The boxes are free, as is my disdain for you

[Boozy]

We had our delivery today. The boxes were still unpacked on the skid in front of the store when a man came in and asked if he could have the boxes when we were finished unpacking. I told him he could, but he'd be in for a long wait. I had paperwork to finish before I could even start to think about unloading everything.

So he said, "Well, how long?" I said, could be an hour, could be more. I don't know. I told him we could set the boxes aside and he could come get them as long as he was back before we closed that night. He left without saying anything else.

One hour later, he came back. He didn't say anything, he just stood around, staring at the boxes (which I hadn't gotten to yet). No big deal, I thought. He wasn't bothering anyone, and he was told it would be a long wait. He can suit himself.

I had just started to unpack, and as it would turn out, the very first box I opened led to a host of problems that have no relevance here. Suffice it to say, he stood outside the store, glaring at me and tapping his foot while I spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with the crap in this box.

Finally, out of nowhere, he said "Fine! I see that you're too slow and lazy to pick up the pace for a customer. I'll go down the street to (Competitor)!" And he stormed off.

The cardboard boxes were free. He didn't buy anything from the store. He wasn't a customer. He wanted me to bust my ass to give him free stuff? I don't think so.

What's that, jackass? You're going to my competitor? Oh noes! Now they will be the ones dealing with your asshatery and not making a dime from it! Woe is me!

[rerant]

I would have told him that his standing there, eyeing me through the process of my work was distracting me and impeding my ability to work more efficiently.

[aurelemsrealm]

Non customers with special requests sometimes suck worse than customers with special requests. I get so annoyed at people who get pissy with me over breaking bills or making change, especially if I agree to do it as a favor and they complain because I don't have a particular denomination they want.

I had a guy the other day who wanted to break a $100 bill, which I just refuse to do without a purchase of a reasonable amount. He started grumbling about needing to break it, but the banks are closed on the weekends.

"I can give you change if you make a purchase."

"I don't want to buy anything. I just need to bust this bill."

"Sorry, can't help you with that."

He stormed off grumbling and cussing. I bid him fond farewell and good riddance on that note.

Then, I had a woman who wanted me to break a $20 bill for her. She wanted ones, but I was told by the manager that we were low on ones. Besides, I'm not going to give anyone 20 ones for a $20 bill. I'm just not going to mess with that kind of a hassle. So, I told the woman that I was low on ones, but I could give her two tens, a ten and two five, or even four fives. She started whining about needing ones for the vending machines at work. The only reason I offered to bust the twenty was because she'd paid for gas at the pump. Otherwise, I would have told her that I only give change for purchases.

"Sorry, but I have what I have, and I'm not breaking my drawer or safe for anyone. Two tens, a ten and two fives, or four fives, take it or leave it!"

She slung her money on the counter, "Fine, then!"

So, I grabbed the twenty. "What would you prefer?"

She shrugged. I just looked at her a second, "Okay, whatever, it makes no difference to me."

I threw down two tens, figuring it would really be no help, but no longer caring that she might be inconvenienced at having to break tens for change.

She snatched the money and stomped off like a stampeding cow.

I muttered to myself, "Yeah, you're welcome, ungrateful bitch!"

My day went on like normal after that bit of pleasantness.

[Sparkticus]

We get people coming in for cardboard boxes quite often, who aren't actually buying anything...

Worst part is, we SELL cardboard boxes among other things!

So they're asking me to take away a sale from us for absolutely no return... I'll do it in some cases (a special needs school a while back asked for a selection for a project) but it always strikes me as cheeky when someone wants it for packing...

[edible_hat]

We get people coming in for cardboard boxes quite often, who aren't actually buying anything...

Worst part is, we SELL cardboard boxes among other things!

Does anybody ever ask for the boxes that the boxes come in?

[iradney]

When we move, I do go to shops and ask for boxes. However, my offers of payment are normally turned down - and I end up feeling a bit bad

[Ree]

We get people wanting boxes all the time. We just don't have the space to keep boxes, and we don't have a compactor/baler.

We break our boxes down as we go and toss them in a dumpster. I just tell people they will have to check the dumpster if they want boxes. (It's not that bad, because our cardboard is all by itself in its own dumpster, since we have a company that picks it up for recycling.)
The dumpsters are pretty high, though, so people usually don't bother.

