(I work as a cashier in a well-known chain. We have a customer who likes to remove clearance stickers off cheap items and attach them to full-price items, then go to the newest cashiers who won’t argue it much. She comes up to my register when I am still fairly new, but have been working long enough to recognize her. I scan an expensive children’s toy that rings up at $49.99)

Customer: “Excuse me? The sticker says it’s on clearance for $2.44.”

(I look at the register where it says $49.99, and then look at the clearance sticker. I immediately realize what’s going on, but since we aren’t allowed to accuse anyone of something, I play along. I type in the product number on the sticker and it comes up as a decorative herb container from home decor, not even remotely close to anything resembling a toy.)

Me: “Huh, that’s strange. Oh, I see. Another customer must have put the sticker on this one for some reason. This wouldn’t have been something we did, it’s from a completely different department. Sorry, but the actual price is $49.99. See the sticker? It’s originally for a $5 item. I can take 10% off for your troubles.”

Customer: *being nice, but uncooperative* “Uh, no. The sticker says it’s on clearance. This is for my son’s birthday and I can’t spend fifty bucks on some toy. I found it on the shelf like this. You need to honor it.”

Me: “I can get my manager and see what she says, but I doubt we can give it to you for less than $3.” *I turn on my light and wait for my manager to arrive*

Manager: “How can I help?”

(The customer jumps in to explain the situation before I can. My manager takes a look and enters the product number like I did while listening to the customer.)

Manager: “Unfortunately, I can’t honor this. Likely a customer put this on here intending to get it for cheap, but never came back for it. I can offer you 10% off.”

Customer: “Like I told her, I can’t do that. I really think you should honor it.”

Manager: “I’m sorry; we can’t do that.”

Customer: “Is there someone else you can ask?”

Manager: “I’ll see what I can do and be right back.”

(My manager goes into her office and the woman, who has been mostly friendly at this point, tries to chat me up, saying “This always happens to me every time, blah blah.” Finally my manager returns.)

Manager: “I spoke to the store manager himself and he said we can do 50% off since the sticker was for 50% off the intended item, but we cannot do the $2.44. You can have it for $24.49 instead, which is still a great deal for such a popular toy.”

Customer: *giving my manager a nasty look and getting angry* “Seriously? Ugh. Fine, never mind, then. I don’t want it if you won’t honor your own prices. Take it off and finish it up.”

(My manager took the item back to the service desk where she took the sticker off and threw it away. The customer didn’t even acknowledge me after that. Later on, my manager came back up with the item the sticker was intended for, and you could see where a sticker had been removed.)

(I’m twelve, and my brother is nine. My twin sister and I have always been into stereotypically girly things, and our little brother followed in our footsteps. He dropped most of it by the time he was around six, but he still enjoys cutting and styling hair. Today, we’re at [Toy Store], buying a present for my niece.)

Brother: “Mom! Look! A hairstyling Barbie head! Please can I have it?! Please?!”

Mom: “Okay, fine.”

(We find the toy for my niece and continue to the checkout. After my mom buys the styling head, my brother gleefully pulls it off the counter.)

Brother: “Yay!”

Customer: “That’s for you?”

Brother: “Yeah! I wanna be a hairstylist when I grow up!”

Customer: *to my mom* “Oh! Is this your child? Of course! Only a dirty Mexican would let their child be a f******!”

(The lady seems very proud of herself for “figuring this out.” My mom has a very special place in her heart for people like this, and this lady really got her steamed!)

Mom: “Okay, first of all, I’m Filipino, and I’ve spent all of forty-three years in the USA, and I am forty-six. Second, how dare you insult my child like that?! If he wants to be a hairstylist, I am going to encourage him, whether he be gay, straight, or bi! Finally, just because a boy likes hairstyling does not define his sexual orientation! And why should it matter?!”

Customer: “You f***ing Mexicans! You’re all rapists and f**s! Get the h*** outta my country! Little Mexican b**** with your family of s***s and f**s!”

(The customer continued to shriek profanities until security came and escorted her out!)

(We’ve been instructed to ask for customer feedback while checking customers out in the form of a questionnaire. Most is multiple choice with a comments section at the bottom. The line has died down when the receptionist, looking rather disgruntled, turns to us and reads out the feedback from their last customer.)

Comment: “Too helpful! Too nice! Tried having a chat with me and it was just abhorrent! Even her hello was so sweet it gave me diabetes.”

Receptionist: “I’m sorry we can’t all be as sour as gone-off bottle of milk!”

(I normally wear contact lenses, but my optometrist had trouble ordering them so I’m wearing my glasses today. A regular customer approaches me. She’s usually a bit of a handful but never anything crazy.)

Me: “How are you?”

Customer: “You have glasses. Why?”

Me: “There was an issue with my doctor’s office so I’m wearing my glasses until it gets fixed.”

Customer: “I don’t like it. Take them off.”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I can’t see without them so I can’t take them off.”

Customer: *huffs* “Well… I don’t like you anymore!”

(I work in a busy baby store where people always return nearly their entire purchases two weeks later.)

Me: “Hi, how can I help you today?”

Customer: “I want to return these items.”

Me: “No problem. Do you have your receipt with you?”

Customer: “Yeah, here.”

(The customer hands me the receipt. I notice she is returning everything she purchased, at least 10 items, except a $5 t-shirt.)

Me: “Okay, so it will be [total] going back onto your card today?”

(The total was $5 less than the total she paid as she wasn’t returning the t-shirt.)

Customer: “What!? That isn’t right. I paid [total stated on receipt]. Why aren’t I getting all of it back. I should get all of it back!”

Me: “Um, madam—”

Customer: “See I will show you my bank statement”

Me: “Madam, the reason why you—”

(Before I can finish my sentence she starts shoving her phone in my face with her bank history on it.)

Customer: “See?! [Store] on the first of September, [total] was taken out of my account! Now give me that total back!”

(I begin to get annoyed so I raise my voice.)

Me: “I cannot return that total amount to you as you are not returning everything you purchased. You are not returning the t-shirt, is that correct?”

Customer: “Obviously.”

Me: “Therefore you will be getting the total amount back minus the cost of the t-shirt.”

Customer: “Well, you didn’t tell me that I wasn’t returning everything!”

(I completed the return just shaking my head. So did the customer waiting behind her.)