I work in a pet store. A middle-aged couple comes in with a rottweiler they obviously don’t control very well.

Since my coworker had an incident with a customer’s rottweiler a few weeks back, I decide to keep my distance while asking if they need any help. They say no; they already know what to buy, as my coworker has already shown them the harness they want.

When it’s time to pay, they make a big fuss.

Female Customer: “We always get a 15% discount on everything in this store, plus we get a 20% discount on backpacks.”

Me: “Why is that?”

Female Customer: *Shrugs* “We just always do, and we’re loyal customers.”

I do not give them the discount, as I have no idea why they’d get one.

Female Customer: “We’re gonna report you to your manager!”

My manager doesn’t hear a thing from them and assures me that nobody in the store gives out any discounts I don’t know about. She doesn’t even know which customers I am talking about, which means they’re not really that regular in our store.

A few weeks later, the same couple walks in with the harness and wants to give it back.

Me: “Hello! How may I assist you today?”

They just wave me off as they are heading for the dog food. I reckon that they don’t want any help and stay put behind the counter. 

When they come up to me to return the harness and buy the dog food, I give them a credit note with their remaining balance, as is our store’s policy, and since they claim they are regulars, I reckon it’s not a big deal as they will spend this money in our store anyway. 

They both totally snap at me at the same time.

Female Customer: “You need to learn the rules! You’re breaking the law by giving us a credit note instead of our money back! And you! You’ve never once asked us if we needed assistance; you’re just always hanging around behind the counter doing nothing!“

Then they both angrily walk out while saying stuff like, “She doesn’t fit in in this store!” All the other customers all of whom have been offered assistance, look shocked. 

Then, the husband comes back in, points his finger at me, and yells:

Male Customer: “When is your boss back at work?!”

Me: “My boss works from nine to three every weekday. She also answers messages on our Facebook page.”

Male Customer: “Then we’ll be back on Monday to talk to her and make this right! And we’ll be sure to tell her how you’re behaving!”

Me: “Okay?”

He stomped out again. 

Of course, I called my boss to prepare her for a very blue Monday. Monday came, Monday went, nothing. Not a word. When I talked to her later, she told me, “Yeah, sometimes customers try to do that to those working in the evening; they just try to scare them in order to get their money back or a discount. Sometimes people fall for it, and when they don’t, they get yelled at.”

We haven’t seen them since.

Related:
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 16
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 15
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 14
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 13
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 12

There’s a public park next to our store situated on a popular walking trail. During this particular summer, the city has closed the public parking lot that gave you access to the trail due to road work, so people take it upon themselves to think that they can park in our parking lot — for free — and use the park. Most of the time, if they come in and purchase something, my boss — who also happens to be a lawyer — will let them park there. There are two incidents, however, that stick out in my mind.

A woman with THAT haircut parks in our lot and goes to the park. My boss comes outside.

Boss: “You can’t park in our lot if you’re not a customer.”

She starts screaming and yelling at us.

Woman: “I’ll be sending a letter to the city mayor about this!”

Boss: “Go ahead. You send her a letter and I will send her two.”

The second incident involves a man who parks his car DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF OUR WINDOWS and then tries walking to the park.

Boss: “Sir, you need to move your car.”

Man: “No.”

Boss: “Either you need to move the car or I will move it for you.”

Man: “No.”

He then ignores my boss and waves him off.

My boss gets our large commercial truck we use to move things and parks it directly behind this man’s car. Then, he gets on the phone and calls a tow truck. The man comes over and begins complaining.

Boss: “Are you going to move it now?”

Finally, after much complaining, he agrees to move his car.

I get that the city had no backup plan for parking and many of the people who wanted to use this park could not because they didn’t want to purchase anything from our store. The city’s lack of planning isn’t everyone else’s fault, but still, I wonder to this day: why do people think that because a city closed the public parking lot it gives them the right to park wherever they want?

Related:
A Parking Spot Of Bother

This is my first time flying alone, and I have a five-hour layover in Chicago. I’ve been traveling since 6:00 am and it’s now 2:00 pm and I am craving human interaction. By hour three, I am bored out of my mind, and I pull out my [handheld gaming system] to pass the time while I wait by my gate.

I see a boy my age across the aisle with the same gaming system. I gesture to our gaming systems.

Me: “Twinsies!”

Gamer: *Sounding annoyed* “What are you playing?”

I’m playing a game that’s known for being easy and only popular with younger kids.

Me: “[Game]. You?”