Sometimes, we'll get a friend of the boss, and then we are made to save them.
Then, the people won't come back for hours, or until the next day.

I get a kick out of the ones who call in with special requests for boxes with specific dimensions.
Yeah, right, like I'm gonna measure every box to get the perfect one just for you...and 20 other customers.

[Boozy]

Sometimes, we'll get a friend of the boss, and then we are made to save them.
Then, the people won't come back for hours, or until the next day.

That bothers me too. We just don't have the space to be saving even a handful of boxes, even if they're all broken down and bundled.

If a customer says they're going to be back for some boxes on a certain day, they had better be, or I'm throwing them out at the end of the night. We got one guy come in a full week after asking for some boxes and get annoyed with us because we didn't all trip over his twenty boxes for six days straight in a store the size of a postage stamp.

[Rapscallion]

Oh, the specific requirements for boxes! Our main trade was greengrocery, so we got boxes in every day.

SC: Can I have an empty cardboard box?
Me: Sure - they're outside the back door.
SC: I already drove around and looked, but none of them are suitable.
Me: Well, they're all we have until tomorrow.
SC: But I need one today! I specifically need one with a lid!
Me: Most of the fruit is coming in trays these days. It's rare to see a properly lidded box.
SC: How about that box there?"
Me: Yes, it's got a lid. It's also full of apples.
SC: Can I have it?
Me: *headdesk* Only when it's empty.
SC: Will you empty that today?

Let's see, it's four in the afternoon, the box is full, we went through about two boxes of those apples a week, and the SC in question had bought one pint of milk so we remembered that they were still alive after not having been in for months...

Can we say, "No!" boys and girls?

The other one that stuck in my mind was similar, down to the pint of milk. However, she was insisting on not just a box with a lid, but a certain footprint of box. She needed one that was eighteen inches by eighteen inches precisely for a wedding cake. After ten minutes of rummaging through the dozen or so boxes we had in the back yard, she eventually settled on one that was sort-of the right size, but it had no lid, nor had it come with one. That's right - about a dozen boxes and ten sodding minutes. She then had the nerve to ask if we had one like that with a lid.

She occasionally made wedding cakes, but sold them. Work the price of a box into your price!

Rapscallion

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Non customers with special requests sometimes suck worse than customers with special requests.

Whaddaya mean "sometimes"? The customer at least is planning to spend money.

We do not save boxes for people anymore. It got to be too much of a pain. There'd be stacks and stacks of boxes sitting around the backroom for various people, they wouldn't be picked up when the people said they'd pick them up, we'd throw them in the bailer and then the people show up and get pissed because we threw away their boxes...

That said, if an employee wants some empty boxes, they can always come to the backroom and grab them themselves. What they cannot do is empty full or partially-full boxes, like one not-so-very-bright co-worker did this Summer. Emptied out about 10 pillow boxes and left the pillows loose on the shelves to fall over creation.

[Hon'ya-chan]

Does anybody ever ask for the boxes that the boxes come in?

You mean the Box-Box?

[Sparkticus]

we've not had that one yet... although I'm sure it's only a matter of time!

[aurelemsrealm]

Whaddaya mean "sometimes"? The customer at least is planning to spend money.

Yes, and some of those customers transform into the worst of entitlement whores because they just spent money at our establishment. "Look at me, I bought something at your store (usually something on which the store makes little to no profit anyway), now worship me for I am your God! I made your paycheck possible! You'd go broke without my business!" If you are unable to fulfill that customer's special request above and beyond the call of duty for any reason at all, then all hell breaks loose because surely the world will end because God's will is not being done.

On the other hand, I've had non-customers who asked for a favor, and left without incident after being told that it can't be done for whatever reason.

Honestly, I don't care how much money they're spending. Profit is the company's concern. I'm just there for my paycheck because I'm trying to earn a living. My wage is a set amount per hour, and that's all I ever get to see regardless of how little or how much profit the company makes. I'm more concerned about the attitudes of the customers and non-customers who decide to grace us with their presence. Are they going to be problematic? Are they going to be friendly and easy to please?

[edible_hat]

Somewhat related: the other day my manager (whose family owns the store) said "I don't pay your wages, they do. But some of them are idiots."