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Reading all these stories here I consider myself pretty lucky. I haven't had any real nasty incidences I can remember in the 1 1/2 years I've been working in retail but yesterday was probably the first one.
I work in the Home Entertainment Department of a large retail chain. In our section we also sell all kinds of games (PC, Xbox, PS2, etc). To understand this story i might also need to explain the ratings here in Australia
G - General
PG - Parental Guidance
M - Mature
The above are RECOMMENDATIONS meaning they can be sold to any age.
MA
R+
These are RESTRICTED; i.e. I need to see ID when in doubt or for MA if underaged needs to be accompanied by a parent.
Ok lets to get to the story. This kid walks up to the counter and tells me he wants to buy a game for his own money (as I later found out he was 6 years old though he was QUITE big for six). He proceeds to show me the content of his wallet and asking me how much money he has; it's filled with 1$ and 2$ coins so I take a rough estimate of about $30.
He finally finds a game - Spiderman which is rated PG - and starts counting up his money on my counter (Game costs $30 AUD which is around $23 US)
Now I have to say at this point that there are unaccompanied children in the department quite often. Granted that most are accompanied by their parents when they purchase something, parents often like to dump them in our section while to they do their shopping and let the kids watch the movie running on our TV's or play with the Xbox/Nintendo
Anyway, Kid finishes counting his money but before I take it I ask him (just to confirm)
"Is your mum alright with that?"
"Yes" he replies.
I finalise the sale, give him the game in a bag with docket and he walks off.
10 minutes later a woman walks up to the Counter.
"Did you sell this game?" *holding Spiderman Game and docket in hand"
"Yes" I reply
She starts screaming (as I later found out so loud that she could be heard in many other departments of the store) " HE'S A MINOR!!!!!!!!!" ..repeatedly
HE's ONLY SIX!!!!!
At this point I didn't really know if she was pissed about wether I sold this game to her son unaccompanied or that she thought it was some "gory violent" kind of game.
I calmy try to explain that the game is rated PG and that I asked her son if he was allowed to buy it. I then tell her that she can go down to the Refund Desk and get a refund there.
Her reply (in same volume as before) "NO YOU GO DOWN THERE NOW AND GET ME THE MONEY"
Since I had a 2nd co-worker at the counter I decided to follow her "orders" to defuse the situation. As I'm walking passed her she shouts something along the lines that I would even sell cigarettes to him...could have been smart-ass and said that we didn't sell any but at this stage I was a bit shellshocked.
As I get back with the money two managers are already up there and have calmed the woman down with her still insisting but that I shouldn't have sold it.
To end this story on a positive note: both managers told me that I did nothing wrong and so did the other customers at the counter
Sorry to drag it out so long
I work in the Home Entertainment Department of a large retail chain. In our section we also sell all kinds of games (PC, Xbox, PS2, etc). To understand this story i might also need to explain the ratings here in Australia
G - General
PG - Parental Guidance
M - Mature
The above are RECOMMENDATIONS meaning they can be sold to any age.
MA
R+
These are RESTRICTED; i.e. I need to see ID when in doubt or for MA if underaged needs to be accompanied by a parent.
Ok lets to get to the story. This kid walks up to the counter and tells me he wants to buy a game for his own money (as I later found out he was 6 years old though he was QUITE big for six). He proceeds to show me the content of his wallet and asking me how much money he has; it's filled with 1$ and 2$ coins so I take a rough estimate of about $30.
He finally finds a game - Spiderman which is rated PG - and starts counting up his money on my counter (Game costs $30 AUD which is around $23 US)
Now I have to say at this point that there are unaccompanied children in the department quite often. Granted that most are accompanied by their parents when they purchase something, parents often like to dump them in our section while to they do their shopping and let the kids watch the movie running on our TV's or play with the Xbox/Nintendo
Anyway, Kid finishes counting his money but before I take it I ask him (just to confirm)
"Is your mum alright with that?"
"Yes" he replies.
I finalise the sale, give him the game in a bag with docket and he walks off.
10 minutes later a woman walks up to the Counter.
"Did you sell this game?" *holding Spiderman Game and docket in hand"
"Yes" I reply
She starts screaming (as I later found out so loud that she could be heard in many other departments of the store) " HE'S A MINOR!!!!!!!!!" ..repeatedly
HE's ONLY SIX!!!!!
At this point I didn't really know if she was pissed about wether I sold this game to her son unaccompanied or that she thought it was some "gory violent" kind of game.
I calmy try to explain that the game is rated PG and that I asked her son if he was allowed to buy it. I then tell her that she can go down to the Refund Desk and get a refund there.
Her reply (in same volume as before) "NO YOU GO DOWN THERE NOW AND GET ME THE MONEY"
Since I had a 2nd co-worker at the counter I decided to follow her "orders" to defuse the situation. As I'm walking passed her she shouts something along the lines that I would even sell cigarettes to him...could have been smart-ass and said that we didn't sell any but at this stage I was a bit shellshocked.
As I get back with the money two managers are already up there and have calmed the woman down with her still insisting but that I shouldn't have sold it.
To end this story on a positive note: both managers told me that I did nothing wrong and so did the other customers at the counter
Sorry to drag it out so long
What a dink! If you don't like wnat your kids but buy stuff for them for god's sake,
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