I am a keyholder and manager at a retail craft store and we have a lot of sales and coupons that constantly change. Essentially, nothing is the same price from week to week.

Guest: “Can I return these candles that I got for Christmas?”

They were from our fall collection; they had already been discontinued. We require a receipt for most returns and exchanges, especially if it’s an item not in our system anymore. Official policy says not past ninety days, but you KNOW corporate makes us break their own policies to keep the customer happy.

I asked the customer for a receipt, and she got very offended.

Customer: “Do you ever give out receipts with Christmas gifts? It’s very tacky to do so!”

Me: “Have you heard of a gift receipt?”

Customer: “I don’t think my seventy-four-year-old aunt is going to give out gift receipts.”

Me: “I can try to give you store credit for the lowest price they have been sold for within ninety days.”

She looked at me like I was crazy.

Customer: “No, I want an exchange!”

She just kept repeating that the candles weren’t discontinued and that they should be at the same price point as our other candles. That was completely untrue, but okay.

Me: “Ma’am, I’m just following store policy.”

Customer: “I assume you’re the manager?”

Me: “Yes, I am one, but I can grab another manager if you want.”

Customer: “No, but I want you to exchange them; it’s the same price.”

She just got more and more belligerent with every sentence — and she was pretty angry when I said no initially. I honestly started getting kind of shaky and angry, but I tried to keep calm and offered her our corporate phone number.

Customer: “I don’t want that! I want you to exchange these for me right now! What if I just stand here all day and tell customers as they walk in that you won’t exchange these?!”

I gave her a weirded-out look.

Me: “Uh… okay? If that’s how you want to look.”

Customer: “No, that’s how you’ll look!”

I just kind of stared at her, at a literal loss for words.

Customer: “Are you just going to stare me down now?!”

Me: “Ma’am, I don’t know what else you want me to say. Are you sure you don’t want our corporate phone number?”

She got even angrier and slammed the candle she took out back in her box and stormed off.

Customer: “F*** you!”

I chirped back as she walked away:

Me: “All right, thank you! Have a wonderful day!”

She was already halfway out the door, but she doubled back to say:

Customer: “I hope you have a terrible day!”

And she FINALLY left.

It is a little after seven in the morning. I have just finished getting the cashier area set up for the day. It is important to note that our counter is very long, but there’s only one place to pay. The other side of the counter used to be used for loaner cars before the company pulled the plug on that. I keep that window closed at all times, and I have put up a sign saying to use the other window along with an arrow pointing to where the customer is supposed to be.

Not a lot of people read this sign. Because of where my computer is, I cannot see if a customer is at the counter unless they’re where they’re supposed to be. I can also see the parts counter from my desk.

This morning, I’m sitting at my desk reading my emails when I notice a customer at the parts counter. A moment later, a second customer gets in line behind the first customer. I keep an eye on the parts counter to see if the customer has to pay. The first customer leaves without paying and the second customer approaches the parts counter. I see them pointing to me, so I get up and go over to where the card reader is. The customer then goes over to the other side where the sign with the arrow is.

Me: “Sir, over here.”

The guy huffs but walks over to my window.

Customer: “I’m picking up a car.”

Me: “What was the name?”

Customer: *Mumbles*

Me: “What was that?”

Customer: “[Customer].”

I look through our finished tickets and pull his out.

Me: “Okay, it doesn’t look like you owe anything today. I just need you to sign here and here.”

I mark where I need him to sign and hand him the papers with a pen. He only signs in one spot.

Me: “Up here, as well.”

He signs and throws the pen down. We have a cup for used pens sitting on the customer’s side of the glass, but I decide not to press him on it.

Me: “Okay, and this is your copy and your keys. Have a good day.”

Customer: “What’s your name?”

Me: “[My Name].”

The customer leaves but not before complaining to the manager. A few minutes later, the manager comes over.

Manager: “That guy that was just here said you were very rude to him. What did you do?”

Me: “I asked him to move over here and sign stuff. He didn’t owe anything.”

Manager: “That’s it?”

Me: “Yeah. I mean, if he was standing where I can’t see before he got in the parts line, then I guess he thought I was ignoring him, but that’s what the sign is for.”

Manager: “Maybe you need a bigger sign.”

I am a cashier. A customer puts gross vegetables on the counter by my till.

Customer: “This was in amongst the fresh produce.”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am. I’ll get rid of this and make sure someone goes to check the produce aisle more thoroughly.”

Customer: “No, I want this one at a lower price.”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am, if you want to buy something that’s expired, you will have to pay full price and I’ll take note of you acknowledging its condition. We don’t give discounts on expired food.”

Customer: “I’m not going to eat it; I want to put it in a compost heap.”

Me: “I understand, ma’am, but it’s store policy.”

Customer: “It’s really disgusting that you throw all this produce out rather than let us buy it at a lower rate.”

Me: “Like I said, ma’am, it isn’t my decision to make.”

The customer threw the vegetable at me and stormed out, leaving her trolley full of items to block the queue.

I used to work in fast food. It was near closing, so we were cooking everything to order. A customer came in and ordered. As he waited, he kept saying:

Customer: “I want my food faster!”

He kept tossing dollar bills at me to go faster. His order could only be made as fast as the grill cooked his hamburger.

He got his food, and after we closed and I counted the register, we were over by the amount he’d given me, so I shared it with my closing employee.

A regular library patron comes up to the desk and waves a magazine at us.

Patron: “I need to copy four pages out of this.”

Me: “Okay, the public copier is right over there.”

Patron: “I have forty cents credit at this library. I owed sixty cents for printing last week, and I paid with a dollar, so now I have credit.”

I look at my coworker. Our money system for computer print-outs is literally run out of an Altoids tin, and the copier is coin-operated separately. We don’t track patrons’ payments once they’ve paid.

However, we both know that this particular patron is a bit difficult, so my coworker gives me a shrug to say, “Whatever.”

Me: “Okay, we don’t have a credit system, but I can help you with the copier this time.”

I take forty cents out of the Altoids tin, drop it in the photocopier coin slot, and then photocopy the pages the patron wants, though normally it’s supposed to be self-serve.

Me: “All right. Here you go. Also, for future reference, we have no way of tracking credit. If you want your change, you can just take it when we offer it.”

Patron: “Well, I paid with a dollar. It wasn’t even my dollar; some man just gave it to me downstairs. So, I paid with that, and I told the lady at the desk to keep the change for someone else who needs it. That’s my credit.”

Me: “Okay, well… we have no way to track that.”

Patron: “It’s my credit.”

Me: “I understand what you’re saying, but we don’t track credit. In the future, you can just take your change and keep it with you for next time.”

Patron: “Look, I have two nursing degrees, so I’m not stupid. You don’t have to keep repeating that. I’m not dumb!”

Me: “Okay.”

Patron: “You know what? I’m going to take my copies somewhere else next time since you can’t even treat grown-ups with respect! I’ll go to [Office Supply Chain] and give them my business!”

Me: “Okay.”

Patron: “No respect! I have two degrees!”

Related:
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, Part 4
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, Part 3
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, Part 2
To Give Credit Where Credit Is Due