TalesFromRetail

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/gravethief13 on 2024-01-27 07:14:40.

I work in retail, often shipping things directly to customers. From time to time I get some interesting messages from customers. In this case, the following messages were exchanged after one made a purchase for a brand new credit card scanner (these scanners need to be set up with a credit card processor before they are able to take payments):

Customer:

Yes is this a product that is new because used terminals cannot be re activated. It will say unauthorized. … can you let me know if this is used so I can cancel…

Me:

Hi,

This is a brand new card scanner that has never been used. If for some reason it does not work, I will be able to issue a refund after it is returned to me.

Thanks

A day passes without any other messages, so I decide to ship it out thinking that their concern was addressed. The next day:

Customer:

Ok well who is going to be my processor so it will be authorized… I can’t find anyone. And if it don’t work I throw it away… why waste time waiting on a refund? That’s stupid…

(3 minutes later)

Well I see a few but they all requiring a long sign up process do you have a direct processor?

Me:

I do not, I was only selling the physical device. I do not know anything about how it works or how it becomes authorized.

Thanks

Maybe I blew off their concerns a little quickly, as I received the following:

Customer:

why you lying. Did you take out the manual? Have you plugged it up and tested it? If so did it say unauthorized? Because I don’t have time to play, I have a business to run and this is a hinderance… why do y’all do this? Why not just pray about it why get involved. That creates a backfire on what you setting up. Then you just brought something to bother you.

(7 Minutes Later)

Send my money asap

Me:

I have made no attempt to lie or to mislead you. In your first message you asked me if this device was new. You wanted me to cancel the order if it was used. I replied that it was indeed new, and then I shipped it out.

The next day you sent a message asking me who was going to be your card processor that would authorize this device that I had sent out to you. I didn't know anything about device authorizing or credit card processing, and so I sent you the message stating that all I was selling you was the physical card scanner.

You then said I was lying, although I'm not sure about what specifically. You asked me if I tested it by plugging it in. I do not test things that are brand new because unlike used devices which require testing to make sure everything works, brand new devices should work perfectly out of the box. The only reason that it would not is if it was broken from the factory or damaged in shipping. It has never been plugged in and powered on.

I did some research and in order to use this, you would need to sign up with a credit card processing company that allows you to use your own equipment for scanning cards. You would need to contact credit card processing companies like REDACTED, find one that lets you use this exact model scanner that you bought, and talk with them about how to get it set up.

I do not do credit card processing. I run a small resale and refurbishing business focused on new and used electronics. If you need new or used hardware or you need something fixed, I might be able to help. I do not run a multi-billion dollar credit card processing company.

All this being said, because the scanner was shipped out already, the best I can do is offer you the option to return the scanner for a refund. On your account, there should be an option to start a return for this order. It does not show up on my end.

If you need any further help, please let me know.

Customer:

Thanks omg you are serious. But thanks. No it’s ok…

This kind of thing gets frustrating. I'm not sure if they didn't know what they were buying and got frustrated, or if they were just complaining to get a free scanner by way of a refund. That "omg you are serious" makes me wonder.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Peculair_Patato on 2024-01-25 14:52:03.

Btw sorry for my english im not an english speaker. 2 years ago I [22F] worked in big retail store that sold almost anything from clothes to bricks.. you name it they sold it. Since i was student working to make some money, i got to ring orders. Nobody was really big fan of doing the registers because people could be very unkind. One day 2 ladies come to my register purchasing baby clothes. One held the stroller while the other one took the clothes. Thet had a gift card for 50 euros. She got to items a little pyjama set and a sweater. Both were on sale for like 40 % i think. Well thry lady thought the total was 50 euros, so she just placed the gift card and started walking away. Then this conversation ensued. Me: excuse me madam you' re total is 51 euros. Lady: thats not right its on sale. Me:yes that is true but together they are 51 not 50. Lady: no, you cant count. It is 50. As i started to grt a bit annoyed, but i had to put up my happy face Me: im not counting i scanned it in and my computer says its 51. Lady: then your computer is wrong. We kept getting back and forth. Me: look ill type it in a calculator. You can watch while i type Lady: oh.. Me: ... so you see, im not making it up. Without an apology, she said something in an other language and her friend begrudgingly gave me 1 euro. Theb they both walked of without saying anything. This interaction took like 20 min and theres was still a big line of customers who were now impatient. This was one of many reasons i never want to work there anymore.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Aggravating_Bar9107 on 2024-01-25 05:36:32.

