(A woman comes up to me while I am stocking shelves)
Woman: *holding two chocolate bars from the same brand* These two chocolate bars have exactly the same ingredients, except one says dark cacao and the other says raw cacao. So what’s the difference between them?
Me: Um… one has dark cacao… And the other has raw cacao?
Woman: Oh, okay. Thanks. *walks away*
(I wanted to bang my head on a wall)
I am standing at the service desk when a customer comes up to me.
Customer: “These Crush drink packets are $1.20! Hey are a dollar everywhere else!”
Me: “I’m sorry…”
Customer: “I only want to pay a dollar!”
Me: “I can’t change the price, ma’am.”
Customer: “This is ridiculous!”
Me: “They’re $1 at the dollar store across the road, if you would rather go there to buy them.”
Customer: “I am buying my groceries here, I don’t want to have to go to another store.”
Me: “I don’t know what to tell you then. I can’t change the price for you.”
The customer ended up buying them in our store anyway.
I’m on register when a customer comes through my line. One of her items is a container of salad from the salad bar. I put it on the scale, punch in the code, and move it off to the side to be bagged.
Customer: “Wait, I thought the salad was $7.99 a pound.”
I glance at the screen, which clearly labels the salad at $7.99 a pound.
Me: “It is.”
Customer: “Then why is it $8.46?”
Me: “You have more than a pound of salad here. $7.99 a pound times 1.06 pounds equals $8.46.”
Customer: “But it’s $7.99 a pound.”
Me: “Yes, but since you have a little over a pound of salad, the total will be a little over $7.99.”
Customer: “But it’s supposed to be $7.99 a pound.”
Me: “It is.”
I point on the screen where it says, “1 large salad, $7.99 at 1.06 lbs,” immediately above the total of $8.46.
Me: “Look, you have 1.06 pounds of salad. Multiply that $7.99, and you get a total of $8.46 for the salad.”
Customer: “But I thought the salad was $7.99 a pound.”
I said nothing and quickly scanned in her remaining items. I don’t know how else I could have explained it to her, especially since the equation was printed on her receipt. And she kept saying “$7.99 a pound” like she knew it was a weighted item.
I am a front end manager at a grocery store. I am standing behind our customer service desk when a lady comes up to the window.
Customer: “The Pepsi vending machine outside just took my money!”
(The vending machines are put outside by Pepsi and the store has nothing to do with them and makes no money off of them.)
Me: “I am sorry, ma’am, but we don’t have any control over the machines.”
Customer: “I want my money back!”
My store manager is standing beside me, and he pipes in.
Store manager: “there is an 800 number on the side of the machine you can call. We make no profit off the machines and we have nothing to do with them.”
Customer: “this is ridiculous! You should give my money back! Willie will hear about this!”
(Willie is our local newspapers column similar to Ask Abby, where people write in to complain about local businesses or talk about things happening locally.)
Store Manager: *puzzled look*
Everyone stares at the woman as she storms out of the store.
(I work customer service at a chain grocery store. We have a policy of no returns over $10 without a receipt.)
Customer: I’m a caterer and I bought this stuff and now I don’t need it.
Me: Do you have your receipt?
Customer: No.
(I begin checking the prices, even though I know it will be well over the $10 limit. She ends up with nearly $40 worth of merchandise.)
Me: I’m afraid I have to have a receipt for any amount over $10.
Customer: Let me talk to a manager.
(Up to this point, the customer has been very polite. I call my manager and she tells him she wants to return the items. I tell him the total for the items.)
Manager: We can’t refund these items without a receipt.
Customer: I bought them from here. These are YOUR products.
Me: (picking up one of her items) Ma’am, this is a national brand, not our brand.
Customer: I don’t care! I bought it from this store!
Manager: Did you use your loyalty card and remember the date of purchase? If so we can pull your receipt.
(At this point, the customer is becoming increasingly irate.)
Customer: I don’t always use it! You need to give me my money if I want to return this stuff!
Manager: Sorry. Without a receipt, we can’t refund it.
Customer: FINE!
(My manager goes to assist another customer.)
Customer: I bought this stuff here, I should be able to return it.
Me: Not without a receipt, I’m afraid.
Customer: That’s stupid.
Me: My manager’s word is final.
Customer: To hell with his word! And anybody else’s word! To hell with your word! To hell with you!
(Customer storms out. Next customer walks up and places some tomatoes on my counter.)
Customer #2: These were accidentally left out of my bag yesterday. And I have MY receipt.
