A customer bought two pairs of cleats in our store. One was full price; the other was on clearance. He brings the full-price cleats in to return, but the box — which is required to return because it tells the system what the shoe is — is from the clearance cleats.

I tell him how much he is getting back; I don’t realize they are different.

Customer: “That isn’t the right price.”

I check the receipt and realize what’s going on.

Me: “I’m sorry, but I can’t return these with the wrong box.”

He gets angry.

Me: “Okay. I can either get you the clearance price back, or you can come back with the right box, and then I can get you the full price back. Those are your only options.”

He starts screaming at me and I tell him that’s there’s nothing else I can do.

Customer: *Yelling* “Do you expect me to drive thirty minutes each way just to get my money back?”

Me: “Yes.”

He came back an hour later with the right box and started screaming at my coworker about how awful I was. That’s the only time I’ve ever cried because of a customer.

It is two days before leaving my job as a retail cashier at a well-known clothing store during the Christmas rush.

Customer: “Hi. I want to return this watch my dad got for my daughter. It’s kinda ugly. Not her style.”

Me: “Sure thing. You have the receipt?”

Customer: *Hands me the receipt* “Yes, but I don’t have the card it was paid with.”

Me: “That’s all right; the receipt and watch are all I need.” *Proceeds with the return transaction* “All right, you’re all set!”

Customer: “Well?”

Me: “Well, what?”

Customer: “I told you I don’t have the card. Where’s my cash?”

Me: “Ma’am, you didn’t say you want cash. And even if you had, I can’t refund a card purchase with cash. There’s not even an option in the system for me to do that.”

Customer: “Unbelievable! This is what’s wrong with your generation. You’re so rude and entitled.”

Me: “Your generation raised mine. Have a nice day.”

The customer looked startled, huffed, and principle-waddled out.

I live in Iceland, and I used to work in a mini supermarket in the city centre. An American woman bought some groceries. Fifteen minutes later, she came back.

Customer: *Yelling at me* “All your products are expired!”

Me: “Ma’am, in Europe, we format dates day, then month, and then year.”

Customer: “I don’t believe you! I want a refund!”

Me: “I can’t do that; the items aren’t expired.”

She got extra mad.

Customer: “I want a refund now!”

Regular Customer: “Ma’am, the dates are formatted differently; your groceries aren’t expired.”

Customer: “No, they’re expired! I want a refund!”

Me: “Good luck finding another store to sell you your groceries, ma’am. Everything is expired here in Iceland.”

Customer: “I bought this shirt four months ago, and I want to exchange this for another color.”

She hands me the purchased shirt and the shirt she wants to buy. The shirt she has purchased has gone to clearance and the color she wants is still full price. Our system allows exchanges past our ninety-day mark with the current selling price. I explain all this.

Me: “You will have to pay the difference for the full-price shirt.”

She lost her mind and wouldn’t accept that.

Customer: “Bye!”

She grabbed the new shirt out of my hands and bolted out of the store.

It was a $12 price difference.

I had someone buy chainsaws and then return them, claiming they just stopped working. This happened four times before the manager said she wasn’t allowed to buy chainsaws anymore since she keeps breaking them and getting refunded.

After the last return, the employee who dealt with her actually said:

Employee: “Let me see what’s wrong with it.”

And he checked. It was out of gas. She never filled them with gas. She just returned them and claimed they stopped for no reason.