We Tire Of These Customers

(The auto shop I work at has an online store that is completely separate; we are owned by corporate and have no control over the website at all. An older customer comes into the store.)

Customer: “I want the [Cheapest Brand] tired. Just one.”

Me: “Okay, the tire runs $65.99, mount and balance is $15.50, and the valve stem is four bucks. After tax, your total is 94 dollars.”

Customer: “What? The tire was $55 online. Why do you have it for $66? And then all this other s***, why is it all so expensive? $94 for a $55 tire?”

Me: “Sir, the online cost is before shipping. If you go all the way to checkout, it includes shipping; our cost in-store includes the price of shipping them to us. Everything else is just what it costs to put the tire on, and that’s all the same price as online.”

Customer: *complains very loudly and with liberal use of profanities about how we are screwing the customer and how we are going out of business*

Me: “Dude, I make $5.85 an hour plus commission. I have nothing to do with any decisions made here. If you want to complain, take it up with corporate, because I’m done listening. I can’t change the price, so either buy it or leave, because you’re cursing up a storm and making a scene, and there are other customers here.”

(The customer ended up buying the tire; he shook my hand after I said that, and told me I had stood up for myself, I was right, and he was sorry for making an a** out of himself.)