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Just a quick story of ridiculousness. I approached a customer in the printer aisle to see if he needed any help, and we had the following conversation.
SC: Hey, didn't you guys have a laser printer on sale for, like, a hundred bucks last week?
Me: Yes, we did. That HP there. The sale has ended, though, so it's back up to its usual $179.
SC: I would like to buy one.
Me: Okay, I can get one down for you.
SC: And it'll be for the sale price, right?
Me: No, sir. The sale has ended. It's back to regular price now.
SC: Ah, well you can make it be on sale again.
Me: No, I'm afraid I can't.
SC: Sure you can!
Me: I have no power over pricing, sir. I can sell it to you for the price on the tag. Which means you can buy it today for $179, or you can wait for another sale.
SC: No, I'm going to buy it today for a hundred bucks. You just go tell your manager you worked out a good deal with your favorite customer.
Me: The managers won't sell it for that price either. I had another customer ask one of them yesterday.
SC: Well why the *expletive* not?!
Me: When the printer was on sale, its price was below company cost, which means that we were selling it for less than what we purchased it for. We were losing money. But the manufacturer was going to give us a kickback for every one of those printers we sold, so we'd lose money up front but get it back at the end of the sale. They're not doing that anymore.
SC: Well make them!
Me: What?
SC: Call up your corporate office and tell them they need to get that kickback deal going again so I can buy this printer!
Me: Sir, I don't have a phone number for corporate. I don't think I even have a phone number for the district managers. And even if I did, I sincerely doubt they'd make such a change just because I said so.
SC: Y'know, that's okay. I have a solution. You let me buy this printer for the sale price right now. Then when I get home, I'll call the manufacturer and tell them to send you the $80 difference.
Me: I don't think that will work, sir.
SC: Fine. Screw it.
And he left. Or so I thought. A few minutes later, I saw a co-worker pulling down that printer for him. I didn't really think much of it until I was paged to the cash registers a few minutes later. He'd apparently told the cashiers that I promised him the printer for the sale price, and they needed authorization to make the price reduction. I explained that I did not offer it to him at the sale price. Now he gets mad.
SC: Liar!
Me: Once again, sir, you can buy it for $179, or you can wait for it to go on sale again.
SC: You know what? You suck! If you can't do something to make a customer happy, you deserve a job pumping septic tanks! With a straw!
About that time, a manager showed up, having heard some yelling.
Manager: What seems to be the problem, sir?
SC: Fire this guy!
Manager: No.
SC: *expletive* you!
And he walked out. All of us at the registers, customers included, exchanged glances, laughed, and went back to our lives.
SC: Hey, didn't you guys have a laser printer on sale for, like, a hundred bucks last week?
Me: Yes, we did. That HP there. The sale has ended, though, so it's back up to its usual $179.
SC: I would like to buy one.
Me: Okay, I can get one down for you.
SC: And it'll be for the sale price, right?
Me: No, sir. The sale has ended. It's back to regular price now.
SC: Ah, well you can make it be on sale again.
Me: No, I'm afraid I can't.
SC: Sure you can!
Me: I have no power over pricing, sir. I can sell it to you for the price on the tag. Which means you can buy it today for $179, or you can wait for another sale.
SC: No, I'm going to buy it today for a hundred bucks. You just go tell your manager you worked out a good deal with your favorite customer.
Me: The managers won't sell it for that price either. I had another customer ask one of them yesterday.
SC: Well why the *expletive* not?!
Me: When the printer was on sale, its price was below company cost, which means that we were selling it for less than what we purchased it for. We were losing money. But the manufacturer was going to give us a kickback for every one of those printers we sold, so we'd lose money up front but get it back at the end of the sale. They're not doing that anymore.
SC: Well make them!
Me: What?
SC: Call up your corporate office and tell them they need to get that kickback deal going again so I can buy this printer!
Me: Sir, I don't have a phone number for corporate. I don't think I even have a phone number for the district managers. And even if I did, I sincerely doubt they'd make such a change just because I said so.
SC: Y'know, that's okay. I have a solution. You let me buy this printer for the sale price right now. Then when I get home, I'll call the manufacturer and tell them to send you the $80 difference.
Me: I don't think that will work, sir.
SC: Fine. Screw it.
And he left. Or so I thought. A few minutes later, I saw a co-worker pulling down that printer for him. I didn't really think much of it until I was paged to the cash registers a few minutes later. He'd apparently told the cashiers that I promised him the printer for the sale price, and they needed authorization to make the price reduction. I explained that I did not offer it to him at the sale price. Now he gets mad.
SC: Liar!
Me: Once again, sir, you can buy it for $179, or you can wait for it to go on sale again.
SC: You know what? You suck! If you can't do something to make a customer happy, you deserve a job pumping septic tanks! With a straw!
About that time, a manager showed up, having heard some yelling.
Manager: What seems to be the problem, sir?
SC: Fire this guy!
Manager: No.
SC: *expletive* you!
And he walked out. All of us at the registers, customers included, exchanged glances, laughed, and went back to our lives.
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