BG: I work at a fabric store, in a city that has passed a plastic bag ban. Every store in the city -- grocery, clothing, office supplies, pet supplies, etc. -- now only has paper bags for five cents each (as well as tote bags for sale, but that's a different story).
Today was a typical day; stuff to stock, customers to serve, fabric to cut, etc. For the most part, it passed decently enough.
Then SHE showed up.
Another coworker and I were at the registers, and I called the next customer forward. SHE came to my register with a cartload of yarn and a nasty attitude.
ME: Good morning, ma'am, will you need a paper bag for five cents?
SC: (snarling) That bag ban's only for grocery stores!
ME: I'm sorry ma'am, but it's all stores throughout the city (here I pointed at a sign stating the ordinance). Would you like to speak to a manager?
SC: No, I don't want to speak to a manager, but I will speak to City Council about this!
SHE proceeded to dump her yarn at my register, throwing some of it on top of the ones I had already rung up and stacked neatly. Nevertheless, I did manage to ring all of it up correctly; it came to over $170.00. She thrust her coupons at me.
Now, the current ad contains a coupon for $30.00 off any order over $150. I scanned this and thought she'd be happy about it. She demanded that she use her VIP 10% off card with it.
ME: I'm sorry ma'am; you cannot use both of these together.
SC: (angrily) Yes I can! It says here you can use it on both regular and sale price merchandise!
ME: It also states that it cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount. (I pointed that out to her on the card.) But the coupon will save you more than 10%.
SC: I don't believe this! Ring it all up again!
I had to cancel out the current order and re-ring everything.
SC: Now ring up my coupon!
I did.
SC: Now ring up my VIP card!
I did, and hit total. The register took off the coupon but gave the loud "no" beep and flashed the message "Cannot be combined with previous discount."
ME: Like it says on the card and the coupon, they cannot be combined.
SHE got even more irate and started demanding all of her discounts. She insisted they could be combined and demanded that I do it.
I must admit, I am not proud of myself for this, but I was getting very upset and frustrated and ended up raising my voice at her when I repeated the conditions. Another coworker noticed my distress and paged a manager to my register.
SC: (livid) This is ridiculous! I'm spending enough money here; I demand that you give me my discount! This is bad business!
The assistant manager came to my register and took over the situation. By this time, I was breathing hard and shaking visibly. The AM told me to go take a break.
I barely made it to the break room before I started sobbing. That horrible customer had me so wound up I was shaking, crying, and borderline hyperventilating.
About five or ten minutes later, the AM came to the break room and gave me a big hug. She told me that the woman got even worse after I left, that she started swearing profusely and yelling. The AM told her to stop swearing, which only made her swear more. Apparently the hag figured out that she wasn't getting any more discounts and finally left, after threatening to tell the city council, the Better Business Bureau and Corporate on us. The AM assured me that it was not my fault in any way, that I did nothing wrong and that four customers in line after the hag offered their condolences to me for dealing with her! The other AM, who'd been standing nearby in case things really got nasty, came into the break room and told me she was contacting the DM to let him know what had happened and to head the hag off at the pass.
This customer is the worst one I've dealt with since the Drug Store From Hell back in the late 80s. The managers at the DSFH would've gladly thrown me under the bus and bent over backwards for the customer, but the managers here stood up for me and refused to let the hag knuckle them under.
After I got myself under control, I went back on the floor, this time to the cutting counter. My coworker there asked what had happened (my eyes were very red and puffy). I told her that I just dealt with a very nasty customer. The customer my coworker was helping said, "Yes, I saw that. I felt sorry for you." She was sincere and sympathetic, and I appreciated it and thanked her. I must say, it does help to have a decent customer after a vicious one. And it really helps when your managers and coworkers back you up.
Today was a typical day; stuff to stock, customers to serve, fabric to cut, etc. For the most part, it passed decently enough.
Then SHE showed up.
Another coworker and I were at the registers, and I called the next customer forward. SHE came to my register with a cartload of yarn and a nasty attitude.
ME: Good morning, ma'am, will you need a paper bag for five cents?
SC: (snarling) That bag ban's only for grocery stores!
ME: I'm sorry ma'am, but it's all stores throughout the city (here I pointed at a sign stating the ordinance). Would you like to speak to a manager?
SC: No, I don't want to speak to a manager, but I will speak to City Council about this!
SHE proceeded to dump her yarn at my register, throwing some of it on top of the ones I had already rung up and stacked neatly. Nevertheless, I did manage to ring all of it up correctly; it came to over $170.00. She thrust her coupons at me.
Now, the current ad contains a coupon for $30.00 off any order over $150. I scanned this and thought she'd be happy about it. She demanded that she use her VIP 10% off card with it.
ME: I'm sorry ma'am; you cannot use both of these together.
SC: (angrily) Yes I can! It says here you can use it on both regular and sale price merchandise!
ME: It also states that it cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount. (I pointed that out to her on the card.) But the coupon will save you more than 10%.
SC: I don't believe this! Ring it all up again!
I had to cancel out the current order and re-ring everything.
SC: Now ring up my coupon!
I did.
SC: Now ring up my VIP card!
I did, and hit total. The register took off the coupon but gave the loud "no" beep and flashed the message "Cannot be combined with previous discount."
ME: Like it says on the card and the coupon, they cannot be combined.
SHE got even more irate and started demanding all of her discounts. She insisted they could be combined and demanded that I do it.
I must admit, I am not proud of myself for this, but I was getting very upset and frustrated and ended up raising my voice at her when I repeated the conditions. Another coworker noticed my distress and paged a manager to my register.
SC: (livid) This is ridiculous! I'm spending enough money here; I demand that you give me my discount! This is bad business!
The assistant manager came to my register and took over the situation. By this time, I was breathing hard and shaking visibly. The AM told me to go take a break.
I barely made it to the break room before I started sobbing. That horrible customer had me so wound up I was shaking, crying, and borderline hyperventilating.
About five or ten minutes later, the AM came to the break room and gave me a big hug. She told me that the woman got even worse after I left, that she started swearing profusely and yelling. The AM told her to stop swearing, which only made her swear more. Apparently the hag figured out that she wasn't getting any more discounts and finally left, after threatening to tell the city council, the Better Business Bureau and Corporate on us. The AM assured me that it was not my fault in any way, that I did nothing wrong and that four customers in line after the hag offered their condolences to me for dealing with her! The other AM, who'd been standing nearby in case things really got nasty, came into the break room and told me she was contacting the DM to let him know what had happened and to head the hag off at the pass.
This customer is the worst one I've dealt with since the Drug Store From Hell back in the late 80s. The managers at the DSFH would've gladly thrown me under the bus and bent over backwards for the customer, but the managers here stood up for me and refused to let the hag knuckle them under.
After I got myself under control, I went back on the floor, this time to the cutting counter. My coworker there asked what had happened (my eyes were very red and puffy). I told her that I just dealt with a very nasty customer. The customer my coworker was helping said, "Yes, I saw that. I felt sorry for you." She was sincere and sympathetic, and I appreciated it and thanked her. I must say, it does help to have a decent customer after a vicious one. And it really helps when your managers and coworkers back you up.
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