We have a gentleman come in once or twice a week just to browse. My coworkers always became irritated that he would come in and wander, “kicking tires” and hurting our conversion rate.

I on the other hand usually tried to take the time with our older retiree customers to have a chat and see how they were doing and how their day was going. My grandmother had been widowed a few years earlier and didn’t get out much, so I knew how much it meant to our aging customers that were just browsing to have some human interaction that wasn’t all about a sale.

This gentleman and I eventually built a rapport between each other and we became good friends. He even eventually brought his wife in to meet me, and after that they would both stop in to chat while they were out and about.

About two years later (after we’d started talking regularly when they came in), imagine my surprise when I went to visit my Gramma in her condo and there was the gentleman and his wife sitting down in the lobby! Turns out they lived in the same condo!

After that, the gentleman and his wife would come into my store to chat, and they would wait for me down in the lobby of the condo as well on days they knew I’d be popping in to see my Gramma.

We had a wonderful relationship, and the wife would also check in on my Gramma for me during the week before my weekly visit, just to see if there was anything she could help Gramma with too.

I’ll never forget the day that I went to visit my Gramma, and the wife was downstairs in the lobby as usual, but my gentleman friend was nowhere to be seen. Turns out, he had passed that week, and his wife was alone now. I sat down with her and cried with her over his loss because we had built such a wonderful friendship.

After that, she wasn’t downstairs as often when I went to visit, but every once in a while when she was, I made sure to sit with her to have a talk and see how she was managing.

Eventually, my Gramma became too sick to stay on her own, and had to move to a retirement home, and then passed a couple of years later. But to this day, I still think about that couple, and wonder how she is.

They really were very sweet; I miss them a lot. He usually would come into the store while he waited for his wife to get her shopping done. And I was so touched when she began reaching out to my Gramma to help her too. It’s amazing the people you meet and the stories you hear if you just take the time.

We’re having a sale (Boxing Day), and some of our best deals are sold out within the first hour or two from opening. One customer is particularly upset with this.

Customer: “You’ve totally sold out of [dress]?! That’s bloody ridiculous! It’s not even 10:00 am!”

Manager: “Yes, that was our most heavily discounted item. It was always going to fly off the shelves.”

Customer: “Well then, you’re going to order one for me.”

Manager: “I’m afraid that was on sale because it was the last of that particular stock. It’s not being manufactured anymore.”

Customer: “So, how do you propose to get me one, then?!”

Manager: “Uh… I don’t? Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Customer: “You get me one of those dresses, or I’m leaving.” 

Manager: “I understand, ma’am.”

Customer: “I’ll walk out, and I won’t buy anything!”

Manager: “I’m sorry you feel that way, ma’am.”

Customer: “Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m leaving!”

Manager: “Yes, ma’am, I heard you. This isn’t an airport; you don’t have to announce your departure.”

CONTENT WARNING: Violence (Customer threatens/attempts to stab an employee)

I worked at a sandwich place located inside a mall, but not attached to any other stores. This is important, as there is another branch of the same chain located INSIDE of a store that is open later due to the store itself being open later.

I am counting down the drawer, thirty minutes past close, when I hear a tapping. I look at the door to find a lady smiling and waving at me.

I mouth through the door that we are closed and go back to counting. 

She bangs on the door more insistently, angry now. I go to the door, shout, “We are closed!”, and point to the hours.

She acts like she doesn’t hear, so I give her the benefit of the doubt and do what you should NEVER DO ESPECIALLY WHEN ALONE: I unlock the door to speak with her.

Customer: “Hi. I am so sorry, but I just called here and spoke to someone. You said you would be open until ten, so why are you closed?” 

Me: “Oh. You must have called elsewhere. We are never open past 8:30. I am just here counting the drawer.”

Customer: *Now irate* “No. I called here, and the man on the phone said you were open until ten!” 

Me: “I am going to stop you right there. We haven’t had a man working this restaurant at all today — just women — but also, we have never been open past 8:30 because the mall closes at eight.”