This happened a few years ago. I worked at a well know Retail grocery store chain. I was working in the Bakery that morning and the store had been opened only 20 minutes, when this customer came up to the counter. Me. “Can I help you?” Customer “Yes, I would like to pick up my cake order.” She then gave me her name and I look for the order. Me “ I’m sorry, your order won’t be ready until 10 am.” Customer “Well I want to pick it up now since I am already here.” Me “ It’s not ready yet. The Cake Decorator won’t be in till 8.” Customer “I want to pick it up now.” Me “I can’t help you, there is no one here to do it.” Customer “Well you’re here, you do it.” Me “I’m not a Decorator, I can’t do cakes.” Customer “ Do it, I don’t want to have to come back.” Me “I do not have the training to do cakes. You will just have to come back at 10 to pick up your order.” Customer “Do it. Do I have to go get a Manager?” Me “Go ahead, she can’t do cakes either.”

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Xeo25 on 2024-01-21 19:56:43.

Before I begin this little story, I just want to send a huge hug to all retail workers around the world.

I worked in retail for 5 years in a neighborhood of filthy rich people who would think the world is their oyster.

So, every few months, we had a coupon sale in the store for a coffee brand that doesn't matter. But it's very popular here in Israel. I drink it every morning.

The coupon would make it substantially cheaper than what it would cost without it. And naturally, people flocked to the store and buy it every day the sale was going on.

But there was one woman who would come to the store, and shamelessly present me with 3 coupons for 3 containers of coffee. We only allowed one use of the coupon per customer.

She was so determined. We would tell her no every time. So she would take just one, and then come back the afternoon after a shift change to buy the rest.

It's like she NEEDED it.

I remember how we used to joke how it was so embarrassing for her to do it. What was so special about that coffee that you bought so much of it?

We never knew, and at some point, she stopped coming at all.

Now, after working 8 years in the high-tech industry and writing code for a living, I'm sad to say I have become just like her. When there's a sale on that specific coffee brand I purchase multiples of them. The difference is I mobilize other people to buy it for me. My mom, a friend from work, and myself.

Working in retail was the best thing I did in my life to understand how to talk to people. Thank you again for all you do for us!

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Shoopahn on 2024-01-14 02:57:11.

This is a little bit of a longer story for those who like them. TL;DR in bold at the end for those who do not.

This story happened years ago, soon after I first moved to a different US state. I had accepted an IT-based customer service position but found myself laid off exactly a month later; the company had made poor decisions and could no longer pay support staff. Because I had signed a new year-long apartment lease I was in trouble and quickly found a new job in the technology section of an office supplies store. Let's call it Depot Max. It wasn't my first retail job but it was the first one I worked full-time as an independent adult.

Within months I had made a name for myself in the store. I was quite good with computers - I still am and have made a professional career of supporting them - and I was honest, to the benefit of customers even when it was detrimental to store sales.

If you were buying a gold-plated USB cable for twice the cost as a regular one, I helped you save the money. If during our discussion I found that you didn't need to print in color I suggested a (relatively) inexpensive laser printer instead of an ink-jet with expensive cartridges that dried up or clogged. If you were looking for a laptop for email and web browsing and didn't need the latest and greatest, I helped direct you to less flashy models. You get the idea. I didn't care much about high sales numbers or warranty spiffs (a little money added to your paycheck for selling warranty plans). I just wanted to be a decent person and treat people they way I'd have wanted to be treated.

Well, people noticed. It got to the point where people I'd never met before would ask for me by name, avoiding my coworkers or leaving and returning at my next shift. I felt like I was making a small difference in people's lives, for the better. That made me feel good about myself. It still does.

One day, in between running between the stock room and floor retrieving office chairs and flat-pack desks, a man and his wife storm into the store and walk directly up to me. Immediately, and in loud, broken English, the man begins raging at me about a desk phone that he had bought from us the previous day being broken in the box. I stood there with his face not two feet from mine as he shouted, spittle spraying from his mouth into my face (I wear glasses and kept my mouth shut, thank goodness). After he finished I asked him for the phone he bought, made sure it was in there, took him to the phone display and just gave him a new one. To be clear, I was not authorized to perform exchanges. But I thought for the price of the desk phone and the scene the man was making, a simple swap would be for the best for everyone involved, even if I'd overstepped.

"That it? This mine? We good?" The man said while looking at me incredulously.

"Yes. You're all set!" was my response accompanied with an appeasing retail grin. Frankly, I just wanted to be rid of the situation and wash my face. I would handle any management fallout later.

The change in the Russian couples' demeanor was immediate. They changed from rage-induced shouting to beaming with the excitement of someone who had won the lottery. They thanked me and I excused myself to the employee restroom, handing off the 'broken' phone to the floor supervisor along the way.

