We have a “No Solicitation” sticker at our doorbell. However, we have noticed quite some people ignore it or try to be witty and say, “I didn’t ring the doorbell.” This guy took the cake, though. 

A guy knocks on the window and, considering his outfit, I have a gut feeling about what this is about. 

Man: “Hello, ma’am. I hope I didn’t startle you.”

Me: “Yes, you did.”

Man: “I am a gardener, and I saw your trees—”

Me: “I know, and we are not interested. We—”

Man: “I love trees, as well! And I would like to offer my services—”

Me: “And we are still not interested.”

Man: “Yes, but your trees—”

Me: “We are not interested. That’s why we have this sticker here.” *Points at the sticker* 

Man: *Glances at the sticker* “I would really—”

Me: “I would like to end the conversation now. We have a ‘No Solicitation’ sticker for a reason.”

Man: “But—”

Me: “I wish you a good day. Goodbye.”

I accidentally close the door louder than intended, and the guy leaves. But still, I considered myself polite enough for someone so disrespectful. 

Husband: “Did you really have to tell him three times before he left?”

Me: “I’m surprised he left at all!”

I then leave for groceries. When I come home, my husband jumps up to greet me. 

Husband: “You’ll never believe this!”

Me: “Believe what?”

Husband: “That gardener returned!”

Me: “What?!”

Husband: “He admitted that he saw you leave and wanted to know my opinion.” 

Me: “And?”

I’m slightly worried because my husband doesn’t know tact at all, even though that gardener does not deserve tact.

Husband: “I said that I would never disrespect my wife and that he had five seconds to buzz off. He tried to talk back, so I just started counting down. Did you know that your counting-down trick does not only work with cats?”

Me: “What would you have done if he had stayed?”

Husband: “Well, the ice machine was just done with a batch of ice cubes…”

It’s nice to know my husband has my back.

I am a female shopping in a major big box department store in Kentucky. The store rents out space in the main aisle passing the electronics department for a local cable and Internet provider to sell their services.

I am walking to the arts and crafts department when one of the cable and Internet provider’s representatives steps in front of my path. It is worth noting that I am originally from New York and I have been known to cuss a little bit.

Representative: “I think that you really need to sign up for my service!”

He goes into a long pitch while I am attempting to step around him, and he continually moves so I can’t walk past him.

Me: “Look, dude, I am not interested in your service! I live in an extremely remote part of the area, and your service isn’t even available where I live! Leave me the f*** alone and stop blocking me!”

I am able to get past him, and he continues to follow me to the arts and crafts department, which is a full seven aisles away from the electronics department.

I turn back to look at him.

Me: “What did I tell you?! Quit f****** following me! You are really making me uncomfortable!”

Meanwhile, an elderly employee of the store’s arts and crafts department steps into my path to confront me about cussing at the cable and Internet salesman.

Employee: “Miss, you shouldn’t cuss! All you have to do is tell him, ‘no, thank you,’ and keep walking! I am going to call the police and report you for using foul language in public!”

Me: “The dude was following me and he wouldn’t quit! What else was I supposed to do? Get me your manager now!”

The store manager is called over, and I explain what both the representative and the employee did.

Manager: “[Employee], why didn’t you stop the rep from following this young lady? And [Representative], why did you keep following her when she told you to leave her alone?”

Employee: “But she cursed, and it is offensive! No woman should be allowed to curse!”

Representative: “I just really wanted to make a sale, and she kept trying to avoid me! What else could I do?”

Manager: “Both of you are wrong! [Employee], I am going to write you up for harassing a customer! And you, [Representative]! I have received multiple complaints about you and the other reps harassing customers! Your company is about to have its lease terminated due to your behavior!”

The manager apologized to me and promises me that the incident would be dealt with.

The next time that I went into the store, the company’s booth wasn’t there, and one of the employees told me that the company’s lease had indeed been terminated! The store employee now gives me dirty looks whenever I come into the store.

Our entire retail chain is sadly closing down, and everyone is losing their jobs. As a result, we’re having liquidation sales, which are by their very nature super cheap and super non-refundable.

Customer: “I need a return on this item.”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but as [Company] is being liquidated we’re not able to offer any returns on any of our items.”

Customer: “Well maybe if your customer service was better, you wouldn’t all be losing your jobs. Get me your manager!”

I sigh and get my manager, as I am already over it. My manager approaches and explains the same thing several times, before she explodes in anger:

Customer: “I’m going to call the news about the disgusting service here! I’m going to go online and make sure everyone knows what kind of company this is!”

Manager: “Several thousand people are about to lose their jobs and this store won’t even be here in a couple of weeks. What exactly is all that going to accomplish other than making you seem like a b***h?”

Customer: “Right! That’s it; I want your manager now!”

The store manager is now summoned, and the customer immediately relates everything… again.

Customer: “And then he called me a b***h!”

The store manager looks at me, then at the manager, and then at the customer.

Store Manager: “Well, have you tried not being a b***h?”

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We are running a “buy two, get a third free” sale. One of the products in this sale is made by a third party which also has a 25%-off online coupon for their items, but it can only be used on one item, and both deals cannot be combined. A customer comes up to me with three of the items in question, along with the coupon.

Me: “Hi! We’re actually doing a ‘buy two, get a third free’ deal on this item at the moment, so it would be cheaper if you did that instead of using the coupon.”

Customer: “But I want to use the coupon.”

Me: “I understand, and if you were buying just one of these, then it would make sense, but since you’re buying three, it makes more sense for you to use our store deal instead.”

Customer: “But… I want to use the coupon.”

Me: “It would be cheaper—”

My manager rushes over and takes over.

Manager: “Let me take that coupon and give you a good deal, sir!”

The manager processes our own deal, ignores the coupon, and charges the customer the lesser amount.

Customer: “Thank you. You need to train your checkout staff better; they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Manager: “We’ll get right on that, sir.”

The customer leaves, and the manager tears up the unused coupon.

Manager: “Customers know nothing. Nothing. Sooner you realize that, the saner you’ll be.”

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We have an electric toothbrush that is reduced significantly, which this one lady wants. I look for it and searching on the system shows that we are completely out. I explain all this.

Customer: “Well I only want the one that’s on offer.”

Me: “I’m afraid we won’t be getting any more deliveries for the foreseeable future.”

Customer: “You’re a disgusting person for putting a toothbrush on offer and having it advertised online when you don’t have it!”

We had just sold out maybe an hour before she got there.

Customer: “My daughter works here, and she wouldn’t have let this happen to me!”

Me: “Maybe I can suggest your daughter could keep an eye out to see if any offers on toothbrushes come about so she can put them aside for you or maybe she can pick it up for you?”

She doesn’t like this and huffs and puffs away. 

I can somewhat understand being a difficult person to all retail and hospitality workers, but surely having your kid work in those jobs would give you an understanding of how many difficult people they deal with and how it can ruin your day for things out of your control?