(I am the customer in this story. I’m at a location of a self-serve, self-assembled furniture store. I’m purchasing some bookshelves and a lamp, and I’ve noticed signs all through the store asking customers to place their items on their trolley with the barcodes facing forward, so I do so. I get up to the cashier.)

Cashier: *jumps up, quickly scans everything I have* “Wow, you must shop here a lot!”

Me: *puzzled, handing over my card* “No, not really; this is only my second time here.”

Cashier: *processing my payment* “Well, you have everything arranged with the barcodes in front, so it’s easy to scan. Usually only the frequent shoppers do that.”

Me: “Well, I saw the signs all over the store, and it seemed like a sensible thing to do, so I did it.”

Cashier: *handing me my receipt with a huge smile* “THE POWER OF READING!”

(We high-fived as I trundled off, grinning myself.)

(I get a call from my husband saying that we will have a friend from out of town staying over for a weekend. We have just moved into a new house and do not have furniture for the guest bedroom yet. I head down to a furniture store to purchase a bedroom set. Immediately after I enter, a salesman approaches me and asks what I’m looking for. This particular company’s employees work on commission, so it’s not unusual.)

Me: “We have guests coming in two days and I need a full bedroom set: queen-sized bed frame, mattress, dresser, nightstand, etc. Bedding would be great, too, so I don’t have to visit another store!”

Salesman: “Perfect, anything particular in mind?”

Me: “Well, since it’s for a guest room, I’d like to stay on the cheaper side. It may only be used once or twice in the next year.”

Salesman: “Okay, great. Over here, we have our [Fancy Descriptive Name #1] set; it includes a dresser, armoire, king-sized headboard and footboard, frame, and two nightstands. It comes in dark wood or white. Which color would you prefer?”

(I look over at the set he is referencing, and the price tag is well over $8,000 — without the mattress!)

Me: “I’m sorry, but as I said, it’s for a guest room, and I want to stay on the cheaper side. I’m pretty sure this is the most expensive set in here, and, as I said, I need a queen-sized set. King would be too wide for the room with the dresser.”

Salesman: “No worries! I also have this [Fancy Descriptive Name #2] set that comes with a dresser, double headboard and footboard, frame, and one nightstand. This one is only available in light-wood, but it’s a great set and sure to brighten up the dull house.”

(Not once have I described my home to him, and as a matter of fact, it is a gorgeous house with oak trim and moulding, Berber carpets, hardwood, and slate tile. The price tag on the second set is $3,500.)

Me: “Okay… So, again, I need queen-sized, and on the cheaper end. It doesn’t have to be solid wood. I’m fine with an MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) set. I’d like to stay under $1,500.”

Salesman: “I don’t think I can work with that budget and get you something nice. How about this?”

(He shows me a single bed with an ornate canopy frame and marble-embedded dresser trim.)

Me: “Thanks for your time.”

(I start walking away but spot the perfect set tucked away in a corner. Clearance pricing, queen-sized bed, dresser, and nightstand. It’s very close to my total budget, as I’d need a mattress still, but looks to be well worth the price.)

Salesman: “Ah, that set is on clearance due to being the floor display. You don’t want that; it’ll look cheap.”

Me: “I’ll take it. What is the cheapest mattress you have?”

Salesman: “No, really. You don’t want that set, unless you can’t afford something nicer.”

Me: “Thanks for your opinion, but I’d like this one. Again, what’s your cheapest mattress?”

Salesman: “If you insist! Our [fancy memory foam pillow top mattress] is on sale right now, for only $1,199!”

Me: “I’ll look myself, thanks. Ring me up for the bedroom set and I’ll let you know which mattress I decide on.”

(I find a good quality mattress on sale for only a couple hundred dollars, and it seems to be the cheapest one. I return to the salesman, who is watching me like a hawk, and point to the one I want. He tries to upsell some more, but finally understands I’ll have none of it. We are completing the order on the till and he gives me my total, several thousand dollars higher than my math says it should be.)

Me: “Uh, why is the price so high? It should be $3,200 less than that.”

Salesman: “Oh, I figured you’d rather have a brand new bedroom set instead of the floor model, and I added a [slightly higher quality, but double the price] mattress, instead, and gave you 10% off.”

Me: “I want the items I picked out. That’s all I’ll pay for. Is there a manager around?”

Salesman: “I’m the manager on duty, currently! So, debit or credit? If you put it on your [Store] credit card, you don’t have to pay for a whole year, or you can finance it over three years and get the nicer set I know you want but can’t afford! I know it’s tough right now, but financing is the best way to get nice things. Wouldn’t want your guests thinking you’re poor, huh?” *snickers*

(I’m now in total shock and disgust, but noticing the time, I realize that every other furniture store is already closed, and I live 45 minutes away.)

Me: “Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen. Either you can shut your mouth and sell me what I asked for, and stop insulting me, or you can get another salesperson to serve me and get the commission. Your choice.”

Salesman: “All I was saying is—”

Me: “THANK YOU!”

(I walk away and find another salesperson, a woman, standing by the door. I explain what I need, show her what I want, and she rings me up.)

Saleswoman: “Great! Will that be on your [Store] credit card?”

Me: “No, and not interested. I think this will be the last time I shop here.”