The store sales manager intercepted me on my way back to the floor. He said he heard about what had happened and agreed with my handling of the situation and decision to exchange the phone. And that's when he pointed towards the registers - the Russian couple were there with a new desktop, laptop, a couple mice and keyboards, and a printer. All told it was just over $2000 in new sales. The sales manager indicated they were so happy I fixed their issue (and I like to think they felt a little guilty for yelling at someone trying to help them) they decided this was "their new store". Mission accomplished; everyone was happy.

Soon after this event I was offered a position of supervisor-in-training. They would bump my pay, have me do some computer-based training, etc. I declined, stating that I was flattered but I was applying for positions in my chosen career and wouldn't be there long enough for it to be beneficial to the store. The sales manager insisted, that they wanted to do this to get me a raise, but I asked that they make this offer to someone else in the store for whom it would be more beneficial long-term. The raise they were offering wouldn't mean very much to me. But some of my peers had indicated they were struggling.

After another month or so I left that job, having been there for 9 months. My next job (which is a whole other story for another sub) came from a customer of the store who was impressed at the level of knowledge I exhibited. I'm told that up to a couple years after I left people still asked for me by name on occasion.

I have never since taken another retail role. But the lessons I learned there have stayed with me for my entire career.

I visited the store on occasion after I left and within a couple years they had cycled through their employees to where I only recognized the floor supervisor. She would give me a big hug when we happened to see one another. Happily for her, she married her long-time SO, had her first child and left her job to raise her as a stay-at-home mother. I no longer know anyone there. Whenever I visit, I'm just another veteran of the unending retail wars.

TL;DR: Years ago, a Russian couple came into a retail store and screamed at me that the new phone they had bought was broken in the box, spraying me in the face with spit in rage. Without authority to do so I performed a swap with the same model on the spot. They were so happy they ended up buying over $2000 worth of computers and accessories. I was offered a promotion that I declined and soon moved on with my career.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/craftstoremonster on 2024-01-13 18:06:01.

I had a customer come into the craft store In which I work at she demanded a manager come speak to her because the beautiful cardstock she took "a very long considerate time" to decide was not ringing up as on sale. We have an entire aisle of card stock 100s of choices the right side of the aisle is basic cardstock, on the left is premium, and enhanced cardstock. The sale includes basic and enhanced cardstock (25cents a sheet) the sale sign literally says excludes premium cardstock,includes cardstock between 73cents and 2.19. She had picked premiums and was mad that the GIANT WORDS ABOVE THE CARDSTOCK said premium but they had varying prices and how was she suppose to know it was premium because it was 2.29 a sheet but it was in the same aisle as all the other cardstock(also all premium is celofán rapped). She demanded I (a key holder) remove everything from the aisle that wasn't on sale and put it somewhere else in the store as to not be so confusing for customers. I told her I don't have that authority to rearrange the store like that. She called my store manager the next day to complain that I refused to assist her and that I'm a useless manager since I wouldn't remove items from the sales floor. And it put her in a bad mood all day because she couldn't bully a teenager at the register to give her the sales price on over 80 pieces of cardstock.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/transboyuwu on 2024-01-12 23:05:02.

I work in a small chain store, we are connected to the post office, like their building is inside our store. Our post office is incredibly short staff, like currently they have no staff, rely completely on agency staff, and are regularly closed which is obviously not ideal. The other day, they closed again due to flooding throughout the UK. Begin. Woman enters. "....oh...why is the post office shut?" "Oh, they have had a staffing issue, I'm sorry, I don't know if they are going to be opening today" "Oh." She goes and waits in the queue at the post office and returns 5 minutes later "Right, this is ridiculous, squits to read my name tag transboyuwu! I am going to need someone to phone or to contact about this because this is so stupid." "Yeah, I understand, it's really not ideal. You could try going online or phoning the post office company directly, but other than that, I dont know what to suggest sorry." Huff's and puffs and walks back up to wait at the still closed post office Another 20 minutes later, she waddles over, huffing and puffing still. "Right, what can be done here?! I want something done! This is so stupid! I have a package to send and this is ridiculous!" "Yes, I know it's not very good, but I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do." "OH DONT SAY THAT!!" "I'm sorry? Excuse me?" "DONT SAY THAT! I HATE YOUR GENERATION, YOU ALL SAY THAT!" "I'm sorry, I don't know what you expect me to do here?" Leaning over the counter to get into my face "COMPLAIN!" She storms out, tripping over a display unit we have. I did not help her. So, aparently I was just supposed to geuss the lock code and magic up a pair of keys into the post office 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ She came back a couple days later and did not even attempt to apologize, she asked me what day that was, probably to make a complain about either post office or me. Haven't heard anything yet though, so 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ she can get stuffed.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Suny_monkey on 2024-01-12 20:56:19.

