrow is take a price gun, compare the prices on similar items, and see what you can fix, okay? I’ll have a word with her. Again.”