Trying To Pass The Buck

(I work in a store in a large shopping centre. One evening, a customer comes in and makes two purchases. The first costs him $67, and he pays with $100 in cash. As I’m handing him his change, he makes a second purchase worth $5, which I take out of his change. This leaves him $28. I give him the money and he leaves. About an hour later, however, he returns and insists we’ve short-changed him by $27. I go through both receipts with him and all of my actions through both transactions. He insists he can’t remember what happened, but that I am in the wrong. As I can’t prove it by counting the register, and I don’t want to just give him the money, I take his details and promise to call him the next morning after the registers have been counted for close that night, and then for open the next morning. As expected, that night when I count the registers there is nothing out of the ordinary. The following morning when I open, the registers are still in the clear. I get on the phone with him to talk it over.)

Me: “When I cashed up last night, neither of our registers were over, unfortunately.”

Customer: “But you definitely short-changed me.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but I didn’t. It would have been in the register when I closed the store, and there wasn’t any extra money there.”

Customer: “But I’m short $27.”

Me: “Well, did you spend money anywhere else last night?”

Customer: “What?”

Me: “In the shopping centre, sir. Did you spend money anywhere else?”

Customer: “Nothing of that amount.”

Me: “So, it’s not possible that you could have lost it somewhere else, like at another store?”

Customer: “Are you calling me a liar?”

Me: “No, sir, I’m just suggesting that it’s a possibility that it could have happened somewhere else.”

Customer: “It had to be you. I just know it! You’re arguing with me now, so you must be a thief!”

Me: *losing my patience now* “Sir, if I had shortchanged you last night, you do realise that it would have meant I’d only given you $1 from the $100 you gave me, right? I’m pretty sure you would noticed when all the change you got from $70 of purchases was a buck.”

Customer: “Just… CALL ME BACK IF YOU FIND MY $27.” *hangs up*