(I’m stocking shelves when an elderly female customer approaches. Important to know is that in the store, the ceilings are about twenty feet high.)

Customer: “Can you tell me where the sauerkraut is?”

Me: “Sure, it’s actually in this aisle a few feet ahead.”

(There are only two different kinds of sauerkraut: one on the top shelf and one right below it. The ones on the lower shelf are sold out.)

Customer: “Oh… you don’t have more of this one on the lower shelf in the back?”

Me: “No, sorry, we’ve just received our order and didn’t get it in. There is more of the other kind on the top shelf, though.”

Customer: “Oh, yes, I can see that, but I couldn’t possibly take it. It’s too close to the light.”

Me: “…I’m sorry?”

Customer: “The lights! They’re shining directly on everything on the top shelves, and they make it all too hot to eat. It’s not safe.”

Me: “I, uh, don’t really think that matters too much.”

Customer: “Oh, sure, you say that now. But just you wait; one day you’ll eat warm sauerkraut and die, and whose fault will it be then?”

(A customer in her late 30s or early 40s walks up to the customer service desk and waits in a line of about ten irate customers. I am the only person at the counter. After I am yelled at by all these customers, the lady finally gets her turn.)

Me: “Good afternoon, what can I do for you today?”

Customer: “Hello, sir! I came in yesterday and went through your garden center. I bought a bunch of plants and some plastic sidewalk pavers. However, the cashier forgot to charge me for them. I came back today to pay for one and return the other that I do not need. Is that all right?”

Me: *speechless* “Umm, yeah, sure!”

(She goes to the garden center and brings me back a large, about $50 plastic paver, and pays for it. She then hands me a smaller plastic paver and leaves both on my desk.)

Me: *stunned* “Thank you for your honesty. Have the best possible day!”

Coworker: “Oh, my God! You are the awesomest person I have ever met!”

(My manager stopped her on her way out and gave her a gift card for her honesty! It made my day, week, month, and year so much better and renewed my faith in customers!)

(A customer comes in that has a reputation for being a bit on the shady side. The customer is looking at a TV that has a price of $2,500. When the customer comes in, there are only a couple of other people in the store as it is a very slow day today.)

Customer: “I’d like to purchase this TV, but you have it priced way too high. I can get this for $500.00 at [Electronics Store], where my buddy works.”

Me: “The only way you could get it for that price is if it fell off the back of a truck.”

Customer: “No, that’s what it’s priced at; go ahead and check their website.”

Me: “There is absolutely no way that they sell that TV for only $500. From time to time they are a little less expensive than us, but not that much.”

Customer: “You guys are a rip-off.”

Me: “If you know you’re able to get the TV for $500 from the other store, why are you even in here looking, then?”

Customer: “I thought I’d give you guys a chance to get my business. Now, I want that TV and I want it for $500.”

Me: “I’ll tell you what. I’ll look up the price on their website and we’ll go from there.”

(I go to their site and I see that they are selling the TV for $2 less than what we are selling it for.)

Me: “They are selling the TV for less than what we are selling it for.”

Customer: “See, I told you.”

Me: “You know what? Just so I can gain your business I’ll even match their price.”

Customer: “Well, that’s more like it. About time.”

Me: “That will be $2,498.”

Customer: “No way. You said you’d match their price, and I know they’re selling it for $500!”

Me: “No, they sell it for $2 less than what we sell it for. Here, have a look.”

(I turn the computer monitor around so he can see the price and TV on their site.)

Customer: “Well, their site’s wrong. My buddy said I can have that TV for $500.”

Me: “Again, I’m telling you the only way you are getting that TV for that low of a price is if it falls off of the back of the truck.”

Customer: “You’ve just lost a customer; I will never shop here again.”

Me: “Why, thank you for making my day. See you.”

(Sadly, he did not keep his promise; he continued coming back and pestering all of the workers. The odd time he would buy something, but for the most part, he just tried to get absolutely ridiculous deals on the electronics.)

Years ago, I was hired at a coffee shop. The manager who hired me promised me full-time hours and said I would get them once one of the current employees quit, as they had given their notice a week prior to me being hired. Unfortunately, as the weeks passed, the person never quit, and I never got the full-time hours I needed. I eventually quit, worked a couple of different jobs, and started working for a different coffee shop the following year. After a couple of months at that coffee shop, I found a different job, more related to my career, so I put in my — rather short — notice to my boss. Her response was, “You should have told me you were looking for another job! We could have hired someone!”

Unfortunately, I was quite a bit younger then and didn’t have the guts to stick up for myself, but if I could go back, I wish I could have told her my past experience at the first coffee shop, and that telling your boss you’re planning on quitting — without any official job offer — is usually not a good idea.

(A man was picking up an order in our bakery department and claimed to have paid for it already.)
Me: Make sure to show your receipt to Customer Service before you leave.
Customer: I don’t have a receipt.
Me: …You need one to take your order out of the store. Without it, there’s no proof you paid.
Customer: But I paid for it! I’m not going to pay for it again.
Me: I don’t know what to tell you. We can’t let you leave without proof of purchase.
(He then threw a fit worthy of a toddler while I tried to explain shoplifting to him. Eventually he left without his order.)