I am a teenager at my first job at a clothing store in the mall. We have closed for the day and have been assigned areas to zone. 

Manager: “I’ll come and check on everyone in about thirty minutes to see how things look. Chances are that if you have your area done, you can go home early.”

Excited, I go through my area and get everything tidied and presentable.

After thirty minutes, my manager collects us and walks through our areas. My coworker has barely done anything, while my manager is complimenting me on how well my area looks. 

Manager: “Well, [My Name], your spot looks great. [Coworker], I’m going to send you on home and have [My Name] finish up your area.”

I ended up staying past my regular scheduled time because they told me I had to until the area was presentable and I was naive. I never did that again.

I witness a customer shouting at a coworker about something before our manager is called over. The store is large, but the conversation is so loud I can hear most of it.

Customer: “I am a size six! Your assistant is trying to make me wear a size eight, and it’s mortifying! Train your staff to size their customers correctly or I will shop elsewhere!”

Manager: *Looking her up and down* “Yes, I can see that my assistant here has sized you incorrectly. Let me get that dress in your size.”

My manager comes back with a dress and the customer tries it on. She comes back out, and she looks amazing in it!

Customer: “This is much better! I’ll have you know that I have never been, nor will I ever let myself be a size eight!”

Manager: “Well, congratulations, ma’am, because you are not a size eight.”

Customer: *Smugly, to my coworker* “See! I told you.”

Manager: “You’re actually a size ten, and I must say, you look wonderful in that dress!”

The customer went red, looked at the dress, made a face, and changed out of it. She left the store as quickly as she could. 

Her attitude and opinion on female beauty standards sucked, but I do admit that she did look good in that dress. As a size ten myself, it went on my shopping list on my next pay day!

Our clothing store has a very basic return policy: within sixty days, unwashed, and unworn. Having to explain that to somebody when they try to return a T-shirt six months after they purchased it is bad enough, but we usually have to say yes but give them store credit at the current selling price.

This particular customer is throwing a tantrum when told this.

Customer: “Why can’t you just put the money back on my card?!”

Me: “Because it’s past sixty days. I can only return it for store credit and at the current selling price because you don’t have your receipt.”

Customer: “But I paid full price!“

Me: “I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I believe you, so I will give you the full price, but it will still have to be store credit.”

Customer: “I paid with my credit card! Get your manager so I can deal with someone competent!”

My manager has actually been nearby but has been allowing me to handle it (because usually I can). They step in and introduce themselves immediately.

Manager: “My associate has explained this to you multiple times. Either you’re not understanding, or you’re being stubborn in the hopes that we will give in. I have time for neither. Store credit or nothing. If I get called over again, it’ll just be nothing.” 

Customer: *Sheepishly* “…store credit.”

At the clothing store where I work, we can’t do returns without a receipt and the tags still on the item. My coworker knows this because she is still actively employed at our store, working every week.

What does she do? She takes the tag off, washes an item, and then tries it on and discovers that it doesn’t fit.

Then, she comes into the store demanding a refund — without tags or a receipt — and then wonders why we’re all staring at her making demands.

Related:
Refunder Blunder: The Calls Are Coming From Inside The House
Refunder Blunder, Part 61
Refunder Blunder, Part 60
Refunder Blunder, Part 59
Refunder Blunder, Part 58

I worked in domestic and international shipping for a special occasion dress company with stores in the US, Canada, and the UK. A customer who was having a dress specially made for her at our London store went a little nuts when her dress was a few days late.

This was during the [global health crisis], and you may have heard that there were a few supply chain issues during that time. The store emailed me to say that [Customer] was coming into the store as soon as it opened each day, refusing to leave until it closed, and loudly proclaiming to any customer entering that our store had stolen her money. Not even the police could get her to leave.

Finally, I received word that the dress had left Asia, reached Dubai, and was on a passenger plane headed to the US. I happily emailed London all these details to share with [Customer], with the promise that as soon as we got the dress, it would be on the next plane to London.

They replied ten minutes later that [Customer] was demanding I divert the plane to London for the sole purpose of taking her dress off of it. I told them to ask her how much power she thought I had as a lowly shipping admin.

I refused to answer any further inquiries about that dress.