I work at a large craft store and it was almost closing time. I was at a register waiting for stragglers to check out, and I had my back toward the exit, which is right behind the registers. There was nobody coming up, so I was looking around, and I noticed a woman walking quickly behind me toward the exit.

By the time I saw her, she was already turning toward the doors and walking into the foyer which leads to the outside entrance, and I only saw her back and a little of her side, enough that I noticed her arms were crossed over her chest like she was holding something against it. I didn’t think much of it and just yelled, “Have a good night!”

I guess she was so focused on getting out of the store that she didn’t notice me standing there, so when I spoke to her, she startled really badly and dropped what she was holding. It was a little vase that cost like ten dollars. So, immediately, I walked toward her out into the foyer. I don’t know why she stayed there; she could have just booked it and I wouldn’t have followed her.

Me: “Are you planning to pay for that vase?”

I said it kind of in a snarky way, but it was late, and I was too tired for this bull.

Woman: *Huffy* “Yes.”

I picked up the vase to bring it to my register and check her out.

I don’t know if that set her off or what, but she suddenly got PISSED and snatched the vase away from me.

Woman: “I paid for this! Stop putting your dirty paws being all over my property!”

I already knew what this was going turn into, so I went to the registers, picked up a phone, and paged for my manager. A couple of my coworkers came up to the registers.

Woman: “She tried to steal my property, she accused me of shoplifting, and she yelled at me!”

They all knew she was lying already because I’m a very quiet, shy person, and I’ve never raised my voice, let alone yelled at someone at work.

Woman: “Call the cops! She physically cornered me and I was afraid for my life!”

Now, this woman was five or six inches taller than me and bigger in general. There’s no way I could have intimidated her that much.

My coworkers and I just let her carry on until my manager got there, and it turned out that he had been suspicious of her earlier and had been checking the cameras. She tried to start her bullcrap on him about having me arrested and stuff.

Manager: “I already know you haven’t paid for anything. You need to leave and stop harassing my employees.”

Woman: “I’ll be calling corporate!”

Manager: “Go ahead.”

She stormed out after that.

The kicker of this whole thing was that she was wearing what seemed like expensive clothes and nice jewelry, and when we watched her leave, it was in a car that looked pretty new/expensive. And she was trying to steal and make a big fuss over a little ten-dollar vase?

My coworker and I have finished most of our closing duties. We are just waiting for the last customer to finish up so we can go home for the night. We have checked in with her a few times and helped pick out some supplies for learning to knit. She finally comes up to the counter and pays before dropping this gem.

Customer: “So, you guys can teach me how to knit, right?”

My coworker grabs the class sign-up book and starts into our spiel on dates and teachers, but the lady interrupts.

Customer: “No, like, now. It isn’t busy and it’ll just take a minute.”

Me: “Umm, I’m sorry, but we have to close up and go home now.”

She looks disappointed, but we recommend some books and YouTube tutorials and suggest she come back for a class if she needs to. We finally get her out the door and turn off the lights, but she stands outside for a while before knocking on the door. When my soft-hearted but assertive coworker checks on her, she says:

Customer: “Are you sure neither of you could teach me right now? You are done with work!”

I didn’t hear what my coworker said to her, but the customer finally left, and we made our escape!

I am working at the customer service desk at a craft store when the phone rings.

Customer: “Hi, do you have any geese?”

Me: “Uh… geese?”

Customer: “Yeah, like a little goose to put on your desk?”

I figure she means a figurine or a plushie. It’s close to Easter, so maybe we have something in our seasonal section.

Me: “If you hold for a minute, I’ll go check for you.”

I look in our seasonal Easter section but don’t find much.

Me: “Ma’am, I found some duck plushies, but no geese.”

Customer: “Well, do the ducks look like geese?”

Me: *Utterly dumbfounded* “Umm… I’m sorry, but I’m not an expert on the differences between ducks and geese. You could come in and look at our selection to see if anything works for you?”

Customer: “Okay, thank you!”

The customer was polite and friendly the whole time. But really, who calls a craft store looking for geese?

I am working at the fabric counter in a craft store when a little old man wanders in, looking extremely lost and clutching a scrap of fabric for dear life.

Me: “Hello! Can I help you find something?”

Customer: *Very hesitantly holds out the fabric scrap* “My wife sent me to get more of this fabric.”

Me: “No problem! This looks like a cotton quilting fabric. Let’s go over to that section and see if we can find a match.”

I take the customer to the quilting fabrics section and start looking for a match. As I look, the customer stands nearby, still seeming confused. I finally find a fabric that’s a close match, but because of different dye batches, the colors are very slightly different.

Me: *Shows customer the fabric* “This one is almost the same as what you have. The colors aren’t quite an exact match, but very close. Do you think this will work for your wife?”

Customer: *Looks at me with a look of panic in his eyes* “I don’t know. I’m color-blind!”

I ended up sending him home with a sample of the new fabric to show his wife and told him that if his wife approved, he could come back and buy more.

It’s a Monday night before Christmas and I’m closing at work. It’s already been a little strange on this shift today, but we’re still doing our jobs and making the store look good for the next day. I walk past an aisle in our toy department and see a gentleman looking at model cars.

Me: “Are you finding everything okay?”

Customer: “Yeah.”

I don’t think much of the exchange and continue on my way. A little while later, probably ten minutes to closing, I walk past a Christmas aisle and see this same customer with something in his hands. A few minutes later, he walks out of the building holding nothing. I’m on my way to the front to check for more returns to put away and spot a coworker.

Me: “Hey, [Coworker]? Will you go check that aisle?”

We walk over to the aisle together and find three things from our toy department in Christmas bags sitting on a shelf. We grab them and walk over to our manager, who’s hanging around the front ready to close up for the night.

Coworker: “[Manager]! We just stopped a thief!”

Me: “We think. That guy who just walked out left these over in that first Christmas aisle.”

[Manager] tells us to put the bags over on another register for our boss to check in the morning. I do and then walk back toward my own department to finish cleaning up. I happen to spot a relatively large bag laying on a shelf where it doesn’t belong. I put it back and catch my manager on his way to the office after locking up.

Me: “Hey, [Manager]! I think that guy might have been in [my department], too. I found a big bag out of place.”

The placement of my aisle and the aisle he had been in when I’d seen him before means he will likely be on camera in those areas, in addition to walking in and out of the building.

Manager: “Well, he’s getting coal in his stocking this year.”

I don’t remember the number of items, but we’re pretty sure that our manager being up front deterred the guy from walking out with stolen merchandise. And that’s why that policy exists!