The Couponator 21: The FINAL Sale

I work in a store that just announced that we were going out of business, but we don’t actually start liquidating until a few months later. This leads to many customer exchanges about the fact that there aren’t any big sales or coupons during months in between. This one has to be one of my favorites.

Me: “Your total is $45.00.”

Customer: “Oh, wait! I had a coupon somewhere.”

She begins searching through her wallet, only to hand me a coupon for 50% off that expired roughly six months ago.

Me: “I apologize, ma’am, but this coupon expired a while ago, and unfortunately, I can’t honor this.”

Customer: “Oh, just take off the coupon. You are going out of business; it’s not like it matters, anyway.”

Me: “I apologize, but a significant discount like this one would be flagged in our system and I could get into major trouble, even still. Unfortunately, I can’t honor this. Would you like to look through your phone to see if you received anything through email or text?”

Customer: “No, you will take this one. If you won’t honor this, then I would like to speak to your manager. I’m sure they will honor it as an apology for this terrible customer service.”

Me: “Ma’am, I am the manager and I will not be honoring this coupon. If you would like to call our customer service later about this, I can provide you with the 800-number. Now, if you have no further coupons, your total will be $45.00.”

She silently finishes the transaction. I put her receipt in the bag with the customer service number on it.

Me: “You have a great day, ma’am!”

Customer: “I just don’t see how it matters what coupons I use, because you are closing!”

Related:
The Couponator 20: Complaining Back In Time
The Couponator 19: Fast Food & Furious
The Couponator 18: The Digital Revolution
The Couponator 17: Attack Of The “Programmer”
The Couponator 16: Enter The Entree