I am a shift manager. A customer pulls up to the speaker in the drive-thru and gives my crew member a hard time about her coupon. This coupon is two combo meals for $8.99 (plus tax). She also wants to add two twenty-ounce drinks, which are another $1.79 each.

The customer is yelling and complaining about the price. My crew member (in tears!) comes to me and asks me to deal with her. It’s the middle of the lunch rush and I am protective of my crew members – don’t make them cry! I approach the window.

Me: “I’m the manager. What seems to be the problem?”

Customer: “Why is it almost $15?! The coupon is for $8.99 and I know extra drinks ain’t cost that much!”

Me: “There is a 6% sales tax on everything. The coupon itself even says so. Also, it looks like you requested to add cheese, which is an additional $0.50 per sandwich, and you wanted to go heavy on all the toppings on one, which is an additional $0.60. Also, those additional drinks added around $3.50 to your bill, as well. That’s why it’s not $8.99.”

Customer: “Okay, fine, take off one of the drinks.”

Me: “Okay, so your total is now [over $12].”

Customer: “Seriously? Okay, fine, take off the other one, too.”

Me: “All right, so your total is now [over $10].”

Customer: “It’s $8.99.”

Me: “There’s still a tax, ma’am. Also, the extra cheese and toppings you wanted are adding an additional dollar or so to your bill.”

Customer: “Fine!”

She takes forever to dig up change and the line is growing behind her. I hand her food over and the drinks that came with her coupon bundle.

Me: “Have a good day.”

Customer: “Where’s my other Sprite?”

Me: “You took it off, remember? The coupon came with two drinks so you have your two Sprites.”

Customer: “GIVE ME MY SPRITE! I PAID FOR IT!”

I print out another receipt, showing her that she is wrong.

Me: “You didn’t pay for it.”

Customer: “GIVE ME MY SPRITE!”

Me: “I can’t do that for you unless you pay for it.”

Customer: “GIVE ME MY SPRITE!”

Me: “You already got your two drinks that came with the coupon. You didn’t pay for additional drinks, remember?”

Customer: “GIVE ME MY F****** SPRITE SO I CAN GET THE F*** OUT OF HERE!”

We lock eyes and stare into each other’s souls for what feels like an eternity. Cars behind her are honking. Suddenly, I have an idea.

Me: “Okay one second.”

I pour a carbonated water, which looks identical to Sprite.

Me: “ENJOY YOUR FREE DRINK!”

I slam the window shut and she drives off.

I know it’s petty, and normally, I wouldn’t have done something like this, but I promise you she deserved it.

This story is part of our Best Of October 2020 roundup!

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Read the Best Of October 2020 roundup!

A woman approaches the customer service desk with a receipt and a stack of coupons.

Me: “Hi, how can—”

Customer: “I need credit for these.”

Me: “Let’s see what we have here.”

I begin sorting through the pile; a quick tally tells me she has over $50 in coupons. I look at the receipt.

Me: “Um… you had all of these coupons when you bought these items?”

I hold up the receipt.

Customer: “Yes. So?”

Me: “Well… these coupons came out in yesterday’s paper and this receipt is six months old.”

Customer: “Well, you… I… they should have come out sooner!”

Me: “I’m sorry, I can’t do this. I couldn’t even use this receipt for a regular return.”

Customer: “Why not?”

Me: “Because it’s six months old and we have a ninety-day return policy. These coupons were not issued when you purchased these items.”

Customer: *Smugly* “Then I’ll return everything and buy it again.”

Me: “With a valid receipt?”

Customer: “You’re holding it!”

Me: “Ma’am, this receipt is out of date. It’s invalid. I’m sorry, my hands are tied.”

Customer: “You b****! I need this money!”

Me: “There’s nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”

Customer: “I’ll have your job for this!”

Me: *Deep breath* “Have a nice day, ma’am.”

She stormed out. I was told the next day that a complaint had been made against me, saying I had laughed at the woman and called her poor, ripping up her coupons and blowing the bits in her face. The manager checked the video while the woman was on the phone, recounting exactly what he saw as it happened. When he asked about the timing of her accusations, the woman screeched and hung up.

Related:
The Couponator 19: Fast Food & Furious
The Couponator 18: The Digital Revolution
The Couponator 17: Attack Of The “Programmer”
The Couponator 16: Enter The Entree
The Couponator 15: The Transaction Void

I work in a secondhand store. A customer comes to my till to cash out with two packages of lined paper.

