Mooching bums

[aurelemsrealm]

I get so sick of the customers who try to mooch off everyone all the time. We've got several local mooches who always want to bum money or cigarettes, and I usually tell them a flat, simple no.

One of them is a woman named "Pat." She always cries broke, and always tries to bum money or "set up a store charge." The manager used to let her do this, but has since stopped it because she is slow to pay if she pays at all. She might disappear for a month after mooching, or she'll say she paid one of the others.

When I first started working there, I let Pat charge once. She did pay it back the next day. A couple of weeks later, I let her charge a couple of candy bars again, and it took her a week to come up with the money to pay me back. I think she only paid me back because I reminded her that she hadn't yet repaid me when she asked to charge again midweek. She finally came in that weekend to pay me back.

Pat is one of those who seems to find a dollar here or there for lottery tickets, or a couple of dollars for a pack of cigarettes, but she always wants to "owe for a couple of candy bars." I just started telling her that I'm a broke college student, and my wife would kill me. That seemed to deter her for a while.

One of the other cashiers smokes, but she got so tired of Pat asking to bum cigarettes all the time. She told Pat that she quit, then she usually had to go out the back to smoke to relieve some of the stress afterward.

Then, Pat started asking to "owe for a couple of candy bars again." I told her that there has been a lot of descrepancies in inventory, so loss prevention is watching the cameras. She kept coming back several more times to ask before she finally got the point. I stuck to that story for quite a while.

I thought Pat had finally gotten the hint. Then, she came in and asked to "owe for a couple of candy bars." At first, I said no. Then, she started in with a sob story about her husbands blood sugar being low. I told her I would make this one exception this time, but be back by the end of the shift. She never showed.

I happened to be working the next morning. She came in, and paid for it. I was not very happy at all over being lied to, and I let it be known. She had a story, but I really didn't want to hear it. So, she came in last night wanting to owe for more candy bars. I said no. Then, I made up a story about the area supervisor happening to be in the office. He really wasn't, but I told her he overheard our conversation. I told her that I got in trouble over it, which I really didn't. So, I told our manager when she came in last night to relieve me what I did. She said she'd back me, and started laughing about how devious I am.

I'm really trying to break Pat of being a mooch because I'm getting tired of her asking for handouts. One way or another, but I'm trying to be nice about it because Pat's not been rude or obnoxious aside from expecting to bum from everyone else.

I guess we'll see how it works.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I'd say Pat is the height of obnoxious.

Throw her out. It's a store, not a homeless shelter. I told a guy that to his face, once.

I might not be all that nice, but I dont' have to put up with a lot of foolishness, either. Just saying.

You could also make her work off her debt, if you don't want to go the direct route. Let her vacuum the floor or something in exchange for the stuff she mooches. Bet that puts a damper on the mooching.

[Lady Wrath]

Everyone else has to pay, and she shouldn't be an exception. Especially if she's making up sob stories.

[SuperB]

I could write a book on this subject. I wish I could go back and never let the locals start charge accounts. The ones that take advantage, conveniently forget, or put us off as a non-important bill have screwed it up for the good ones. I have a "deadbeat" folder that comes to several hundred dollars and I'm having to become a hard ass telling certain people no while letting my good ones continue. It's become a huge stress issue for me because I don't just deal with these people through the store but in the community and the school as well.
And the ones that are a problem are now coming in with almost the right amount of money but, "could I bring you the rest later?" (as if that doesn't make it a charge)

[Anakah]

I hate the sob stories. I kind of zone out and ignore the stories all together. Not my problem. I have my own and they never include trying to get something for nothing.

Tell "Pat" to get a real job and stop her crap cuz if you think about it, she's not a real customer. She knows she can pull her crap, get free stuff and shes on her merry way. No. Screw that.

[edible_hat]

We get a bit of "oh I didn't bring any money, can I just take (item, usually the most expensive packet of cigarettes) now and pay you later?" at my work. I always say no (well if someone's 10 cents short I'll let it slide, so far that's happened twice and both times the customer's given me an extra 10 cents next time), but some of my co-workers fall for it. Because the owner doesn't want us giving credit or changing prices or anything like that, the money comes out of my co-workers' pockets. One's owed about $100 for other people's cigarettes.

[Geek King]

Stop feeling like you have to give her a reason. As another forum site is fond of saying, "No is a complete sentence." Just tell her no, she doesn't need to know the reasons.

If you really need to, just say, "I'm not allowed to float you the loan anymore." She doesn't need to know that it is yourself not allowing you to do it.

[Tigress]

Give an inch and they'll take a mile.

A few years ago, my husband gave one of my "friends" some cash so she could draft at a pre-release we all went to. She never paid us back. We were both kind of pissed that she used us like that.

