As I’ve advanced in my pregnancy, I’ve found that I need new underwear, and the store I get them from usually has them at good quality for pretty cheap. Imagine my delight when I walk in the day I decide to go shopping, and the prices on certain styles are now on clearance for an even lower price! However, there’s a snafu at the register that leaves me and both cashiers more than a little confused.

Cashier #1: “Huh. This particular pair is ringing up as a sweater. Just go grab another one from that clearance table, I guess.”

Me: “Sure thing.”

I get another pair in the same style and print… and the same thing happens! [Cashier #1] sighs in frustration.

Cashier #1: “I’m worried this is gonna be an issue with the whole batch…”

She calls [Cashier #2] over, and [Cashier #2] sees that the barcodes are the same.

Cashier #2: “Yeah, that’s gonna be a no-go on this particular style if they both rang that way. Ma’am, so that you have the right number of pairs for the sale, can you go pick something different?”

I did just that, and sure enough, it worked. I was very happy with the sale, but I’m glad I was the only one in the store, because as [Cashier #1] rang me up, poor [Cashier #2] then had to go through all the clearance bins and clear out the pairs that had the barcode issue. I don’t even know how you would fix something like that.

I work in a clothing store with a target audience of mothers and their families. Our clothing is fairly cheap but is actually good quality. We get a fair number of elderly people because of the suburb I’m in.

I’m cleaning up the sleepwear section which is next to the plus-size ladies’ section. I see an older woman seeing how a dress would look on her. As part of customer service, we’re told to ask customers if they need assistance.

Me: “Can I help you with anything?”

Customer: *Seems very disappointed* “This dress is no good. I want this one but it’s broken, see?”

She shows me that there are “missing buttons” at the top of the dress. I’m not exactly sure how to break it to her that she’s wrong.

Me: “Um, that’s part of the design.”

Customer: “No, no, it’s broken. I have to get it tailored. And the stitching is so messy, too.”

She shows me the back’s stitching which is slightly gathered… part of the design.

Me: “I’m so sorry about that. Would you like me to grab another one for y—”

Customer: “There’s none there. They’re all size twenty and I need eighteen.”

Me: “I can have a look—”

Customer: “No. There’s none left. Can you give me a discount for this? It’s all broken and I have to get it tailored.”

Me: “Um, I can ask my manager for you?”

Customer: “It’s okay. I’ll ask them at the registers.” *Walks away*

Sometimes when there are a lot of customers waiting, they’ll call up someone from the shop floor to help serve, so they call me up. On the way there, I decide to see if the customer was correct and that there were no size eighteens left. Turns out, there is one other size eighteen. I bring the dress with me. I walk up to the registers and the first person I serve is the woman.

Customer: “I need a discount for this; it’s broken. It should be around $20 now.”

The original price is $30. Conveniently, my manager just walks behind the counter.

Me: “[Manager], can you help this customer?”

Manager: “What’s wrong?”

The customer tells her what she told me and demands $10 off. I show my manager the other size eighteen I found and show her and the customer that it’s designed like that.

Manager: “I can give you 10% off.”

Customer: “How much is that?”

Manager: “It will be $27.”

Customer: “Can’t you make it $20? I need to pay for tailoring now because of bad making.”

Manager: “I’m sorry, I can only give you 10%”

The customer decided she didn’t want the dress.

I overhear two women trying on outfits in a clothing store.

Customer: “Is this too sexy? I can’t be too sexy, or I end up with more kids.”

I work in a clothing retail store where, most of the time, our clearance section has an extra sale. I’m working the register when one of my coworkers comes and asks me for help with a customer. She has a pair of slippers from clearance and one of them has a sticker from a different pair of shoes.

Customer: “The sticker says they’re $28! I found them in the sale section so they’re an extra 60%!”

I look at the sticker, which is for a pair of high heels — not even close to slippers.

Me: “Ma’am, it looks like this sticker is for a pair of our high heels. We searched the price of the slippers today and they’re $23 with the extra 60%.”

Customer: “No. The sticker says it’s $28! You have to give it to me at that price!”

I look at the sticker again.

Me: “Ma’am. The sticker says $128. Not $28.”

Customer: “Oh. Never mind, then. $23 is way too expensive.”

She left in a huff and my coworker and I just sighed and laughed it off.

Customer: “Excuse me, I was in your [Location] branch and there was a pair of trousers.”

They describe the trousers.

Me: “Yes, I know the ones you’re looking for. What size do you need? I’ll fetch them for you.”

Customer: “No, I don’t need the trousers, but in [Location], they were right next to a really nice top.”

Me: “So, you’re looking for the top? Can you describe that to me?”

Customer: “Yes, it was next to the trousers I just described.”

Come on… How much can you really want a top that you can’t even describe?!