I’m working on the register at a clothing store.

Me: “Hi, how are you today?”

Lady #1: “Good! How are you?”

Me: “Doing all right. You find everything all right today?”

Lady #1: “Yes, I did.”

After I start to ring up her two items, she stops me.

Lady #1: “I am so sorry, I forgot my wallet in the car. Can I come back in once I get it? 

I am used to this, so I agree and suspend her transaction while she runs back out to her car with her children. I’m supposed to suspend the sale and call up the next customer to keep the line running, so I do this.

Me: “How are you doing today? Find everything all right?”

Lady #2: “I’m doing good thanks, and yes. Was the last lady returning these?”

She points to the two coats my previous customer left.

Me: “No, she is buying them but forgot her wallet.”

Lady #2: “Oh, okay.”

I continue to ring her up when she says:

Lady #2: “Can you add the coats onto my transaction?”

Me: “I’m sorry?”

Lady #2: “I want to pay for them for her.”

I’m a bit taken aback because this has never happened, but I do it for her and she’s on her way. Not a minute later, [Lady #1] comes back into line and I call her up.

Lady #1: “All right, I got it! How much?”

Me: “Actually, ma’am, the lady who was behind you in line before paid for the coats. They’re all yours.”

Lady #1: “Really? She did?”

Me: “Yes.” *Hands her the bag* “You have a great evening.”

Lady #1: “Thank you so much!”

This is the first time that’s happened, but [Lady #2]’s generosity stays in my mind. [Lady #1]’s smile was so amazing and brightened my night.

This story is part of our Feel Good roundup for January 2021!

Read the next Feel Good roundup for January 2021 story!

Read the Feel Good roundup for January 2021!

Me: “Hi, how are you today?”

Customer: “Fine.”

Me: “Did you find everything okay?”

Customer: “Sure.”

I start ringing her items up.

Customer: “No, that’s supposed to be 50% off.”

Me: “All right, no problem! Let me ask someone to double-check that for you.”

I call my coworker over our headsets and ask.

Coworker: “Nope, no discount off of these.”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am, it doesn’t have a discount on it.”

Customer: “Whatever. I don’t want it, then.”

I continue to ring her items and she asks about several more that are “supposed” to have a discount.

Me: “Sorry, ma’am, my coworker said there’s no discount on most of these.”

Customer: “Let me speak to your manager, then.”

I call the manager over.

Manager: “What seems to be the issue?”

Customer: “Your employee isn’t giving me the discount on these items!”

Manager: “All right, let me check this for you.”

He checks for any sale prices on any of the items and comes up with nothing.

Customer: “Ugh! You people are so selfish with your discounts!”

She then stormed off without any of the items, leaving my manager and me there wondering what had just happened.

Related:
Don’t Discount The Customer’s Ability To Discount, Part 17
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

I’m in high school, working at a small independent cafe down near the lakefront. It’s my first time working in a cafe, but despite a few hiccups, my manager says I’m doing great. Then, this happens.

Me: “Hi there. What can I get for you?”

Customer: “Hi, yeah, I want a cafe olè.”

Me: “I’m sorry? A what?”

Customer: “A cafe olè!”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know what a cafe olè is. Could you describe it?”

Customer: *Loud sigh* “A cafe olè! You know! With milk?!”

Me: “A latte?”

Customer: “NO! IT’S A CAFE OLÈ!”

Finally, my coworker came over, and without saying anything, pushed the appropriate buttons in the till and finished the transaction for me. The customer took his drink from my coworker and left in a huff. I glanced at the merchant copy of the receipt, and it said, “Cafe au Lait”! I’m French Canadian, but he was butchering the French language so bad I legitimately thought he was asking for a SPANISH coffee!

I am a server. A couple comes in. The guy is kind of a jacka**, and the lady is very ditzy and seems very out of it. I’m taking care of some other tables, and all of a sudden, I hear a guy screaming.

Male Customer: “Help! Someone help!”

The hostess and I run over to find the lady sinking down in her seat and she’s shaking. The hostess and I look at each other and then at the couple. Immediately, he tells the hostess to get under the table and help pull her out, because she’s having a seizure. I pull my phone out.