Customer: “I think I should get a discount on this paper since it’s past its expiration date.”

I’m very confused, since I have never seen an expiration date on paper before, and I start looking for a date on the paper. After a couple of seconds, I realize what she’s talking about.

Me: “Ma’am, that’s not the expiration date of the paper; it’s the expiration date of the coupon. Paper doesn’t have an expiration date.”

Customer: “Well, I can’t use the coupon that comes with it so I should get a discount.”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but it’s already at its lowest possible price.”

It’s $0.99.

Customer: “Fine, but I don’t think that’s fair!”

Related:
Leaving A Paper-Fail

I am working in the drive-thru. The store is running a promotion where if an order takes over three minutes to assemble from paying — not ordering — they receive a voucher for a free burger. If we have to park your order, then you automatically get a voucher. It is one voucher per car, regardless of how many orders are in the car.

There have been a lot of people running scams to try and get extra vouchers, taking three minutes to order and then complaining, adding to the order at the payment window, claiming their drink order is incorrect at the window, etc.

There is a timer screen at the pickup window so people can see if they are close to three minutes; some people sit and “check” and then claim they deserve one because we force them to check.

Basically, we are all sick of getting yelled at for assembling the orders too quickly because it means they don’t get a voucher. Please note that the three-minute clock is separate to our drive-thru times, so we will often park cars to keep our best times in drive-thru, which is what the managers check anyway, not how many vouchers we give away.

Manager: “You will need to park this car; it’s two orders and the one behind it is ready. That way we won’t lose both cars and we will stay on 100% for our drive-thru times.”

Me: “No worries.”

I speak to the car.

Me: “Hi there. Here are your drinks. So sorry but there is a small wait on your order, so if you can please park in waiting bay number one, then we will run it out to you when it is ready.”

Customer: “I want a voucher, then.”

Me: “Yes, you will receive one; it will be bought out with your orders. If I can please—”

Customer: “No! We have two orders, so we will each be getting a voucher.”

Me: “Actually, it is one per car, regardless of how many orders, so—”

Customer: “No! We have two. That’s two orders and they will both be late. So we get two vouchers!”

This goes on for a minute or so; they keep insisting they deserve two. I show them the terms and conditions pamphlet.

Me: “As you can see, it is one per car—”

Customer: “NO, NO, NO! I’m being very reasonable and I’m trying to explain to you how things should be when we are having to wait.”

Manager: “[My Name], don’t worry about it; we’ve dropped the car and it’s being brought over.”

My manager hands me the order.

Me: “Here are your orders; have a nice day.”

Customer: “Wait, where are our vouchers?”

Me: “Well, because you refused to park your car, we have actually beaten the three minutes, as you can see by the timer.”

Customer: “NO, NO—”

Me: “As you can see, we have beaten three minutes; have a nice day!”

Customer: “I WANT A MANAGER! I WILL SIT HERE UNTIL IT SAYS THREE MINUTES!”

Manager: “We beat the clock; you should have listened to [My Name]. Also, you have caused a delay at lunchtime; every car behind you will receive a voucher, but you will not.”

My manager walks away, leaving me at the window with my customer service smile on.

Customer: *Sheepishly* “So, uh, if I park now, then I will get the one voucher?”

Me: “No, if you park now you will be illegally parked in our waiting bay. You refused to park, allowing us to beat the clock. If you had parked, you would have received one voucher. Sitting here now is only causing your food to get cold and the people behind you to wait longer, but none of this will change our minds regarding the voucher as we now have to give one to everyone else.”

I turn as I hear laughter behind me. The shift manager, store manager, and owner are standing behind me, all laughing.

Owner: “You heard her. Out of drive-thru before she gives you a hair toss and a victory dance.”

The customer drove off.

I am ringing up a guest’s food purchases, and I scan her coupons from her phone app. She is intending to use one for $1 off any vegetable.

Guest: “Why isn’t it taking off the vegetable coupon?”

Me: “It doesn’t appear that you purchased any vegetables today. I’m sorry about that; would you like me to hold your items while you get one?”

Guest: “I did buy a vegetable! That tomato!”

Me: *Laughing* “Oh, I see. Tomatoes are actually fruits, though! That’s why it isn’t counting.”

Guest: “What? Tomatoes are vegetables; you’re trying to scam me!”

Me: “No, technically, they are fruits.”

Guest: “That is a matter of opinion!”

Me: “Not really.”

She went over to my manager, who manually took off the coupon for her, apologizing for the fact that tomatoes are, indeed, fruits.