We have courtesy clerks, who are also called baggers. Most people hired are hired as courtesy clerks and make their way up through different positions in the store. If you have special skills, such as a butcher or cake decorator you get hired directly to that department. I was hired as a cashier.

My bagger and I are moving along like a well-oiled machine. I’m very fast and he is able to keep up with me with no problems. My bagger is great at his job; he knows not to put the potatoes on the eggs and to keep the frozen foods together, etc.

My customer does not like at all how he is bagging and everything he puts in a bag is wrong.

Customer: “No, put that with the bread!”

Customer: “No no, that goes with the ice cream! Are you stupid? You are doing it all wrong!”

We both try to remain polite and he just does as asked. She finally yells:

Customer: “Get out of here! I’ll just do it myself!”

My bagger comes up and whispers to me:

Bagger: “I’m gonna use the bathroom before I say something I’ll regret.”

Customer: *Yells* “Get me your manager!”

The manager comes over and the customer starts with all kinds of lies.

Customer: “He was being rude, he was throwing my groceries, refusing to bag them, he called me names, and he whispered something nasty about me to the cashier.”

About this time my bagger returns. My manager tells him to go clock out and go home. I am in shock. The next person in line is with the shouting customer, and she looks so embarrassed.

Customer’s Friend: *Quietly* “I’m sorry. She is actually very nice.”

Since she is the last in line, after she leaves I turn off my light and go to the office to talk to my manager.

Me: “[Bagger] did everything by the book. That customer was absolutely in the wrong!”

My manager knows I would never lie so we watch the CCTV and although there is no sound, we can tell exactly what happened from the body language. We find [Bagger] getting his stuff from his locker.

Manager: “I apologize. [My Name] stood up for you and told me what happened. You can leave but you’ll still be paid for the day.”

Never saw that customer again.

I am working checkouts when my customer notices a discrepancy with the price of an item.

Customer: “Excuse me, the price of that ice cream is wrong.”

Me: “How so?”

Customer: “Well, you have charged me $4.00, yet it is on special for $2.00.”

Me: “Let me just check on that… where did you see it advertised on special?”

Customer: “It was in your catalog.”

Me: “Okay, let me just have a look.”

I then browse the catalog, and find no mention of the ice cream being on special.

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but it is not in the catalog.” 

Customer: “Yes it is.”

Me: “Sorry, sir, but I have just looked through the entire catalog, and it is not in here.”

Customer: “Give that to me.”

He grabs the catalog out of my hands and looks through it. He then looks through it a second time, and then throws it down.

Customer: “This is the wrong catalog. Why have you shown me the wrong catalog? I want to speak to a supervisor.”

Me: “Excuse me, sir, but this is the correct catalog. If you have a look at the front page of the catalog, you will see the dates that the specials are on for.”

Customer: “Don’t give me any of this nonsense. Leave all my stuff here, I’m going home to get the catalog that YOU guys put in MY mailbox, to show YOU what the specials are.”

Me: “Okay, sir.”

He leaves and I do a deferred sale, even though I am not expecting him to come back. Amazingly, thirty minutes later, he does, and he came straight to my checkout, trying to interrupt my sale.

Customer: “See, I told you.”

Me: “Excuse me, sir, do you mind waiting while I serve this customer?”

Customer: “No… you pay attention to me, and now.”

I turn to the customer on my checkout.

Me: “I’ll just be a second.”

Then to the original customer:

Me: “Fine, show me.”

He opens the catalog, straight to where the ice-cream is on special, but I had already noticed three things wrong with it. I am going to bring each of them up, one at a time.

Me: “Firstly, sir, the ice-cream that is on special, it may be the same brand that you are trying to purchase, but it is the wrong size.”

Customer: “What do you mean?”

Me: “Well, the one you are trying to purchase is a 2-litre tub of ice-cream. The one on special is the 1-litre tub.”

Customer: “I don’t care… still give me the special.”

Me: “Well, if I was to still give you the special, it would be the same sort of special as there is of the 1-litre tub… which would mean that you would actually be paying MORE.”

Customer: “This is just flagrant mis-advertising.”

Me: “Secondly, look at the dates of the specials… this was LAST WEEKS catalog.”

Customer: “I didn’t know of the special last week… you should keep them running for longer.”

Me: “And finally, I would like you to look at the store sign above you.”

Customer: “Okay, and—”

Me: “And now look at the logo on the front of the catalog.”

Customer: “And—”

Me: “Now compare the two… are they the same?”

Customer: “Um…”

The customer became very quiet, and quickly scurried out of there.

Related:
When Ice Cream Really Does Make You Scream

I work for a well-known supermarket delivering groceries to customers at home. I should note that it is company policy that delivery drivers do not accept tips, but often customers more or less force it into your hand. In this instance, I have been given a re-drop — essentially a delivery that was unsuccessful the previous day usually because the driver couldn’t be bothered. I have been warned that the customer is very rude.

