When Ice Cream Really Does Make You Scream, Part 2
I am working checkouts when my customer notices a discrepancy with the price of an item.
Customer: “Excuse me, the price of that ice cream is wrong.”
Me: “How so?”
Customer: “Well, you have charged me $4.00, yet it is on special for $2.00.”
Me: “Let me just check on that… where did you see it advertised on special?”
Customer: “It was in your catalog.”
Me: “Okay, let me just have a look.”
I then browse the catalog, and find no mention of the ice cream being on special.
Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but it is not in the catalog.”
Customer: “Yes it is.”
Me: “Sorry, sir, but I have just looked through the entire catalog, and it is not in here.”
Customer: “Give that to me.”
He grabs the catalog out of my hands and looks through it. He then looks through it a second time, and then throws it down.
Customer: “This is the wrong catalog. Why have you shown me the wrong catalog? I want to speak to a supervisor.”
Me: “Excuse me, sir, but this is the correct catalog. If you have a look at the front page of the catalog, you will see the dates that the specials are on for.”
Customer: “Don’t give me any of this nonsense. Leave all my stuff here, I’m going home to get the catalog that YOU guys put in MY mailbox, to show YOU what the specials are.”
Me: “Okay, sir.”
He leaves and I do a deferred sale, even though I am not expecting him to come back. Amazingly, thirty minutes later, he does, and he came straight to my checkout, trying to interrupt my sale.
Customer: “See, I told you.”
Me: “Excuse me, sir, do you mind waiting while I serve this customer?”
Customer: “No… you pay attention to me, and now.”
I turn to the customer on my checkout.
Me: “I’ll just be a second.”
Then to the original customer:
Me: “Fine, show me.”
He opens the catalog, straight to where the ice-cream is on special, but I had already noticed three things wrong with it. I am going to bring each of them up, one at a time.
Me: “Firstly, sir, the ice-cream that is on special, it may be the same brand that you are trying to purchase, but it is the wrong size.”
Customer: “What do you mean?”
Me: “Well, the one you are trying to purchase is a 2-litre tub of ice-cream. The one on special is the 1-litre tub.”
Customer: “I don’t care… still give me the special.”
Me: “Well, if I was to still give you the special, it would be the same sort of special as there is of the 1-litre tub… which would mean that you would actually be paying MORE.”
Customer: “This is just flagrant mis-advertising.”
Me: “Secondly, look at the dates of the specials… this was LAST WEEKS catalog.”
Customer: “I didn’t know of the special last week… you should keep them running for longer.”
Me: “And finally, I would like you to look at the store sign above you.”
Customer: “Okay, and—”
Me: “And now look at the logo on the front of the catalog.”
Customer: “And—”
Me: “Now compare the two… are they the same?”
Customer: “Um…”
The customer became very quiet, and quickly scurried out of there.
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