I work at a furniture store. There are three options to get your items from the store to your home: delivery, take it with you now, or buy online with in-store pickup for a later date.

I had been helping a group off and on and the person I assume was moving into their first place came up and asked about buying a loveseat. I told them we didn’t have the cover in the color they wanted but I could have that part delivered and they could take the frame with them immediately. They said they had several items they wanted to get delivered on Monday (they were in the store on a Thursday) and wanted to just add it to that group. There was a little back and forth while I figured out the next available delivery day for both pieces. Apparently someone gave them incorrect information somewhere along the line and told them that they could purchase the items in the store on Thursday and leave them with us to get delivered on Monday.

The problem is: that’s not how our system works. We don’t have a holding zone for things that have been purchased, especially not for that long. You may be able to talk Customer Service into letting you put your cart to the side while you go get a truck or something, but I can’t even guarantee that much. Your best bet is to order for pickup on the day you want to take your items home. I explained all of that to the customer and he said, “Wow. That sucks.”

I agree, but again, nothing I can do to change that. Place the online order and have it delivered Monday. That’s your option at this point. He asked for the order form for the loveseat frame (it’s something we have to bring out from the back) and went to talk it over with the rest of the group. I thought nothing else of it and continued with my night.

An hour later the CS manager wheels a cart over to me. It’s absolutely packed. She can barely keep control of it.

CSM: Hey. Sorry. Some customers just brought this up to the cash lanes and asked us to hold it until Monday. I told them no so this all has to go back. Sorry.

Me: No! I told them that already! They asked if we would hold it and I told them to purchase through the website.

CSM: Ugh. That’s annoying. Sorry.

So I got to spend the rest of my night putting away a whole apartment’s worth of stuff. I’m talking table and chairs, bed frame, tv stand, storage bench, bookcases, etc.

Moral of the story: don’t do this. We’re not going to make an exception just because you’ve already done the work. You’re just making our jobs harder.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/-QuietlyScrolling- on 2024-01-09 22:35:38.

I work at a large retail bookstore.Besides books, we also sell toys and games for all ages.

Today, I was on cash register when a mom and her little boy walked up to make their purchases. The boy was holding a huge firetruck that made noise and lit up. Mom had absolutely no intention of buying the firetruck but her son grabbed it off the shelf and wouldn't take no for an answer. She was clearly having a rough day and even mentioned not coming back to the store because the toys distracted her son too much.

Usually when this happens, with the parent's permission I scan the toy, make it look like toy is in the shopping bag, then void it off the transaction. This works best with kids 3 years and under. However, this kid might have been 4 or 5 and was too smart for that trick. So, I suggested to mom that I be the "bad guy" and tell the kid the firetruck had to stay here. Her eyes lit up at the suggestion so I directed my attention to the little boy. I said, "Mr. Firetruck is sick and needs to stay here with me until he feels better, but you can come back another day and take him home."

The kid seemed to accept that answer, handed me the firetruck and both he and mom left with their other purchases without an outburst. I call that a win.

Edit:

I want to add, I lost count of how many times the mom thanked me after I finished ringing them up. She seemed like a great mom. I hope they come back for Mr. Firetruck someday.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Unnoticeables on 2024-01-07 05:35:48.

Probably an unpopular opinion. I used to work at the store Kim Possible referred to as “Club Banana.” Sure the pay kind of sucked, but I loved the job.

We would get time on the clock to try on all the new clothing as it came in, and they would hold styling challenges where we could submit photos of different outfits for themes. We also had this cool system that would give rundowns of new products, season style guides, and upcoming promotions to the entire corporation, at every level of employment. Nobody ever came into the workday caught off guard.

I also found it really easy to laugh at the customers others didn’t seem to love, so I was able to come in like superwoman to save my fellow employees.

I honestly had such a great time in that environment and I miss it a lot. They shut down my store a few years ago, and the nearest one is about an hour away. I considered seeing if they’d have me part-time, but the money would hardly cover gas. I still have a million rewards points if I ever do decide to make the trek there.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/JackMLNX on 2024-01-05 14:59:38.

Short but sweet

Was a really busy afternoon at Schmesco, and I was manning the 10 self service tills.

I had clocked A middle aged couple look at the masses of queues for normal checkouts and begrudgingly make their way to self service.

They get off to a false start as their own bag was a thick canvas material which the machine mistook to be an unscanned item, so I go over to reset the scales.

“Eugh, these are supposed to be SELF-Service tills, what’s the point of YOU being here?” She asks me, rhetorically

I’m slightly taken aback as I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before

“Oh, well I help customers when the machines are playing up, and can teach them how to have a better experience, approve age restricted products, and prevent folk from stealing”

She whipped round at me

“Did you just say I’m STEALING!?”