So now, when he loans money to kids strapped for cash, the deal is that they can keep any prizes they win, but he gets the card pool they played with. The kids get to play and he doesn't have to worry about getting his money back. We've gotten several bomb rares out of the deal.

[Emrld]

Tigress- I don't totally understand . . .I get the part you loaned a friend money and they didn't pay back . . .
but - draft at a pre-release
card pool
bomb rares

please provide more information

[powerboy]

With my company, if they are a regular and always pays every month for their unit, then we will let it slide every once in a while

[Andara Bledin]

Tigress- I don't totally understand . . .I get the part you loaned a friend money and they didn't pay back . . .
but - draft at a pre-release
card pool
bomb rares

please provide more information

I can help you out here...

Card Pool - When playing Magic: The Gathering, some tournament types require that entrants buy an unopened starter deck and possibly packs of booster sets prior to starting. These cards are referred to as their card pool, and it is from that card pool that they build their decks.

Bomb Rares - Different cards are worth different amounts of money based on rarity and usefulness. Rares, of course, are worth more than commons and uncommons. Bomb is a term currently in vogue to describe particularly desirable or outstanding items.

Draft - Well, you're kind of on your own with this one. I suspect it's similar to "float" based on usage, in that the person involved gets to enjoy the event even though they don't currently have the money, but they are supposed to pay that money back at some point.

^-.-^

[aurelemsrealm]

I have no problems whatsoever with telling someone no on anything. In fact, I'm probably one of the most stubborn ones at the store about putting my foot down on someone, and not budging when my mind is made up. I do try to follow the rules as they come down from management, and will ask the manager directly when I'm unclear on something. As luck has it, she's always went along with whatever decisions I've made when running a shift because she knows that I follow policy. As she once told me when I was venting some frustration after dealing with a particularly difficult customer, "I never say anything to you when someone complains on you because I know that you don't get onto them unless they've done something to you first." That's true, I won't take their crap if they're dishing it out, but otherwise I try to leave well enough alone.

What does aggravate me is that some of the other clerks seem to have less of a backbone. They will let customers get by with things that I'd put my foot down on them for. I really don't know if the manager gets on to them for it, but it seems she will let them slide so long as it's not a major issue. I've been in management, so I can understand not wanting to get caught up in the middle of everyone else whining and complaining all of the time. I know she will crack down on someone if they're pushing too far. I've seen her crack down on customers before. I've seen her crack down on other clerks before, too.

I guess the main reason for posting the original post is that it seems to me one of the other clerks must be letting "Pat" charge despite her reputation since she keeps asking. I may be wrong about that. Maybe she thinks that asking will be a hit/miss opportunity. I don't know. What I do know is that I tend to get a lot more moody with the public than I used to, and sometimes feel a little guilty because I can get downright hateful with those who annoy me for whatever reason. Most of the time, I can just ignore it and pretend to be indifferent. Just once in a while the temper flares up, next thing I know I'm ready to pounce on anyone who comes off seeming like a jerk.

Well, all that, and I really do get tired of people who try to mooch off of everyone else. I work hard for what I have, and get sick of those who just squander what they can get by on everyone else. I guess it's just a form of therapy to vent once in a while.

[ArenaBoy]

No is the word to say here. When I was at the arena I had people make up stories about them forgetting their pass and I had no problem saying no. If they asked why I'd say because it's a rule, no pass no entry. Don't be afraid to say no.

[Geek King]

Draft - Well, you're kind of on your own with this one. I suspect it's similar to "float" based on usage, in that the person involved gets to enjoy the event even though they don't currently have the money, but they are supposed to pay that money back at some point.

^-.-^

I believe this refers to draft-style (like sports teams draft new players at the beginning of the season) tourneys where all the cards go on a table and players take turns choosing a card from the table until all are gone. Then players can trade with one another and build their decks from what they get.

[edible_hat]

I believe this refers to draft-style (like sports teams draft new players at the beginning of the season) tourneys where all the cards go on a table and players take turns choosing a card from the table until all are gone. Then players can trade with one another and build their decks from what they get.

The one draft tourney that I played in worked like this:
-seated in tables of 8 players
-everybody gets 5 booster packs
-at a signal, you open your first pack and take one card
-pass the rest to your left
-choose one card from the cards the player to your right gives you
-pass the rest to your left
-etc. etc. until you've opened all the boosters and passed all the cards around
-Choose around 30 cards from your pile, and take around 15 basic lands from the organisers (for a total deck size of 45)

At the end we had to give the land back but got to keep the rest of the cards we played with. Also the first prize was 5 booster packs, second prize was 4, third was 3 and everybody else got 1.