(I work at a large department store where there’s one sale a week on average. Because the sale prices are usually the same, our signing team leaves old signs behind the current ones so they don’t have to reprint every sign every time our prices change. Most customers don’t even think to look behind the visible sign, and those who do understand that the price they can see is the current price. A customer brings up a piece of one of our top brands of luggage, and a sign taken out of the sign holder.)

Customer: “Hi, this sign was behind a sign that said they were full price, but the dates include today. Can I get it for half off?”

(I look at the bottom of the sign, and see that in light gray print over white says ‘121912 12513’.)

Me: “Those are just identification numbers, but let me check the price for you.”

(I bring the suitcase to a register and scan it. Just as the sign in front says, it rings up full price.)

Me: “The sign is up for the sale that starts next week.”

Customer: “So I can get it half off, right?”

Me: “Unfortunately not, ma’am.”

Customer: “But the sign says it’s half off.”

Me: “You said this was behind a sign that gave the full price, right?”

Customer: “Yes.”

Manager: “So let me get this right: you pulled apart one of our signs, found one that isn’t current, and want that price?”

Customer: “Yes! That’s what the sign says!”

Me: “We can hold it for you until the sale starts.”

Customer: “No! I have to take it to Atlanta tomorrow! I want the price the sign says! Can’t you just give it to me early?”

Me: “If I did that, I could get fired.”

Customer: “So…?”

Me: “It’s full price.”

(The customer leaves, muttering about false advertising.)

(A coworker and I have just set up the sales sign in the store. We are discussing which signs are going to give us the most problems.)

Coworker: “The ones up front say everything is 30% off, but when I scanned it at the till, it’s 50% off.”

Me: “At least it’s not the other way around. Someone can have a pleasant surprise at the register.”

Manager: “Did you two see any of the signs for upfront?”

Coworker: “Yeah, I put up the ones corporate sent us.”

Manager: “Did they say 50% off?”

Coworker: “No, they all said 30% off, but everything is ringing up at 50% off.”

Manager: “Oh. I just had a lady accuse me of false advertising.”

Coworker: “What? But she got the 50% off. Why would she complain? She got a better deal than the sign said.”

Manager: “I’m going to go make new signs…”

(We currently have a 50% sale on our store water bottles. It is late in the day, and we have sold out. I am currently organizing the shelves with jars of pickles.)

Customer: “Hi, I would like to know where the cases of your store water bottles are. I can’t seem to find them anywhere.”

Me: “I am really sorry, but because of the sale we have unfortunately sold out of the water bottles. We should be getting more in tomorrow when the delivery truck comes in.”

Customer: “What!? How can you be out of water?! I want the water!”

Me: “I am really sorry. Today is the last day of the sale, so many people came in to get them. You can go to customer service, and they will issue you a rain check. You can come back tomorrow and still get the sale.”

Customer: “No! I don’t want a rain check! I want my d*** water now! I know you have them in the backstock somewhere! Stop being a lazy a**, and get me some water!”

Me: “Ma’am, I really am very sorry. We are completely out of water at the moment. If you came in a little earlier, we may have had some. It is almost the end of the day, and our other customers wanted to get the sale. The most we can do for you now is issue a rain check. You will just have to come back tomorrow. If you like, I can have a few cases held at the customer service desk for. They will be ready for you tomorrow.”

Customer: “This is absolutely ridiculous! I want my d*** water now! Not tomorrow! NOW!”

(Just as my manager is about to approach us after hearing the yelling, the customer takes her arm across the pickle shelf, and smashes about 12 jars of pickles to the ground. I am completely shocked and dumbfounded.)

Customer: “There! That’s what you get for being a lazy a**, and not getting me my d*** water! I want my d*** water!”

Manager: “Ma’am! There is absolutely no reason for you to damage our merchandise and put my employee’s safety at risk. You could have seriously cut someone with all of this glass!”

Customer: “Well maybe if your lazy a** employees would do their jobs I wouldn’t have had to do that!”

Manager: “Like my employee nicely told you, we are out of the water bottles. We are getting a shipment tomorrow. She was even willing to go out of her way to make sure to keep a case for you aside when we got them in. But, since you decided to take things into your own hands, you are no longer welcome in this store.”

Customer: “I am the customer! You can’t do that! Give me my water!”

Manager: “Well too bad; I just did!”

(My manager calls security, and threatens to call the police if the customer doesn’t pay for all of the pickles. My manager then has her banned from the store without her water. I smelled like pickles for the rest of the night!)

(I’m dress shopping and have picked out two that I really like. One is on a sale rack for $12.99, originally $30+. However, the dress rings up at full price.)

Me: “Oh no, that’s supposed to be on sale.”

Cashier: “Uh, well, I can’t change it.”

Me: “But I just got it off the sale rack. Can’t you just look?”

Cashier: “I can’t leave this station.”

Me: “That’s fine, but it’s right there. You can just look around me at it.”

Cashier: “I’m not changing the price.”

Me: “Okay, if you’ll be that unreasonable, go ahead and take it off. I won’t pay full price for it.”

Cashier: “Whatever!”

(I leave, but after an hour I still really want the dress. I suck it up and return to the store. Thankfully, a manager was my cashier and rang me up for the correct price.)

Customer: “I saw a paper shredder on your website saying it’s 50 bucks off for your Black Friday sale. Is that true?”

Me: “Probably… let’s check the flyer.”

(I look, but can’t see it in the flyer anywhere.)

Me: “Was it possibly an online-only sale that you saw?”

Customer: “No, it said online and in-store, Friday only!”

Me: “Okay, let me check the website, then. I don’t see it in the flyer for some reason.”

(I look it up and see that it is in fact advertised on our website, from Friday-Tuesday.)

Me: “I’m not sure why it wasn’t in our flyer, but yes, there is a paper shredder for 50 dollars off for the Black Friday sale. The sale starts on Friday, but for this item, it will still be on sale until Tuesday. I would still come in on Friday though, just in case, because they might sell out on the first day.”

Customer: “Ugh! Is it on sale on Friday, or not!?”

Me: “Umm, yes. It goes on sale on Friday and stays on sale until Tuesday.”

Customer: “So, it’s on sale on Friday?”

Me: “…Yes.”

This story is part of the Black Friday 2022 roundup!

Read the next Black Friday 2022 roundup story!

Read the Black Friday 2022 roundup!