And before I could get any other words out she threw her hands in the air and said “that’s IT! We’re going to a normal checkout! I can’t believe you accuse me of stealing, I’m putting in a complaint to your manager!”

All the while I’m trying to explain that she took it the wrong way but it didn’t get anywhere as she talked over me the whole time, and wasn’t that bothered as I had other customers to attend to

Sure enough come evening time my manager comes down and says “I just had a complaint from a customer who wanted me to” have a word with you” - so this is the word with you. You did nothing wrong but if she comes back I have had a word with you”

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/hardrocknick_2001 on 2024-01-02 22:16:42.

What is it with people not knowing the name of something expecting us to know it. It’s a general store, if I had the brain capacity to have extensive knowledge on every item we sell, I wouldn’t be stocking shelves for a living.

This lady stops me in the store and asks where the crackers are. That’s not my department so I search it up on the system. As I’m doing so, she points to this other worker and says “that boy told me where they were and he was wrong!”. I tell her that they’re where he said they were. Turns out, when she asked where the crackers were, she meant an entirely different item that’s in a different place (I had to figure this one out as she had no clue what they were called). I tell her where they are. Then she tells me to fetch them for her and find her in the checkouts. On top of that she gave me instructions on how many packs to get. “If they have the six pack get two, if they have the 12 pack get one”. She literally had to walk past them to get to the checkouts? This isn’t my job description. I’m not your personal servant. I help people getting items if they physically can’t get them, but she very much could and they were on route for her.

So it’s a nice mix of being rude, expecting us workers to read her mind and being mad that we cant, then making me run around doing her shopping for her to hand deliver them to her fr literally no reason. Very cheeky. I also had someone ask me to tell them where juice for babies was(she wanted a specific one) I tried explaining that if I don’t have a name or any other description of this specific item I literally can’t help her. I went through all the juice that’s marketed for kids (innocent smoothies, fruit shoot etc) and none of it was right. I tried explaining that I can’t just search up “baby juice” because nothing would come up. But she just kept staring at me waiting for an answer.

Older people do the same thing with printer ink. They expect me to know what printer they have. Then start point at printers saying “it looks like that” all printers look like that. Sorry I missed the training day where we all go to your house and see your printer.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/stainedcoffeecuwp on 2023-12-28 04:17:09.

This actually happened a couple years ago, I was working on this big national department chain store which I was hired for black friday but stayed for the holidays. The company was trying to boost online sales so everyday they would do some new type of discount if the customer bought online to pick up irl, but they were always very confusing and we (employees) spent more time explaining how the offer worked then actually selling stuff.

This man comes with his daughter around my age and a stuffed shopping cart. I beeped every product and told the final price once I was done. Now, picture a man twice my height getting red by rage to see the price was not what he predicted.

He elevated his voice, asking me about the offers and why it didn't work. I tried explaining how it worked, but he stopped me imediately and went like "if I ever hear another word from you, I swear..." which I didn't get at all. It was absolutely not my fault or anyone's at the store, as everyone there was following the company's orders.

The man demanded I cancelled every product except for the cheapest thing off the list, which was a three dollars chocolate bar. I did, but it was over 50 products and I had to beep the supervisor's card, type the password and beep the product for every single thing. This process took me twenty minutes, at least.

The man then handed me a hundred dollar bill to pay for the chocolate bar, which I obviously didn't have change for. Okay, then...

I could've buzzed a bell that resonates to the whole store and call my manager, but I decided to forget that it existed. I buzzed a little siren below the cashier's table, that only buzzes to the other cashiers, but there were none, since the man was the only customer and everyone had other chores to do, so no one heard it besides me, the man and his daughter. I even saw one of my colleagues a few feet away restocking some shelf, but he couldn't tell we were having an issue so he didn't offerd to help.

I kept buzzing that little siren, looked at the man and shrugged, as if I were doing everything I could. It went 10 more minutes, I kid you not, and he finally got impatient.

"I don't have all day."

"I'm sorry, sir. You're trying to pay a 3$ chocolate bar with a 100$ bill, and I don't have 97$ in change. If you have smaller bills, we can do this quicker."

"I have fives, twos, twenties, tens, everything you need, but I'm not helping you in any way."

"I'm sorry then, but you have to wait for the manager."

Eventually said manager came downstairs to check everything and I asked him to get change for me. As he was trying to get smaller bills from that 100, he whispered "AHole..." which I replied with "You have no idea".

Once that customer was gone, I told the manager what happened and started crying. He said I could have called him and he would have handled the situation for me, but he laughed and was very proud with the way I handled that situation myself.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Goal_Peppery301 on 2023-12-28 03:49:34.

