I paint in my spare time, and so I frequent a nearby arts supply store. I am looking for a specific size of canvas— 10″ x 20″ — to finish the third of a three-piece series I’m working on. However, the only 10″ x 20″ canvases I can find are in a package of six. This isn’t a problem, but the top canvas has about a one-inch tear in it, rendering it unusable, so I really would only get five canvases out of it. I take the pack to the cashier.

I’ve worked retail before, so I know of the possibility of damage discounts, and I am decidedly NOT a jerk to cashiers when I ask about these things.

Me: “Hi. I wanted to see if you’d be able to give me a damage discount on this pack of canvases. These are the only 10” x 20”s you have, and I can’t use this top one because of that tear.”

Cashier: “You’re sure that’s the only one? There are no others on the floor?”

Me: “Yeah, I walked around to all the places you’ve got canvases a couple of times to make sure. I need this size, and this is the only pack you’ve got. Not even singles.”

Cashier: *Very hesitant* “I don’t know if I’m allowed to do that. I’d need to talk to my manager.”

Me: “That’s fine.”

The cashier calls a manager and he comes to her register. She explains the situation and my request. The manager frowns.

Manager: “And there weren’t any other canvases in this size?”

I’m a little annoyed but understand that they have to ask.

Me: “No, I’ve looked all around.”

Manager: “Well, our only other option would be to open up the package and resell each one by itself. We could let you buy one that way.”

Me: “What? No. I’ll still use all the good ones. You don’t have to unpackage it. I just don’t want to pay for six canvases when I’ll only be able to use five. Do you see what I mean?”

The manager pauses, and I’m confused as to exactly why they’re so hesitant. If they can’t do it, they could just say so. And if they can, why the reluctance? Both he and the cashier seem uninterested in giving me an answer at all, let alone granting my request. Finally, the manager speaks in a “you’re not going to like this” tone.

Manager: “Well, it’s not going to be a very big discount. You’re not going to save much at all.”

Me: “Well, how much would you take off if you were to do it?”

Manager: *In the same tone* “Probably only ten percent.”

Me: “Oh. That’s fine. I don’t need a huge discount. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t paying for product I wouldn’t use.”

The manager pauses again and shrugs.

Manager: “Okay, then.”

They finally put the discount through, and I left. It was the weirdest transaction, like they were just acting like they were trying to accommodate me by giving me a “low” discount, and hoping I’d just tell them to forget it. I wasn’t rude and I wasn’t pushy. I just wanted to know if it was an option. I wouldn’t have even cared if they’d said no, so long as they gave me an answer instead of playing games!

(It’s truck day, so we’re unpacking freight and putting it away. I’ve just brought something to the stockroom, where my coworker is unpacking her freight. She yells for me as I walk away.)

Me: “Yeah?”

Coworker: “If you see anybody come back here with a box for me, I want you to punch them in the throat.” 

(Getting boxes of your stuff after you think you’re done sorting can be annoying, but you never know when others are finished sorting through their own boxes. She’s joking, but I play along.)

Me: “Okay!” *laughing* “Yeah, you know how violent of a person I am.”

(We both start laughing, and another coworker asks what we’re laughing about. We explain, and she starts laughing, too. I go out to my area to begin sorting through my freight. Later:)

Me: *walking into stockroom with a box* “[Coworker]!”

Coworker: “What?”

Me: “I think I need to punch myself.”

(My coworker laughs again and we talk about how we usually each get at least one box of each other’s freight. Even later:)

Co-Manager: *walking past* “Did you punch yourself?”

Me: “I told [Coworker] I should!”

(Some days are rough, but my coworkers make things fun.)

(I’m helping with some interviews for a craft store, as I’m a new manager. I am asked to interview a girl in her twenties, just a couple of years younger than me. I go through her application and it looks normal: some retail experience, finished high school, computer proficient. I call her to set up the interview.)

Me: “Hi, is this [Applicant]?”

Applicant: “Yeah. What’s up?”

Me: “This is [My Name] with [Store], calling about your application. We’d like to have you come in for an interview!”

