Pig-Headed About The Tickets

(It’s a very busy day with a popular new family film playing. As many customers now simply pre-order tickets online and print them off at the box office, things are going smoothly, until a man and his four kids approach me. He puts his phone down, displaying a screenshot of the QR code we have to scan to print. I try scanning it three times, but I keep getting an error message, so I try manually entering the confirmation number twice. It doesn’t work either time.)

Me: “Hmm… Any chance you can show me the confirmation e-mail on your phone, sir? If I see it, I can probably just let you in without having to print tickets.”

Customer: “Sure.”

(He brings up the email and I instantly notice the error… he’s bought tickets for the wrong theater.)

Me: “Oh, jeez. I’m sorry, sir, but you’ve actually bought tickets from [Competitor]. Thankfully, your show doesn’t begin for nearly twenty minutes, so you might be able to make it just in time if you head over there now.”

Customer: “Just print ‘em out and I’ll see it here.”

Me: “Unfortunately, sir, I can’t do that.”

Customer: “Why?”

Me: “Because you bought tickets from our competitor. I can’t print your tickets out as our system won’t recognize them.”

Customer: “But I spent $40 on tickets!”

Me: “I’m really sorry, but I really can’t give you these tickets.”

Customer: “Just let me in for free, then.”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that, sir.”

Customer: “But I spent money on tickets! Moolah! Cash! Now you’re telling me I can’t have the tickets I bought!”

Me: “You certainly can, sir. They can be redeemed at the theater you purchased them from. But I won’t be able to honor your purchase here as you bought tickets from our competitor.”

Customer: *becoming aggressive* “Well, tough. I’m not getting back into my car and driving over there. I’m already here. Why won’t you give me the tickets I purchased?”

Me: “Sir… you bought tickets from our competitor. I have absolutely no way of printing them out here.”

Customer: “Just do your f****** job!”

Me: “If you want, I can get you a manager.”

Customer: “Fine. If you’re not going to help me, you bet I’m gonna get your a** fired!”

(I summon a manager who then spends nearly five minutes trying to explain to him that we have no way to redeem the tickets he purchased. He has started to blame me, and demand I be fired because in his mind, it’s my fault he bought tickets to the wrong theater. Of course my manager refuses. At one point, to try and calm him down, we offer him some free popcorn vouchers, and he finally concedes to buy tickets for the showtime at our theater. My manager rings him out, not wanting me to have to deal with him, as he’s continuing to demand I be fired or punished. A few hours later, he walks up to me right as he’s leaving…)

Customer: “Thanks for making me waste $40, you fat hog!”

(He then made pig oinking noises at me, and glared at me as he walked out of the door. Yes, he actually oinked at me… a man who was at least in his mid 40s, making fun of a guy in his 20s, because HE bought the wrong tickets.)