We’re about to close. I’m running customer service, and my coworker running our self-serve checkout comes up to me with a box of shoes and the customer saying she needs help with a price adjustment that seems fishy. He wants a pair of shoes that are on sale for $25 for $5.

Customer: “Well, there’s a tag that says five dollars.”

Me: “We have sample price tags that show what our clearance stickers look like. They say ‘Example’ over them to make it less confusing.”

Customer: “No, it said it was $5.”

Me: “You know what, if you want to take a picture of it and show it to me, I’ll see what I can do.”

He runs off to get the picture, and I work on closing the customer service desk. When he comes back, he shows me the picture. Sure enough, it is an example price that has “Example” pasted over the image, above, and below it.

Me: “Sir, that’s an example tag. The shoes are $25.”

Customer: “You’re not going to honor the price?”

Me: *Laughing and trying not to cry* “No, it’s not a real price, sir.”

Customer: “You sure?”

Me: “Yes.”

Customer: “Why?”

Me: “It’s not. A real. Price. I’m not giving you shoes for a fake sale price. Do you want the shoes?”

Customer: “Sure.”

He dropped $30 and pays easily as if we hadn’t just spent minutes arguing over a sample clearance tag. It looked like there was nothing going on in his head. I’m surprised we came to an agreement. That concluded a very long day.

I work at an electronics store in a mall. Unfortunately, the chain goes bankrupt and the store closes down. By some miracle, I manage to get a job in another store at the same mall just a few weeks after.

I’ve been at my new job for about two weeks when a customer walks up to me, holding a bag with my former store’s logo on it.

Customer: “I bought this item around two months ago and it stopped working. Could I exchange it for a new one? I have the receipt with me.”

I look at the item and the receipt. Both are from my former store, which I tell the customer.

Me: “Unfortunately, that chain went bankrupt and is no more. I can’t do anything as this is a completely different store.”

Customer: “But I recognise you; you used to work there.”

Me: “Yes, I did, but now I work here, and this place has nothing to do with the store you bought this from. I can only advise you to contact the manufacturer of the item for a warranty issue.”

Customer: “But you should help me! You used to work at [Former Store]. I can’t believe this! You were always so helpful. Why can’t you help me now?”

Me: “Because this is a completely different store. This store sells shoes! It has nothing to do with electronics of any kind and has no obligation to help you just because I used to work there. If you want help finding a pair of shoes, I’ll be more than willing to help you, but with this, I can’t. You have to turn to the manufacturer.”

Customer: “I can’t believe this! This is unacceptable!”

Me: “It is acceptable as it’s completely different. Now I have to continue working; unless I can help you find a pair of shoes, I’ll be going.”

The customer walked off, still muttering.

I work as an associate at a shoe store that’s going out of business. Every shoe is discounted at a different percentage depending on the type. I wrote the signs myself so I know what they say and which shoes go with each percentage.

Customer: “Um, these are supposed to be 75% off.”

Me: “Sorry, ma’am, but only heels are 75% off.”

Customer: “No, these shoes were under the 75% off sign.”

Me: “I’m sure, but there are other signs above it, too. Each sign tells you which sale applies to which type of shoe.”

Customer: “No! It doesn’t say anything like that! Let me show you.”

I go over to the sign with her and it says exactly what I said it did.

Me: “See, ma’am, it says it right here.”

Customer: “Oh… Well, no one is going to read that, hun.”

I’m out shopping for running shoes with my mom at the local mall because I have had the same shoes for about a year and they are starting to get small.

We look around at shoes and find a pair that looks the best on me, and we ask for my size. The employee comes back with only one shoe and the box, and we try on the one shoe.

Mom: “Can we try the other shoe, please?”

Employee: “Sorry, store protocol is that you can only try on one shoe.”

My mom looks at me with the most confused face I’ve seen, and we go and pay for the shoes.

Once we pay for the shoes, we turn around the corner to the couch and try on the other shoe. The other shoe is somewhat loose, so we take the shoes back to return them. It’s been about three minutes since we left the store.

The employee glared at us while returning the shoes. We then asked for the same shoes but in half a size down. He realized exactly what we had done, so he gave us the entire box instead of the one shoe. Those fit, so we paid and left.

I work in an upscale shoe store. A customer walks in with a pair of shoes to return. 

Me: “Okay, sir, was anything wrong with the shoe?”

Customer: “It’s too big.”

Me: “Would you like to try the next size down?”

Customer: “No, I’m an eleven.”

Me: “Sometimes different brands will run a bit—”

Customer: “No, I’ve been buying shoes all my life and I am an eleven.”

Me: “Okay, sir, so, would you like to exchange it for anything else?”

The customer looks around and chooses a few styles he’d like to try on in an eleven. They’re all too big. I offer to measure his foot, to his great offense. I pull out the next shoe in a ten and a half and he still declares that it’s too large.

Me: “That was a ten and a half, sir.”

Customer: “I wear eleven! How about this style? If this one doesn’t fit, then I’ll just have to return those shoes.”

By that time, I’d realized nothing would fit because of his “size.” I had the shoe in an eleven, but to save myself an even bigger headache, I just told him we didn’t have it. I processed the return while he went on about what a shame it was that our shoes didn’t fit him.