I was reading through some of the posts and was reminded of this completely tame, but still kind of funny story.

Back in college, I worked at a grocery store as a cashier. This story is about produce. I had all the usual people who would bag their produce together and get upset when I separated it because it cost different amounts and sometimes even people who would ask me what they were buying (as if I knew). One day, a middle-aged woman had a small plastic bag of tomatoes on my belt with the rest of her groceries.

Cust: I’m sorry, I need to grab those tomatoes first. I don’t want to pay for all the air in the bag!

Proceeds to open the bag, release the air, and tie it back up

Cust: There! No sense in paying for air. Now you can weigh them.

Tame and harmless, but still makes me shake my head whenever it comes to my mind.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Suitable-Mood1853 on 2023-12-26 18:59:55.

My 22 year old sister works in grocery retail as a manager and she shared this weird Christmas Eve encounter with me.

She was helping train a fellow (male) manager on how to run the front of the store when an 80 year old man approaches.

Old Man: “Did you study philosophy at [expensive local private college]?

My sister, actually a business major dropout from a public university: “Uh no, but thank you, sir.”

Old Man assuming male manager trainee must know better: “Did this young lady study philosophy?”

Male manager, completely indifferent: “I don’t know, probably yeah.”

Old Man, eyes narrowing: “Yes, that seems right.”

My sister, annoyed that the old man doesn’t believe she knows where and what she studied but trying to remain civil says, “Okay, well I will take that as a compliment regardless of your intent.”

Old Man: “Ahh, you are wise beyond your years, young grasshopper.”

My sister: “Err, thanks??”

Old man walks away satisfied at correctly identifying another fellow philosopher.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Punnalackakememumu on 2023-12-26 17:42:35.

I worked at the customer service desk for a "catalog showroom" type store in the 1990s. This was a national chain store and had been around for decades. There were companies that would give their employees gift certificates for our store in lieu of cash bonuses. The reality was that their employer was trying to be generous and didn't want their workers to be taxed on their "bonus," but the employees were furious.

We could always tell when those companies had their Christmas parties because over the next few days, we would see an influx of visitors wielding gift certificates. Invariably we would have a few people come in and walk straight to the service desk demanding refunds on the certificates. It amazed me that they all thought they had a unique argument for why we should give them cash.

I think my favorite was "you don't sell anything I like/need here." We sold housewares, electronics, sporting goods, power tools, toys, and jewelry. I guess it's possible they wanted groceries or auto parts, but they were basically angry that they didn't have fiscal autonomy because their employer made the decision for them.

The same tricks were attempted each year. Once they were told that we couldn't refund the certificate, they would attempt to get creative:

• They would buy a 2-pack of D-cell batteries and expect to get cash for the remainder (nope, we just cut them a decreased gift certificate for the balance).
• They would buy something for the full certificate amount and then return it with the receipt (we issued the refund as a gift certificate or store credit).
• They would buy something for the full certificate amount and then return it saying they "lost the receipt" (we would issue the refund as a store credit but additionally it would be for the lowest sale price from the past 90 days).

The people would be spitting mad at us as if it were our fault that their companies made the gift certificate decision. It got to the point after a few years that I recognized some of the people and they tried the same stunts each year.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/loCAtek on 2023-12-24 15:03:09.

Lowly gas station clerk here, where outside of gas, the number one seller is: cigarettes, followed in a close second by Lotto and Scratchers. They may even be neck and neck, and share first place.

So, I hear all the standard quips;

•Make sure it's lucky!

•Which one will win next!?

•Give me the winning number!

•If I win - you win; I'll be back to buy you a house!

Yeah sure, Ha-Ha, sure you will - I laff cause I know they're not serious... but, some will at least tip.

One time, this lady gave me $20, because she was on a low-level lucky streak on Scratchers, where she'd win a little more than what she'd spent; like $15 for each $5 or $10 dollar ticket. Her last win of the day, before she was going to head home was for $20 on a $5 Scratcher. So, I preemptively congratulationed her on her 'big win', when the scanner said that she'd won $100!

She didn't believe me because the scratch-offs had only amounted to $20. However, I informed her that she had one of those special symbols that increased her prize by 5X! Yay!

This nice lady gave me a $20 tip for sharing this surprise windfall with her.

Now, there's no requirement for tipping; we're not a casino, and I'm not a dealer, but this next guy...

My highest personal winner, and he had asked me to pick the ticket for him; won $5,000! Woo-Hoo! Believe me, I was genuinely happy for him, and he was very verbally appreciative to me, like I'd had something to do with it.

...but, later selfishly, I thought; ''Hmmm, he didn't even give me a tip."

AITA

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/AligatorTears on 2023-12-24 01:24:06.