Customer: “So… who did I call, then?!“ 

I know I should have disengaged, but I am a helpful person, and this is my first management job, so I want to do the right thing.

Me: “I am sorry. You would know better than I would who you called. Perhaps call them back to find out their location so you can get your food?”

Customer: “No! They said they were open until ten, so you have to make my food for me!” 

Me: “No…? I cannot. Our systems are shut down, our food is put away, and everything is off. If it were, like, right at close, I could have helped you, but we’ve been closed for over forty-five minutes now.”

Customer: “You will make me my sandwiches because you should be open until ten like your other—”

I closed and locked the door at this and turned around.

The customer lost her s***, shaking and pounding the door. The customers leaving the chain store were concerned and tried to help the banshee, but she kept screaming.

I went to the back, locked myself in the office, and called security, getting worried that she might actually break the door down. On the cameras, I saw her leave finally, and I breathed a sigh of relief, letting security know. They still said they would send someone over to make sure it was safe for me to leave.

Security let themselves into the store mall side and let me know what had happened and that I could leave.

Apparently, the lady had a complete meltdown in the parking lot. She was hiding near the dumpster closest to the store, and she went to knife some poor cashier from one of the restaurants that were open later (a steak place), causing the cashier to lock all the customers inside for their safety and call security.

But that wasn’t the end of the story.

Apparently, before she got caught with the knife at the dumpster, the woman had slashed the tires of all the cars parked near the doorway, thinking one of them had to be mine.

The police arrested her and cleared the area for everyone to leave.

So never, ever open a door for someone past opening hours. You never know what could happen!

Related:
Not So Closed Minded, Part 38
Not So Closed Minded, Part 37
Not So Closed Minded, Part 36
Not So Closed Minded, Part 35
Not So Closed Minded, Part 34

I worked in a certain sandwich shop chain at my local mall food court for about eight years. (That was not the original career plan, but that’s how things worked out.) Generally speaking, our customers were great. But every so often, we’d get an individual with a unique outlook.

Customer: “I want a six-inch Italian sandwich.”

Me: “Sure thing. Would you like Italian bread?” 

Customer: “I want what comes with it.”

I cut a six-inch Italian roll and went to the next step, like the thousands of sandwiches I’d already made. 

Me: “Would you like lettuce and tomato?”

Customer: “I want what comes with it.” 

Me: “Sure, you can have any of these veggies on it. Would you like lettuce and tomato?”

Customer: “I just want what comes with it.”

Me: “Extra meat and cheese costs extra, but you can have whatever veggies you want. Would you like lettuce and tomato?”

Customer: “Just give me what comes with it.”

Me: “Sir, you can have whatever you want from here to here. Any of these things come with it. Only extra meat and cheese cost extra. Would you like lettuce and tomato?”

Customer: “All I want is what comes with it! Why are you doing this to me? Why is this so hard?”

At this point, I was at a loss for words. I was not trained to handle a customer who refused to take “You can have whatever you want” for an answer. Fortunately, my manager figured out what the customer wanted and stepped in.

Manager: “All right, sir. This is an Italian sandwich, so it comes with lettuce and tomato. It also comes with onions and olives. Then it comes with these meats and this cheese. Then we wrap it up. That will be [price of the sandwich].”

Customer: *Visibly relieved* “Thank you. That’s all I wanted. I’m sorry for losing my temper, but I have really bad hypertension right now. The doctor says I need to avoid stress or I might have a heart attack.”

We never saw him again, but I truly hope he recovered to the point where he wasn’t in danger of having a heart attack from ordering a sandwich.

Our mall is having a special children’s event where they can play games and watch some shows (some children’s TV actors are on stage), and some extra people are providing entertainment, such as face painters and clowns.

I am working at the customer service desk. It’s my first day ever, and I’m a little nervous.

Manager: “You’ll be fine. You’ve studied the manual, so you can answer any question the customers have.”

My first customer approaches.

Customer: “Is that guy a real clown or just someone dressed as a clown?”

Me: “Uh…”