Gamer: *Genuinely disgusted* “Wow.”

He goes back to gaming. Well, okay, I guess this guy won’t be my airport buddy. I’ll find a new airport buddy. About half an hour later, a stressed-looking mom sits in my row with her screaming baby and four- or five-year-old girl who’s begging for attention. As soon as the mom sits down, she gets a phone call, and she walks a few feet away to answer it, leaving the girl alone. She’s obviously very hyper and instantly runs down the aisle and stops at me.

She points at my chips and screams something in Spanish.

I kind of know Spanish; I know “Dora The Explorer” Spanish and I’ve memorized my quesadilla order in Spanish for when I go to food trucks. That’s about it.

Me: “Hi! Hello! No chip for you, no, ma’am!”

My gamer friend from earlier sighs and is acting as dramatic as possible about this small child acting like a small child. There’s more excited Spanish and giggling from the girl, and then she runs back to her seat and comes back with a stuffed pony from an infamous children’s series.

Me: “Oh, wow… Es eso [Blue Horse #1]?” Is that [Blue Horse #1]?

Girl: “NOOO! Eso es [Blue Horse #2]!” No! That’s [Blue Horse #2]!

Me: “Oh, wow! [Blue Horse #2]! Bonita!” Pretty! “I remember her. I used to watch [Show], too—”

Gamer: *Loudly* “Ew.”

I side-eye him but keep talking to the girl.

Me: “Where’s her hat?”

I point to the pony’s head.

Gamer: “I can’t believe you watch that. You’re a grown-a** adult.”

Me: “I’m nineteen.”

Gamer: “See? Grown-a** adult.”

Me: “I’m nineteen. The show came out when I was nine. I watched it when I was nine.”

Gamer: “You’re a f****** [term for people in the fandom], so—”

Me: “Ay! Don’t say the F word in front of a little kid, maybe?!”

The little girl’s mother suddenly whipped around, gasped, ran over and scooped up the girl, and moved to the other side of the terminal.

Way to go, man. You defended the world from a video game and a children’s series that I did, indeed, watch as a child.

We all sat relatively close to each other on the plane, so it was an awkward fly back.

It is December 27th. A customer approaches customer services.

Me: “Good morning, sir. How may I help you today?”

Customer: “Good. I bought this camera a week ago and it’s now on sale for $120 less. I’d like to get a price adjustment.”

Me: “I see, sir. Unfortunately, I can’t do that as today’s sale is an exclusive one-day sale and we cannot price adjust any previous purchases.”

Customer: “But, it’s in your store policy and promise to customers. Yes, you can.”

Me: “Any other time of the year sir, yes, but not this particular sale.”

Customer: “A sale is a sale! I want my refund for the difference. That’s all!”

Me: “I understand that, sir, but it’s against store policy and if I were to give you the money back, I could lose my job.”

Customer: “I want to talk to your manager!”

Me: “He will tell you just the same, sir. It’s a sale set by head office. It says on your receipt that we cannot correct prices on this particular date.”

Customer: “Well! If it did, I wouldn’t be standing here now, would I!”

A little flustered, I pause for a few moments, not sure what to say to this angry customer. But before I even have a chance to tell him again, he glances at his receipt.

Receipt: “We will not be accepting refunds, price corrects, or price matches during the Boxing Day Sale, December 27th.”

The customer now realizes that he is actually WRONG. Even so, he isn’t prepared to accept it. He slams his hand down on the counter, startling nearby customers and me, snatches up his camera, and looks me right in the eyes while grunting.

Customer: “Go f*** yourself, buddy.”

He then stormed out of the store with his camera and his receipt that had gotten the better of him.

I am part of a team of five women. We are close, often do things outside of work, and have a group chat together.

One of my coworkers leaves to find a new job and her replacement is friendly, albeit a bit strange. This happens after she has been working at the office for about three months. 

I managed to burn a hole in one of my favourite shirts and I’m griping about how it is years old and I won’t be able to find a replacement just like it. My new coworker laments that she also has a favorite shirt, which she is wearing, but if she could, she would purchase several of the same because she loves it so much.

A few weeks pass, and I am browsing an online shop on my break. I see an exact copy of her favourite shirt. I call my new coworker over and show her. 

Her reply?

New Coworker: “That’s ugly! I’d never wear anything like that. You have no fashion sense.” 

My team looked at the screen and then back to our new coworker.

She was wearing the exact same blouse — her supposed favourite. 

She didn’t last long for various reasons, but this encounter still gets brought up years later.