(It’s the back-to-school season at the office supply store where I work. I’m working in the print shop when I see a customer come in and spend a few minutes looking at our display of three-ring binders on a table by the entrance. The binders are offered in trendy colors and patterns, and occasionally have popular memes or emojis on them, so I assume the customer is trying to decide which one she wants. Then, one by one, she takes the binders off the little wooden display stand that’s keeping them from falling over, picks up the display itself, and brings it to my counter.)

Customer: “I want to buy this.”

Me: “Unfortunately, ma’am, we don’t sell those here in the store. They’re part of our display.”

Customer: “Well, sell me this one and buy another!”

Me: “Ma’am, even if I had the ability to arbitrarily key something into my register to sell this to you, I can’t just get another one. These are shipped to the store from our corporate office and sometimes take longer than six weeks to reach us due to back-ordering.”

Customer: “But it was on your table! That means it’s a product and you have to sell it to me!”

Me: “Again, ma’am, I can’t sell that item to you. If you’d like, I can take you over to our desk accessories aisle and see if there’s something similar that will work for you?”

Customer: “NO! I don’t see what’s so difficult about selling this to me!”

Me: “I’d sell it to you if I could, ma’am, but it’s not for sale, and I don’t have a way to process a transaction for it through the register. And I’d get into trouble or fired for taking your cash without a legitimate sale.”

(The customer shoved the item across the counter and stormed off to do the rest of her shopping, and I had to go and reset the entire display table. Thanks, lady!)

(I work in a well-known, large chain store. We carry technology, office supplies, paper, etc. Whenever we do not have something in the store, we always offer to order it online for the customer and ship it to them with no shipping fee. Shipping is very fast; it usually takes one to three business days. But some people just want to complain that we don’t carry EVERY product our business sells in the store. One day I see a lady with a half-full cart looking at products with a semi-frown on her face. I cautiously approach.)

Me: *cheerfully* “Hi! Are you finding everything all right?”

Customer: *sarcastically* “Uh, no!”

Me: “Oh, well, what can I help you find?”

Customer: “I am looking for [specific type of Rolodex holder and specialty Rolodex note cards]; where are they?! You should have them here with your other Rolodex products!”

(We used to have an entire section of Rolodex products, but no one EVER bought them, so they downsized our in-store stock. Now we have one holder and one refill card pack. But we can order any of the others online.)

Me: “I see. We carry just what you see here in the store, but I know that I can order the ones you need and have them shipped right to you with no shipping fee! Would you like me to do that?”

Customer: *looking at me with a nasty expression* “No! I want you to have it in store!”

Me: “I am very sorry, ma’am, but we do not carry it in store — corporate sets our inventory — but I can order it for you.”

Customer: “I don’t think you get what I am saying! I want you to carry the things I need in the store! I want to shop here and give you business! You never have what I need in store! I had to buy [random product that I have never heard of] somewhere online because you didn’t have it in store!”

(The customer has a half-full cart, so obviously, there are things she needs that we DO carry in the store.)

Me: “Well, I am sorry. Again, we carry most things people need for their business or office in store, but we have millions of products the company sells, and we could never stock all of our stores with all of those products. If there is anything we don’t have, as I said, we can do a hassle-free order, or you can order from home or work.”

Customer: “You don’t get what I am saying! I want you to carry things in….”

Me: *getting frustrated because this lady is arguing in circles* “Ma’am, I understand what you are saying, but there is literally nothing I can do about making something suddenly be stocked in the stores. I can order for you, or help you find something else. Can I do either of those things for you at this moment?”

Customer: *staring daggers at me* “I am frustrated!”

Me: “I am sorry about—“

Customer: *interrupts* ” I am telling you I am frustrated!”

(I have no idea what she expects me to do, she is just being difficult, so I decide to stop wasting time.)

Me: “Yes, I see that. I am sorry. If there is anything I can do for you reasonably in my power, please let me know.”

(I walk away. The customer shops for two more hours, fills her cart until it’s overflowing, and then makes a nasty comment to the cashier about our stock, makes fun of the cashier’s name —  a completely normal name — then starts to go. I can’t help myself, especially after she treats my cashier badly. I say in a sickly sweet voice as she is walking out:)

Me: “Oh, I am so glad you found an entire cart full of things you needed in the store! HAVE A FANTASTICALLY BEAUTIFUL DAY!”

(She glared and stomped off. My boss wasn’t even mad after hearing my story!)

so i am making a an address label for a customer and after i am finished this happens.

Me: Mam if you would like we can email you this file so you don’t have to wait for us to make it an we can print straight from it

Customer: No that’s to much trouble you guys can just remake it next time i come for labels

Me: Mam we don’t save files we make so we will have to remake it

Customer: Yeah its just too much trouble to email you the file over

Me: Alright then see you next time

Every week we have specials on certain items. One particular item, normally 35¢, was discounted to a lower price and shown in the ad as “4 for $1.00.” A customer went to a register with four of the item and the cashier was ringing them up.

A minute later she called for the manager over the walkie-talkie system, “These items are supposed to be four for a dollar, but they’re ringing up at 25¢ each!” It was the first time I heard five different employees laugh in five different parts of the store at the same time.

(I am working the busiest day of the back-to-school season. Our line has reached the back of the store and is wrapping along the back. Every register is open.)

Me: “Your total comes to—”

(Suddenly, the whole store goes black before I can finish. We have lost power, including the registers.)

Me: “Looks like we have lost power. Hopefully it will come back on soon. We are going to give it five minutes, but if it is still out after that, we are going to have to close; it’s a safety hazard.”

Customer: “Well, I am not leaving without those dividers; they are the last ones and I need them!”

Me: “Hopefully we can get the registers back soon so we can get them for you.”

(After a few minutes, the power comes back, but our registers are locked out and require additional boot-up time.)

Me: “We are booting this back up. It should just take a few minutes.”

Customer: “Can I just give you the money and get the item?”

(Store alarms are going off and computers are trying to turn on.)

Me: “Once I get the register to work again, then yes.”

Customer: “Why is this taking so long? The customers before us didn’t have to wait this long!”

(They are, of course, referring to customers that left before the power went out. I stand there trying to remain composed as the managers run around trying to appease the growing lines.)

Customer: “Can’t I just give you the money and go?”

Me: “I can’t open the cash drawer, and I don’t know the total for these items.”

Customer: “Why don’t you know the prices of what you sell?”

Me: “We carry over 70,000 items, and they go on different sales every week; I couldn’t possibly know the price for every one.”

Customer: “I just really need these dividers.”

(I don’t know why the dividers were that important, or what the customer expected me to do in a power failure.)