Applicant: “Oh, cool. Can we do it at [Coffee Shop]? I don’t wanna come all the way out there.” 

Me: “Unfortunately, we have all interviews done in the store. I can see if it can be done on a day you’re more open, though!”

Applicant: “Ugh, I guess.”

(We get it scheduled, and I tell her goodbye and hang up. I look at the other manager in the office with me.)

Me: “If driving to the store is such a hassle just for the interview, how is she gonna manage driving here to work when she’s scheduled?”

Manager: “Yeah, I’ve seen that.”

(Later on, she comes in for her interview. She’s dressed somewhat professionally but looks annoyed the entire time. I bring her back to one of our classrooms to do the interview so it’s out of the way.)

Me: “So, do you do any crafts?”

Applicant: “Ew, no. I just go on Etsy a lot.” 

Me: “All right, do you know a lot about any of the crafts?” 

Applicant: “Nope. Don’t care to learn; I finished school and that’ll be it for learning.” 

(I’ve already made my decision about hiring her, but I decide to finish out the interview as a courtesy. The rest of her answers are about the same: she doesn’t seem interested in helping customers, doesn’t care to do overnights to stock, and doesn’t want to work the register. We wrap things up, and I let her know we’ll call her.)

Applicant: “Okay. So, do I do my new paperwork stuff tomorrow?”

Me: “We have work on our end that needs to be done first, which can take a bit. Like I said, we’ll call you.”

Applicant: “Ugh, okay.”

(As I come back into the office, I apparently look exhausted, because the other manager looks concerned.)

Manager: “Bad interview?”

Me: “She doesn’t craft, doesn’t know anything about crafting, and doesn’t want to learn. She says if a customer is rude, she’ll just tell them to leave. And that if they need help, they can just Google it. How has she worked retail like this?!”

Manager: “Probably either lied or has a family member in management. At least you don’t have to try to train her.” 

(She called back weeks later to ask when she should come in. The other manager had the pleasure of telling her we went with someone else.)

While cashiering, I have a break in customers and work on some straightening. When I next look up, I see a couple going over their items with a woman cradling her substantial amount of fabric. Then, I see something that looks like a tiny paw reach out. I am too far away to be sure, but I assume it has to be a kitten to be that small. 

They soon come up to my register as I’m the only cashier open, and I ask for the fabric ticket to scan, as well as the usual customer service questions. Just as I’m asking them how their evening is going, the woman sets down the fabric and it rustles. She asks me if I want to see their new baby and starts to uncover the top of this vague fabric nest.

A hedgehog perks up and, within a moment, attempts to dash across my register!

The woman catches her pet before it can get too far away or come to any harm, and thankfully, she holds on to it in the fabric for the rest of the short transaction, both her and her partner pleased and friendly the whole time. It is hardly a bad experience but decidedly one of the stranger things to have ever crossed my register.

(I work at a popular crafts store. The holiday season is just starting, so sometimes due to customer or employee fault, items end up in the wrong place. A customer comes to my cash with some yarn and I ring her through normally.)

Customer: “That yarn isn’t supposed to be that price; it’s supposed to be less.”

Me: “Oh! Sorry about that. I can have someone check the price and if it’s wrong, I’ll adjust it for you.”

Customer: “No, no, that’s fine. I have the money. You should just tell someone to move them in case you get a customer who’s not as nice about it as me.”

Me: “Okay, no problem.”

(I continue to ring her through as I radio another associate about the yarn. The associate tells me four balls of yarn were left in the wrong place and she has moved them. The customer hasn’t paid yet.)

Me: “Thank you for letting us know; the yarn was in the wrong place. My associate moved the four balls left to the right location.”

Customer: *suddenly irate* “There were way more than four there! But whatever. If you want to charge people the wrong price for it and have people get mad, then go ahead!”

Me: “I… I’m sorry. I can adjust the price for you still.”

Customer: “No! I have the money!”

Me: “Okay…”

(We finish the transaction in silence, she pays, and I bag her yarn.)

Customer: “That’s just really bad customer service!”

Me: “Um… I’m sorry. Have a great day?”

(The customer ignored me, grabbed her bag, and left in a huff.)