Me: I just need to sight your driver license or other photo ID to access your account...

Them: zero, two, seven, nine, four...

Me: I need to see your license.

Them: My license number is zero, two...

Me: I need to see a card with your name and photo.

Them: ...seven, nine...

Me: For the purpose of confirming your identity

Them: ...four, two, seven. What's the problem? Don't you know how to do your job?

Me: ... Sir, Your license has expired. You'll have to get it renewed before I can access your account.

Them: What? No it hasn't! *pulls license from wallet and shows expiration date*

Me: Oh, nevermind then. I've now identified the account, now I just need you to read me the six digit pin I just sent to your phone and I can open the account for you.

Them: I didn't bring my phone.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Consistent_Algae7503 on 2023-12-23 22:42:01.

That was about 4-5 years ago. Think jewelery kiosk in a mall. I was a salesperson there for about 2 years, and we also took care of returns, fixing broken jewelery etc. There was this middle aged woman who had a terrible taste in jewelery - everything she bought was very exaggarated and over-the-top (therefore expensive) and she looooved returning stuff. One day she comes in and throws a bracelet on the counter without a word.

Me: hi, how are you? How can I help you today. Lady: hi, i'd like to return this. Me: ok, do you have a receipt? Lady: you can locate it on your computer, the name is [Lady]. I look it up, and I see it a. was purchased over 2 months ago, b. she replaced another item in order to buy the bracelet. c. it was clearly worn and used. Not damaged, but used.

Obviously, the right to replace an item is a one time thing, and obviously you can't replace an item you bought two months ago and used. She argues non-stop and is adament on replacing it.

My patience started running thin. I told her, "ma'am, would you have liked to pay for an item that has been used by someone else and wasn't new?"

"no, but-"

"And would you like to purchase from a store that was full of items that people kept buying and returning and werent new?"

"No, but-"

"And do you understand that collections change, and we can't accept jeweleries that were purchased that long ago?"

"Yes, but-"

"But what?"

She seemed really frustrated. "But don't feel like wearing this bracelet anymore!"

The customer after her in line, looking pissed off: THEN YOU SHOULDNT BUY JEWELERY YOU DON'T LIKE IDIOT!

Yeah. People.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Mrs0Murder on 2023-12-23 17:10:44.

This happened back when I was an asst retail supervisor at a thrift store. Every morning we'd have a whole mob of people waiting outside the door to get in, because they wanted to be the first to get their hands on whatever 'new' thing that was put out. One woman in particular, came in about 5 days a week, generally 2-3 times a day, coinciding for when the production crew rolled out their carts with 'new' items. She, along with many, many others, was a reseller.

She was an issue just about every day, and was very close to becoming banned, but always managed to just toe the line, because as it turns out there was a worker there that would warn her as soon as she got to 'one more time and she's gone.'

She also didn't like me because she liked to rip or cut the tags off of items, and would lie about prices for similar items, and I wouldn't let her get away with it.

So, one day, she comes in, and gets her purchases, and leaves. She takes her cart out, and leaves it outside in the parking lot, as you do, and later comes back to find that the purse she's left in the cart outside the store is now gone. First, she accuses us of stealing it. But, we've got nice cameras, and police are called, and evidence is handled over. Her purse is found and returned. You'd think that'd be the end of it, no?

No. For the next several weeks, she continues to come in as normal, but this time she's telling every customer within ear shot that we allowed her purse to get stolen, that we didn't do our due diligence, that she was getting a lawyer and was intending to sue us, etc. etc. Unfortunately, management said that if we banned her now, it would look like retaliation (???). Then the regional director got involved, said something about her threatening a lawsuit meant something or another and if she continued speaking to other customers about it we could finally give her the boot. Well, of course her little friend got into her ear and she finally shut up about it, so once again we were unable to ban her.

Cherry on top? She was so mad about us not doing anything to stop it, but when the police found the guy, he had a gun on him. We ain't dying for your purse, lady.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Repulsive-Airline715 on 2023-12-20 21:10:16.

This story happened quite a number of years ago, I haven´t worked in retail for a long time...

I was working in a grocery store in Sweden and this is the worst encounter with a customer I have experienced. I worked behind the deli counter and was approached by an old lady and her friend.

She wanted to buy ham and I started slicing it for her. When I was almost done she started screaming at me, calling me useless and stupid and a lot of other things.

What was my crime? You see, I had worked in another grocery store before and just started working at this one. At my old store we always stacked the slices of ham on top of each other, wrapped them in paper and folded all the slices once. At this store they apparently folded each slice separately before stacking them. And of course no one had told me this.

I tried to fix it but got screamed at some more for touching her ham. I was almost in tears when she finally left.