Saleswoman: “I’m sorry to hear that. I put a 10% off coupon on your entire purchase for the hassle. The total is [amount less than I anticipated].”

Me: “Great. Debit, please.”

(I slide my card into the reader. The saleswoman starts a little spiel and mentions that my order will be ready to be picked up on the following Monday.)

Me: “Wait, what? I need it for this weekend. Now. It’s Thursday night; my guests arrive tomorrow afternoon. I have my truck, and my dad is bringing another from [Town an hour away] right now. He’s almost here! Everything I want is sitting right there; that mattress is in stock!”

Saleswoman: “Actually, that mattress is sold to another customer and awaiting pickup on [date two weeks from today]. We would have to bring you one from the warehouse, and it will get here on Monday.”

Me: “Can’t you sell me that one, and keep the other for the other customer? That’s two weeks away; that’s plenty of time.”

Saleswoman: “I’m sorry, no. I can’t do that. That’s the last one we have, and the warehouse is out.”

Me: “WHAT AM I PAYING FOR, THEN? You know what? Never mind. Forget it. I’m done.”

(I walked out, and both salespeople stood there looking confused as to why I was so mad. I checked the local classifieds on my phone and found the EXACT set in great shape, with a brand new mattress, for $500. The best part? The seller lived five doors down from me.)

(It is close to closing hours on Valentine’s Day, in a busy shopping district. A customer and his wife “whistle” at me to get my attention while I’m hurriedly rushing to fulfill other customer requests.)

Me: “Hello, how are you today? Can I help you with anything?”

(The customer flicks her hand in a dismissive motion, seemingly frustrated that I dared to speak to her.)

Customer: “I want this table but without the legs; they are too bulky and ugly.”

Me: “Ma’am, we don’t sell those two parts separately, but I can show you some tables that do not have that design. They may work better for your preferences.”

Customer: “I just want this table with different legs.”

Me: “Uh… We only have furniture that sells together with both pieces in the same box. We don’t have a way to interchange table legs; that would be up to the manufacturer.”

Customer: “Well, tell the guys who make this to send me different legs.”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I can not do that. Please, follow me and I will show you some different options you may like.”

(We walk over to our store’s computer system, where I pull up our table options. The customer points at a picture of a table.)

Customer: “I like that one there; I want that one.”

Customer’s Husband: “That one looks MUCH better.”

(They are pointing at a picture of the table they were just looking at.)

Me: “Ma’am, that model is the same model we have on the floor.”

Customer: “I don’t like that one; I want this one here.” *referring to the picture of literally the same table*

Me: “Okay, ma’am; we can do that. If you would, please fill out this form, and we can have it delivered from our warehouse in [State] to your home with a delivery and assembly fee, if you would prefer that.”

Customer: “Okay, do that.”

(I thanked the customers for their patience, told them that their table would arrive sometime in the next couple of weeks, and that we would send them a confirmation email. The customers left after filling out the form with their information and having paid almost twice the amount for the same table, due to shipping and building costs.)

(My husband, two teenage daughters, and I have decided to go couch shopping. First, we visit a local furniture shop. The shop’s entrance is at the back of the building and require us to go down a steep flight of stairs.)

Me: “Wow, it’s a bit tricky getting down these stairs.”

Salesman: “Well, THAT’S why there’s a sign that say, ‘Watch Your Step.’ Not that I’d expect a woman to pay attention to a sign, ha ha!”

(The four of us, which, if you’re keeping track, included THREE WOMEN [as well as a very feminist guy] all stared at him in disbelief. He didn’t make a sale that day, partly because of that remark, and partly because his store’s furniture was ugly and overpriced.)

(I work at a local furniture store, where we never have sales because our prices are always marked down from the MSRP. I’ve done the math, and it’s anywhere from 30-45% off on EVERY PIECE. As such, we also don’t negotiate prices. Most people accept it and say, “It was worth a try,” while others simply refuse to accept it. This happens to a coworker during my first week on the job.)

Customer: “I want to negotiate the price of this.”

Coworker: “We don’t negotiate prices, as our prices are always much lower than the suggested retail price.”

(The man immediately gets angry.)

Customer: “What do you mean you don’t negotiate? This is TRUMP’S America! We NEGOTIATE in Trump’s America!”

Coworker: *trying not to snap at him* “I’m sorry you feel that way, sir, but that’s store policy.”

Customer: “I want to talk to a manager. NOW.”

(We don’t have managers, since it’s a family owned store with policies that are set in stone, but my coworker gets one of the more experienced women from the office to tell this customer the same thing.)

Coworker #2: “Sir, we don’t negotiate prices.”

Customer: “This is RIDICULOUS. This is Trump’s America! Let’s see how long you last with this type of service in TRUMP’S America!”

(He buys the furniture anyway, because SURPRISE, the prices are still very reasonable for a locally owned store that has been in business for over 100 years. I don’t think we will need to worry about going out of business anytime soon. Later on, another coworker and I are discussing how people like to try and negotiate.)

Coworker #3: “Just ONCE, I would like to say to someone, ‘Name THREE companies that negotiate their prices.’ Guess what? You can’t! Car dealerships, maybe. But we aren’t a car dealership!”