It has been scheduled for three pm this day and, after noting the address, which is one I am familiar with, I decide to call the customer to confirm which floor of the building he is on.

Me: “Hi, is that [Customer].”

Customer: “Yes, it certainly is.”

Me: “Hi, it’s [My Name] calling from [Supermarket] Home Delivery. I’ve got your delivery here and I’m just about to leave…”

Customer: “Ah, yes, are you aiming to deliver for about three pm?”

Me: “Yes, I am. Is that okay?”

Customer: “I’m sorry to ask this, but is there any chance I could get it a little later? I’m trying to get home but I’m stuck in traffic at the minute.”

Me: “No problem at all. I’m working until six today so I can get it out to you anytime really up until five pm; just let me know what works for you.”

Customer: “If you could do it at around 4:30, that would be great.”

Me: “No problem, mate. Now, while I have you, you live at [Address]; is that correct?”

Customer: “It is.”

Me: “If I remember correctly, that’s the one where I need to enter via the underground car park. I just wanted to confirm which floor your flat is on.”

Customer: “That’s exactly right. I’m on the sixth floor. Just give me a ring before you leave and I’ll let you know if I’m in or not.”

I’m a little surprised that this customer is apparently “so rude” when he seemed very friendly on the phone. I get his delivery to his building almost dead on at 4:30 pm and buzz his flat. He comes down and leads me up in the lift. We confirm that all the shopping was delivered. He is even very understanding about substitutes and items unavailable. He is incredibly friendly. I get his signature for delivery and he hands me £5.

Customer: “Thank you so much for getting this to me. Please have a nice day. Could you let me know how I can avoid problems like this next time?”

So, we talked for a few minutes about what went wrong with his last delivery, and it appears the original driver ignored his directions on how to reach the underground car park, got angry, and drove off, even though the customer was outside waving at him and trying to direct him. I apologized for this. He asked that no one lose their job, just that he could get a different driver next time.

I would later speak to the original driver, who insisted the customer was “very rude.” Well, his loss and my gain of £5!

I am working on the checkout and a customer approaches with a pre-packed bag of apples.

Customer: “Do you operate a try-before-you-buy policy in this store?”

Me: *Thinking he’s joking* “Sorry, sir, we don’t.”

Customer: “I don’t want them, then.”

He leaves the apples on the conveyor belt and walks out.

Me: “…”

Related:
Doesn’t End Up Liking Them Apples

A popular supermarket chain is opening a new store only a few minutes from my house, and I decide to take the opportunity to apply for my first job. I am in my final year of school at the time and, with a couple of friends, am planning a trip to Japan at the end of the year to celebrate. As it turns out, I am due to leave only a few weeks after the new store is due to open, and therefore, a few weeks after I would begin work, should I get the job. During my interview, I mention this to the two interviewers, one of whom is my would-be manager and therefore in charge of making the rosters. She says it’ll be no problem and makes a note of it.

A few weeks later, I find out I’ve got the job and am told I need to come in for some training. At the end of the training, we’re given a form to fill out about what hours we’re available to work. At the bottom of the page is a field that asks if there’s any upcoming dates upon which I won’t be available to work. Even though I’ve already told the manager the dates I’ll be away, I write them down on the sheet just to be sure. A couple of weeks later, I begin work, and a couple of weeks after that, the rosters for the weeks I’ll be away come out.

Me: “Excuse me.”

Manager: “What’s up?”

Me: “I’ve just noticed that I’m rostered on in two weeks. I’m going to be away then.”

Manager: “You are? Why?”

Me: “I’m going to Japan for a few weeks.”

Manager: “Oh, yeah, I remember you telling me about that. Don’t worry about it. I’ll sort it out. Thanks for letting me know.”

I think no more about it, and a few weeks later, I head to Japan with my friends. About a week and a half into the trip, I receive a phone call from work.

Me: “Hello?”

Manager: “[My Name], it’s [Manager] from work.”

Me: “Hi.”

Manager: “I’m just calling because you’ve not been into work all week, and I need to know if you’re going to be in today.”

Me: “Um, I’m actually in Japan, so no, I won’t be in today.”

Manager: “What? How long are you away for?”

Me: “Until the end of next week.”

Manager: “Well, I’ve actually rostered you down for all that time. You can’t just take time off work whenever you want. You have to make sure you tell me when you’re going away in advance, so I know not to roster you on. Now I have to fill all your shifts for the next two weeks.”

Me: “Oh, um, sorry about that, but I did tell—”

Manager: “When did you say you’re going to be back?”

Me: “[Date].”

Manager: “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you then.”

A few weeks later, I got back to work just in time for a period of employee review, where the managers sat down with all the new staff in their departments and gave them feedback on how they’d been doing so far and where they could improve. Apparently, I’d been doing quite well, except my manager had had to mark me down a bit for not giving her enough notice that I was going away. I guess telling her three times wasn’t enough. Luckily, she was gone by the next time I needed time off work.