This story shows how all retail should work. Some twenty years ago, we got some extra unexpected money. We decided to treat ourselves to a new, big flat-screen TV. Our first visit was to our local store. (We live in a small city.)

I explained what we were looking for (46″ or larger, 100Hz), and the salesperson showed us an expensive [Brand #1]. The price was already reduced to €1,999 (from €2,499 if my memory is correct) but it was a bit too expensive.

Next, he showed us a nice [Brand #2], and the price was €1,199. But before we said anything, he reduced it to €1,099 and then €999. We said we would consider the offer and went to a larger city nearby to get some options.

At [Big Chain Retail #1], we looked at all the large TV sets displayed on the wall and at the four salespeople talking to each other. After ten minutes, we left. No one wanted to sell anything to us.

At [Big Chain Retail #2], we encountered the same thing. We looked at the large TV sets and the staff talking to each other and didn’t bother.

At [Big Chain Retail #3], we found someone willing to sell, but unfortunately, they only had smaller than 40″ and larger than 52″.

We went back to our local store and bought the [Brand #2].

Happily, we unpacked and started the new TV, but the image was flickering. I checked the specs and found that it was 50Hz only. Time to pick up the phone and call the seller.

I told him that our new TV was only 50Hz. He was quiet for a while and then responded.

Employee: “S***! My mistake! I am so sorry. Your TV has a V in the model name; the 100Hz has W. I will call you back.”

Five minutes passed before he called back.

Employee: “I can replace your TV with the same kind but 100Hz for free. But! That model is outgoing, and there is a small chance that I can’t get one for you. If so, I can give you the [Brand #1] set you were interested in, but then I have to add €100 to the price. How about that?”

The next day, staff from the store came with the [Brand #1] TV and replaced the [Brand #2]. They unpacked and set up the TV, and they took all of the packaging with them. I ended up with a much better TV and paid less than half of the original price.

Guess which store I do all my purchases in now!

My friends and I travel by train from our town to a big city to go to a gaming convention. It’s the second year we’ve done it, and it’s a lot of fun, but the actual travel is a bit tiring. Nevertheless, we manage to make it to the convention center in good time and with all our gear.

Or so we thought.

Friend: “I don’t have my convention badge.”

Some back-and-forth more or less confirms that he left it on the train somehow, but the convention rules are clear: no badge, no admittance. We’re at a bit of a loss until we remember the glory of instant communication and contact the convention through their official social media address.

Good news! We’re told that if [Friend] goes to the Will Call desk, they’ll give him a new badge.

He gets in line, explains the situation, and is summarily told that they don’t have any extra badges and can’t give him one. He tries to explain again, even showing the replies that he got from the social media account, but their hands are tied; they have rules and they can’t do anything about it. They are very apologetic, but we eventually determine that they literally don’t have any extra badges. They have the badges for people coming to the Will Call desk and that’s it. Giving one of them to my friend would result in someone else not getting their badge, and that’s not acceptable to either us or them.

We’re all pretty upset; the big draw of the convention for the three of us is going together, and if he can’t get in, we’re not going to leave him behind no matter how much he insists that we do it. Disheartened, he explains his experience through the social media account and gets a surprising response.

Social Media: “Where are you right now?”

Friend: “I’m… at the entrance, near the Will Call booth?”

About two minutes later, the business manager of the company that runs the convention (aka the guy who organizes, runs, and markets the convention) walks up.

Business Manager: “[Friend]?”

Friend: “Uh… yes?”

Business Manager: “Enjoy the show.”

And with that, he handed a badge to my friend and walked off without another word, leaving us completely flabbergasted at the actions of the absolute top guy who most likely had a TON of other stuff to do on the opening day of a 50,000-person convention.

He didn’t even let us thank him before he took off!

I’d had an annoying morning at work — staff not performing to expected standards, huffy customers, etc. Then, one of my colleagues got out of a meeting with their boss. It hadn’t gone well, so they started taking it out on me. We aren’t in the same reporting hierarchy, but that didn’t stop them from saying I was a terrible manager, a useless human being, and so on. No one was around when this was going on, and I couldn’t really report it because… well… our company doesn’t like to intervene when things like this arise, especially when it’s a you-versus-them situation with no witnesses to back up either side.

To get out of the toxic atmosphere, I went to a local big chain coffee shop, and I may have been crying whilst heading over. One of the usual baristas was on duty when I walked in. She spotted that I was upset, asked if I was okay, and then said my coffee was on her that day. This made me cry again — in a good way this time — and I thanked her for being so nice.

Rather than heading straight back to work, I opted to sit outside the coffee shop for the rest of my break and called a friend to vent. As I sat there, the barista followed me out, gave me a free cake from the other staff members, sat down, and asked me what was up. Once I’d explained, she gave me a massive hug and said what an awesome person I was.

Since then, the staff at that shop — at least the ones I’m most familiar with — have been super nice, and I can’t help but remember how nice they were to a random regular customer when I really needed that boost.

My coworker is still toxic but is retiring soon, so for now, I’ll keep going to the shop when I need a break!

I have difficult-to-fit feet, so when I found a local shoe store that carried a line that fit me well, I was happy about it… until my second visit. The first time in, they sold me on these expensive third-party insoles. They were okay, but I didn’t think they were worth the money, especially since my shoes were already expensive.

The next time I was in, they went for the hard sell on the insoles.

Me: “No, thanks.”

Employee: “Okay. Well, how about this shoe care kit?”

Me: “No, thanks. I already have most of the items in it.”

Employee: “Well, what don’t you have?”

I honestly didn’t remember.

Employee: “How about this brush? It’s better than the one in the basic kit.”

Me: “No, thanks.”

Employee: “Leather conditioner?”

Me: “No, thanks.”

Employee: “We have these special thin socks for people with diabetes.”

Me: “I… don’t have diabetes.”

Employee: “Well, they’re also very comfortable for people with large feet like you.”

Me: “No. Thanks.”

Employee: “If you see anything else you’d like…”

Yes. The shoes. The shoes I came here to buy. The shoes chosen specially to fit my feet. My shoes.

I found another shoe store.

Something similar to this story happened with my bank accounts about thirty years ago. Apparently, there was a woman in my city with the same last name, first initial, and birthdate. She moved somewhere else, and the bank moved all my accounts with her, as well as my husband’s since we had a joint account apart from our individual accounts.

It took me a lot of aggravation to get them to correct it, and when they finally sent me the bank statements I had missed, they had a note attached saying that I should have informed them that I had moved. Grrrrr!

I did read them the riot act on that, but other than an excuse, nothing was done.

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