That's my story of the nasty ham-lady, who screamed at me because of the most ridiculous thing.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/sucks2bdoxxed on 2023-12-19 13:20:13.

Customer service manager told me a lady came up yesterday with a big pack of pork chops and a random can of something. Said she bought it yesterday and just doesn't need it anymore. Doesn't have a reciept of course. So manager says ok what's your phone number i can pull it up that way. Oh, er i had forgotten my number so i had used the store card.

You forgot your phone number, but ok. So our meat has the date and time printed on the label if you know how to decipher. She told me she said to the lady "yeah, I'm not gonna refund this". Lady didn't argue too hard and said I'll just go to the other store and return it. Manager said yeah, I'm just gonna hold on to these pork chops, too. You're not getting them back. "Whaaat? You can't do that, gimme my meat"

Turns out we had just cut those chops not even an hour ago. Manager said did you not tell me you bought them yesterday? Cuz i can easily go watch the tape and see you come in the store with the chops, or not come in with them. She just left. Love that Jody.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/SeaworthinessFun2824 on 2023-12-18 03:53:20.

A older lady was asking me if there's any cardstock in the color blush. She only found normal paper in that color. I couldn't find any and she told me to hurry up because she's in a hurry. I panicked and I said we might not have it anymore. She told me she really need it in that color and check the stock room. But the store I work at have a tiny stock room so everything is on the floor. There's no extras in the stock room, only products from other seasons and holidays. I think she got annoyed with me because she kept telling me to check in stock room or online. So I asked my manager for help and she said there is cardstock in blush and showed the lady to the section. I realized I was searching in the wrong section. The blush paper got put in the pinks instead. And some color looks very similar.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Linkcastle on 2023-12-18 07:45:47.

So I work in a store that has a lot of thefts. Calling Security is never an option, because they take 10 minutes to arrive, even when there was a fight at the registers that ended up requiring the police and multiple ambulances.

Because of this, people get away with a lot of things, to tue point there's a recurring customer who's stolen more than he's ever bought.

This isn't that Customer, but the other week, I was serving a customer who asked to take Cash off his eftpos Card. Not a big deal, but it failed so many times he said to just cancel the order and just walked out while I cancelled the Cashout order. That's when I realised that he also took out the entirety of his cart, about $50 of Deli meat.

I of course knew I was going to get written up, and just mark it as a loss. At least we know what he took.

A few hours later, he came through again, his order at $400 now, full of a Lot of Premium silverware, Cosmetics and the Like. Plus he wanted Cashout. On the same card as before.

I said sure, and put his groceries on my other side, so he wasn't in arms reach of any of it before continuing, before setting up for Cash out.

Instead of using his card he immediately asked why I moved the bags, and I told him that I was looking to clean the area while he finished his purchase. A lie, but i couldn't tell him I suspected he was a thief.

I didn't even mention the previous shop, but he immediately started yelling for me to give him his bags, and that I was refusing to sell to him because he stole earlier. I hadn't mentioned it at all.

It took a few minutes for the Manager to arrive, taking over the man's shop. Turns out his card still didn't work, and with a huff, he just left.

So two write ups that day, one for a $50 loss, the other for suspecting a thief, but I got praised by loss preventions, so It was a roller coaster of a Day.

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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Prestigious_Dirt6167 on 2023-12-17 22:37:04.

Was just closing up yesterday. Like literally was getting the key and about to go lock up when one of our regulars came in. He had a bag from the main store across the lot, wandered around the aisles for a minute, and then came up and showed off the case of beer he got from the main store, telling me how he got this one but as he was walking home he remembered how we (the c store I work in) had the flavor he liked, so he wants to swap out what he’s already bought for one of our cases.

Obviously, for many reasons we can’t.

Except he kept arguing. He bought it at the main store so of course that means we should be able to give refunds and returns for that stores products. He has the receipt too, blah blah blah.

I explained that we can’t do refunds, returns, or trades for any product bought from the main store unless a manager has already called in giving the green light. Which none have done. I explained that we can’t because our alcohol inventory is different and our server systems are different, that some items have a price difference between store, and of course, that he bought it at a different store

He kept arguing, trying to insist that I was wrong and that I have to “honor the receipt” whatever the fudge that means, and that we have the kind he wants so it shouldn’t be an issue

Now remember I was just about to lock doors and close up shop for the night. Eventually I just had enough, told him that it is after close and he needs to leave. Immediately he changed directions, trying to argue that he’s not gotten his smokes yet, that I’m not being fair. Well, buddy, maybe you should have asked for your smokes and bought them instead of wasting my time arguing about beer after being told no.

Eventually got him out of the store, but he’s a regular who literally comes in every night so he will be back.