Our store has a loyalty program for customers, and when you sign up you receive some coupons to be used on your following purchases. They can’t be used the day you sign up; there is one coupon for each of the following three months. The customer needs to bring their coupon into the store to redeem it.

However, some customers forget their coupons, and while we have the ability to check their account and their purchase history, it’s frowned upon by management and it’s easier for everyone if they bring the coupon to the store.

I overhear this transaction between a woman and my coworker. 

Customer: “Oh, and I have a coupon to use today.”

Coworker: “Great. Do you have the coupon with you?”

Customer: “No, I left it at home.”

Coworker: “Oh, you really need to bring the coupon with you to the store. I’ll check your account to make sure you haven’t already used it. I’ll do it today, but in future, you’ll need to bring it with you.”

The customer sighs and crosses her arms. 

Customer: “Well, that’s ridiculous. What if I forget it next time? Does that mean I won’t be able to use it?!”

Coworker: “Well… yes. They need to be treated like any other coupon or gift card.”

The customer is getting increasingly more annoyed.

Customer: “That’s just stupid that I’m expected to bring them in. You should just log it all in my system. I work in programming so I know it’s possible!”

Coworker: “Just don’t forget it next time.”

Customer: “I think I’m going to write to your corporate about this. This system is ridiculous.”

Coworker: “Okay. Don’t forget your coupon next time!”

Related:
The Couponator 16: Enter The Entree
The Couponator 15: The Transaction Void
The Couponator 14: Multiple Attack
The Couponator 13: Coupons Of Purchases Past
The Couponator 12: The Special Competition

A few years ago I worked for a pretty low fund video store (Civic Video). I opened occasionally in the mornings, but mostly closed at nights after being on shift from 5-8pm. As with any retail job you get to know regulars. On this particular occasion, the regular is an overweight woman who’s been striving to lose some of it. As an overweight man myself I sympathised with her struggle. She was pretty nice and always seemed to love a chat, so on slow nights I’d wander around the store cleaning the shelves along the general direction she’s walking, thinking to stay in range of any conversation we may be having.

One night she comes in, and as usual I say hello and ask he how she’s doing. She’s obviously made a lot of progress with her weight loss, so to be nice and encourage her I say “Hey, you’re losing a good deal of weight, you look good! Keep it up!”. She does her shopping, leaves, and I think nothing else of it until the next day. As I’m closing up that next night my boss calls, which is a usual thing. He likes to make checkups on how the shifts gone, and he proceeds to inform me that she’s rung up to complain about me. I asked for the specifics and he tells me she’s threatened to go to the police and file charges against me for sexual harassment, claiming I follow her around the store, pay too much attention to her and make lewd comments. I was crushed. I loved working with people and to have such accusations levied against me with a bare minimum chance to defend myself left me feeling distraught. I quit the job a few weeks later.

We work and live in a family-run pub and hotel. Due to the current lockdown and restrictions, we have had to close, as there is no way for us to operate safely and follow restrictions put in place.

All accommodation has been closed as well as most other tourism businesses. This happens about two weeks into the restrictions. We are having dinner and the phone rings. I answer the phone on instinct because I’m next to it when it rings.

Me: “Hello, how can I help you?”

Customer: “Can I book a room?”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, we are currently closed due to restrictions.”

Customer: “But can I book a room?”

Me: “As I said, we are closed due to the restrictions and not operating the business.”

Customer: “So I can’t get a room?”

Me: “No, we are currently closed.”

Customer: “I’m a truck driver and I’m in town and need somewhere to stay.”

Me: “As I explained, we are closed due to the restrictions, and I believe so are the caravan park and other pubs, so I’m not sure where you can try.”

Customer: “Well, that’s just stupid.”

He then hung up rather abruptly. I get that it’s frustrating, but we didn’t choose to be closed; we had no option!

My husband’s brother moved in with us two years ago and has not paid anything towards board and food, even though we agreed on an amount for him to pay just after he moved in. My husband has been too spineless to insist on him paying us.

My husband was stood down when his workplace closed down due to the global outbreak; he would be paid for a limited period of time but was under the threat of going without pay. I told him he had to talk to his brother about paying us.

Again, he’s been too spineless, so I bring the subject up.

Brother-In-Law: “I was just waiting for you to tell me how much you wanted.”

He knew because he had to claim the amount on his unemployment so he could get rent assistance from the time he moved in. Later, I remind my husband of that and he gets pissed.

Later that night, as we’re trying to watch a movie, we hear [Brother-In-Law] calling to my husband because he can’t work out how to do something on his computer. My husband sighs and pauses the movie.

Husband: “What’s wrong?”

Brother-In-Law: *Whining* “I can’t work out how to do this.”

Husband: “What are you trying to do?”

His brother is still whining but with a bit more emphasis on certain words.

Brother-In-Law: “Well, I’m trying to pay you but I can’t find out how to transfer money from my account. It won’t let me transfer.”

I can see where he is hoping that this is going to end up — with spineless [Husband] telling him not to worry about paying us — as he puts on the whining voice to get out of things because people feel sorry for him, but for once, my husband isn’t backing down.

Husband: “You can pay tomorrow after you call the bank and get it sorted. I’m going back to my movie.”

Brother-In-Law: *Sounding disappointed* “Oh, okay.”

I was proud of my husband at that moment. I don’t know how his brother thought he could convince us that he couldn’t work out how to transfer money seeing that he transfers hundreds of dollars each month to pay for online purchases. He used to receive two or more packages most weekdays, but since he’s been paying what he owes, it’s gone down to about once a week.

For years, according to my grandmother and father, I could never do anything right. I couldn’t look after my children or feed them properly, wasn’t good enough for my husband, didn’t earn what my siblings did… The list goes on.

Since my grandmother passed, I have noticed changes in my father towards me. He’s seen me step up to help my disabled younger brother when both sisters claimed they were too busy, I have never had my hand out for money as those higher earners have, never lived beyond my means, and never dumped my children on them to go out partying.

There are still times when he says things about my house — I’ve never been the tidiest of people but do like things to be clean — and it took a while to stop being compared to my Grandmother.

I am helping clean up after a meal at my parent’s place, wiping the crumbs off the counter into my hand and putting them in the bin. I look up to see Dad staring at me.

Dad: “Your grandmother would never have done it that way.”

Me: *Internally cringing* “Done what?”

Dad: “She would have just wiped those onto the floor and left them for someone else.”

I took that as a sign of his approval.