The Manager Didn’t Need The Shovel To Dig That Hole Deeper

I work at [Home Improvement Chain] in returns. An older woman comes in with a crumpled and aged receipt and the broken and dirty handle of what I think is a garden tool.

Customer: “I’d like to return this shovel, please!”

I examine the receipt before anything else happens. Most of it is pretty illegible and useless, with the ink worn and the barcode gone entirely, but the one part that isn’t faded is the date, which places the purchase at some seven years ago, well past the three-month return policy.

Me: “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t return this. I have no way of confirming that you purchased this here, and even if you did, it’s well outside our return policy.”

Customer: “But it’s right here!” *Points to a faded sticker on the handle* “Just give me in-store credit or something!”

Me: *Pauses* “I can’t. I’m sorry, but I don’t even have a way to know if we sell this anymore!”

The customer swelled up and demanded to talk to the manager… who, unfortunately, decided to capitulate to her demand. I finished the transaction, knowing full well that now I’d be seeing her more often.