Me: “Sir, I’m going to call 911; she needs more help than we can give her.”

Male Customer: “Don’t you dare call 911! We don’t need them. Now, quit playing on that phone and help me get her on the ground.”

Hostess: “Sir, I’m trying to help you, but she’s stuck and your server can’t help because she’s not able to get past us.”

Me: “Sir, I’d really like to call the emergency line; if you refuse again I’m going to have to grab my manager.”

He scoffs and continues pushing his wife under the table so they can pull her to the ground. I run to the office and grab my manager.

Me: “Hey, we have a customer out there having a seizure and her husband isn’t letting me call 911.”

We both run out.

Manager: “Sir, I’m calling 911. I know you think you can handle this but this is a safety hazard. She’s in the middle of our floor and our dining room is full.”

Male Customer: “FINE!”

An ambulance arrives and they try to calm the seizure. They get her back up on a chair and sitting up. They ask her questions and make sure she’s conscious and whatnot. They finally leave, and the couple gets to-go boxes.

Me: “Here’s your bill, sir, and ma’am, I hope you feel better soon.”

Male Customer: “Whatever.”

Female Customer: *Nods slowly*

I start bussing my other tables and getting checks out to everyone. One of my tables stops me.

Customer: “Is she okay?”

Me: “I think so, ma’am. I’m so sorry for the scare.”

Customer: “I felt bad that I didn’t help her. I’m a nurse, but he didn’t want any help!”

Me: “You’re not obligated to help, especially when you had no clue what was going on. Besides, that man probably would’ve chewed you out, anyway. He was mad that we even called 911. He didn’t want anyone’s help except ours, for some reason.”

Customer: “I wonder, maybe he was hoping she’d get hurt so he could try to sue y’all or something?”

Me: “Who knows.”

I look over at the couple’s table as they are headed up to the register. Well, he is. He left her sitting there struggling to get up from the chair, so I run over and help her stand up. She slowly follows behind him.

I go to clear off the rest of their dishes off of the table to find a PENNY. ONE PENNY. I finish the table up and walk up to the host.

Me: “Did they tip on the card?”

Hostess: “Nope. They paid in cash. They gave me a $100 bill and took the change with them.”

I have been a teller at my branch for over a year now. One day, an unfamiliar woman comes up to my window. She hands me a check made out to one of our male customers and her ID. His name is signed on the back and matches the signature we have on file for his account. However, his last name is completely different from hers.

Me: “Hi! How can I help you with this today?”

Customer: “I want to cash this check.”

Me: “All right! Let me take a look at it and see what we can do for you!”

Already, this has some red flags. I look up her name in our system. Nothing. She is not a customer with us. I pull up the payee’s accounts, thinking she might be a custodian or his power of attorney, but no legal documents bearing her name are on file with us.

Me: “Ma’am, do you have accounts here with us?”

Customer: “No, I don’t.”

Me: “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to cash this for you today because you don’t have any accounts with us. This customer would have to come in and present ID for the check to be cashed.”

Customer: “But it’s his check! He has accounts with you! Why can’t you cash it if he has accounts with you?”

Clearly, she has no idea about the concept of fraud or the absurdity of expecting a bank to cash a check that doesn’t have her name on it simply because the payee has accounts there.

Me: “I can’t cash this for you because you don’t have accounts with us. He needs to come in and cash this himself.”

Customer: “REALLY? You’re saying he needs to be here? HE JUST HAD OPEN HEART SURGERY! THAT’S WHY I’M HERE CASHING IT FOR HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE! HE HAS ACCOUNTS WITH YOU!”

Me: *Shriveling away inside* “Yes. He needs to be here.”

Customer: “Do you think my bank would cash it for me?!”

Apparently, I am expected to know other banks’ policies. At this point, I’m willing to say anything to get her to leave.

Me: “Sure. They might.”

She took the check and left me in a huff. It took a cup of coffee and a few pieces of chocolate for me to process what had actually just happened.