Had my first SC in my chocolate shop seasonal job, and hooboy, was she a doozy!
She'd been sent out by a VERY aged person (don't know if it's a relative or what) to buy some chocolates. Very aged person specified "a big box." Now, we have "big boxes" that range from the $40s to nearly $100.
SC: "Oh, I don't think she wants to spend THAT much."
Okay, that's reasonable. Trouble is, apparently, very aged person did not really give much clarification about what she DID want.
SC: "I kept trying to get her to give me more directions about HOW big, or HOW much to spend, and she just started to get annoyed."
Me: "Um, would you like me to write down a list of sizes and prices and you can go back and ask her?"
SC: "Oh no, I just want to buy something and be done with it."
Well ... okay.
So we get her settled with three small boxes, a bunch of chocolate Santas (presumably for the grandkids?) and one big box.
And this is where it all went south.
SC: "Oh well, if it's not right, I can always bring them back."
Oops.
Because this store DOES NOT DO refunds, exchanges, or returns. Not even on its (very few) non-food items.
Me: "Um ... hang on a minute."
I go over and grab the Assistant Manager and explain the situation, and ask if there is ANY way we can break this rule for her. He comes over -- kudos to him for doing so -- and says to her no, unfortunately, once the item leaves the store, it CANNOT come back.
SC: *outraged* "WHAT! I can't believe this! This is stupid! [Very aged person] drops A LOT of money here!"
AM: "Yes, and I do understand that, and I am sorry, but once the items leave the store, we cannot take them back."
SC: *more along the same lines* -- and then ...
AM: "I am very sorry, ma'am."
SC: "WELL, YOU SHOULD BE!!"
AM: *rather shocked* "Ma'am, this is not personal. [translation: "IT'S NOT MY FUCKING RULE!!"] I literally cannot break this rule. It's a company-wide rule; it applies at all our stores."
It went on like this for some five minutes, with the SC continually implying that the AM was deliberately being unreasonable and obstructionist. Finally she grabbed her bags, huffed at me, "Well, thank you for YOUR help" and stomped out. AM went into the back room and vented at some incoming employees for a few minutes and then came back out.
Now, I felt badly because it occurred to me, belatedly, that I probably should have warned her when she first started that WE DON'T DO RETURNS, EXCHANGES, OR REFUNDS, so -- again -- are you sure you want to complete this transaction today? I told AM I would do this in future under the same circumstances. He said "Well, then you'd have to say that to everybody," but I disagree, mostly because this woman made it very clear that she was VERY uncertain about what she was doing. My experience has been that the majority of people buying food as a gift have a Plan B if it's not what the recipient wants -- and when it comes to chocolates, the Plan B is usually "Well, hell, then I'll eat it!"
AM also said he'd made it clear we could've refunded her right then and there, but I'm sure his repetition of "ONCE IT LEAVES THE STORE" didn't register. Perhaps we should've put it in plain English: "Ma'am, would you prefer to return the candies NOW? Because we can do it NOW."
In any case, this is largely a case of could'a/should'a/would'a. I just seriously hope what she took home is what the very aged person wanted ... for both her sake and that of very aged person.
She'd been sent out by a VERY aged person (don't know if it's a relative or what) to buy some chocolates. Very aged person specified "a big box." Now, we have "big boxes" that range from the $40s to nearly $100.
SC: "Oh, I don't think she wants to spend THAT much."
Okay, that's reasonable. Trouble is, apparently, very aged person did not really give much clarification about what she DID want.
SC: "I kept trying to get her to give me more directions about HOW big, or HOW much to spend, and she just started to get annoyed."
Me: "Um, would you like me to write down a list of sizes and prices and you can go back and ask her?"
SC: "Oh no, I just want to buy something and be done with it."
Well ... okay.
So we get her settled with three small boxes, a bunch of chocolate Santas (presumably for the grandkids?) and one big box.
And this is where it all went south.
SC: "Oh well, if it's not right, I can always bring them back."
Oops.
Because this store DOES NOT DO refunds, exchanges, or returns. Not even on its (very few) non-food items.
Me: "Um ... hang on a minute."
I go over and grab the Assistant Manager and explain the situation, and ask if there is ANY way we can break this rule for her. He comes over -- kudos to him for doing so -- and says to her no, unfortunately, once the item leaves the store, it CANNOT come back.
SC: *outraged* "WHAT! I can't believe this! This is stupid! [Very aged person] drops A LOT of money here!"
AM: "Yes, and I do understand that, and I am sorry, but once the items leave the store, we cannot take them back."
SC: *more along the same lines* -- and then ...
AM: "I am very sorry, ma'am."
SC: "WELL, YOU SHOULD BE!!"
AM: *rather shocked* "Ma'am, this is not personal. [translation: "IT'S NOT MY FUCKING RULE!!"] I literally cannot break this rule. It's a company-wide rule; it applies at all our stores."
It went on like this for some five minutes, with the SC continually implying that the AM was deliberately being unreasonable and obstructionist. Finally she grabbed her bags, huffed at me, "Well, thank you for YOUR help" and stomped out. AM went into the back room and vented at some incoming employees for a few minutes and then came back out.
Now, I felt badly because it occurred to me, belatedly, that I probably should have warned her when she first started that WE DON'T DO RETURNS, EXCHANGES, OR REFUNDS, so -- again -- are you sure you want to complete this transaction today? I told AM I would do this in future under the same circumstances. He said "Well, then you'd have to say that to everybody," but I disagree, mostly because this woman made it very clear that she was VERY uncertain about what she was doing. My experience has been that the majority of people buying food as a gift have a Plan B if it's not what the recipient wants -- and when it comes to chocolates, the Plan B is usually "Well, hell, then I'll eat it!"
AM also said he'd made it clear we could've refunded her right then and there, but I'm sure his repetition of "ONCE IT LEAVES THE STORE" didn't register. Perhaps we should've put it in plain English: "Ma'am, would you prefer to return the candies NOW? Because we can do it NOW."
In any case, this is largely a case of could'a/should'a/would'a. I just seriously hope what she took home is what the very aged person wanted ... for both her sake and that of very aged person.
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