Cheapskate SC's...ahh the joy!

[Lulu]

CC=Cheapo customer
Me=

CC : You people are expensive! I can't believe how expensive you are! It's SO expensive! How much is this cd?

Me, flipping it over to reveal that price that apparently is only visible to staff : It's £5.99 sir.

CC : They used to be £4.99, why isn't it £4.99? You people have gotten SO expensive! You used to be sooo cheap!

Me, internally sighing : They were £4.99 for 12 years sir, then the company that produces them put the price up by a pound somewhere around christmas about two years back.

CC : I'm not paying £5.99 for it! I'll get it for £4.99 at *the competition* You people have got SO expensive! I can't believe how expensive you've got! And you're SO unhelpful!

Me, already had a long day : Fair enough sir.

CC : What happened to you people, you used to be so much nicer and SO much cheaper! I can't believe you got so expensive! How much is that book ? *points to local history book clearly labled on the front with the price*

Me, turning and reading the same lable he can see : It's £9.00 sir.

CC : They used to be £7! I'm not paying £9 for it! I'll get it at *the competition* for £7! This used to be such a nice shop when you were cheaper!

Me, leaning heavily on counter and longing for lunch : Fair enough sir.

CC : Aren't you going to stop me going to *the competition*?! You used to care what your customers thought of you! You used to be so much better when you were cheaper! You got so EXPENSIVE! *massive gesticulating hand movements, presumably to demonstrate how EXPENSIVE we've apparently got...ya know...just in case you missed that.*

Me, somehow resisting the raised brow and a comment about caring for CUSTOMERS...the ones that actually BUY STUFF, not go off on cheapskate rants : I can assure you sir, we still do care what our customers think, and you're free to shop where you like in order to get the price you prefer.

CC : Fine then, I'll go to them! Since you got SO EXPENSIVE!

He leaves, I see him walk over the road to the competition. Five minutes later he walks back in to my shop.

CC : You and *the competition* are in league together! The price was the same over there! Price fixing is illegal! I want a discount! You're ALL SO EXPENSIVE!

Me, stifling a yawn : Sir, as I already told you, you are free to shop wherever you wish, neither we nor *the competition* is forcing you to shop here if you don't like the prices the publishers set for those items. There isn't anything we can do about set price items.

CC : Give me both of them for £10 and I won't sue you!

My Manager, walking up the shop and giving me the look (she's a redhead, I know THE LOOK) : Give me a reason not to throw you out of the shop!

CC rushes out the shop looking scared and I stand behind the counter kinking with giggles...I love my manager...

[bullyfish]

He sounds just like some of the customers we have at work... One guy, in particular the other day, came up and asked for the price of a tent, it was about £183 (sale, when last week it was around £179), and yet even though its just £4 on a huge sale, he was still trying to get me to push it down! He was very insistant about it, and eventually left without buying anything!

[Twotall]

CC : Aren't you going to stop me going to *the competition*?!

"No, sir, in fact, in your case I would be very happy if you started doing all of your shopping there".

[gundam40]

And then he'll somehow find out that the manufacturer is "cahoots" with you all for raising the prices! How dare you!

What a retard. :P

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

The ones I don't understand is the attitude of some customers who can't understand that once a computer part is replaced with the newer version, the old part is no longer made and thus becomes harder to find.

Me - TaDa!

IC - Idiot Customer

IC - I need a 10-base PCI Network card

Me - I don't have any of those in stock, I can order one for you for $50

IC - $50!?! When the [censored] did they go up in price? They used to be $20. God [censored] price gougers you [censored]ers are.

Me - Sir, they don't MAKE the 10-base card anymore, I can order you one from probably one of the last few stores that carries them -or- I can sell you a PCI 100-base card for the same price you bought the 10-base card for.

IC - Dammnit to hell! I don't want a [censored]ing 100-base card, I want a [censored]ing 10-base card!

Me - I don't have one, they don't make them anymore, the only way I can order you one is by calling other stores that just happen to have a couple left over from when they did order them on a daily basis. Or you can get the 100-base card that will work on your 10-base network just fine.

IC - I don't have a 10-base network, I have a 100-base network you [censored]ing idiot. Stop trying to [censored]ing presume what I have at my business.

Me - What business do you work for?

IC - I work at [local company whom I am good friends with the IT manager] and if you don't sell me the 10-base card at the price I'm used to then god dammit I'm going to tell my boss to stop buying his parts from you and that will run you out of business and right out of a job you litle prick.

Me - Let me call my supplier and see what I can do.

In reality I called my friend (his boss) and explained what was going on and asked what he realy needed. He said that the computer was one of the last ones that had a 10-base card and was on the "upgrade upon failure" list (meaning that unless the card went paws up, you don't bother upgrading it) and he said that he'll call the guy on the cellphone and 'explain' things to him

The IC's phone rings and he goes outside to answer it. I couldn't hear a thing, but the looks on the guy's face were priceless. He later came in and asked for the 100-base card and I charged it to his company's net-30 account.

And I'm sure the question will arise, but I haven't the slightest notion why this jackarse got so abusive towards me since it wasn't even his money that was being spent on the card.

As for the IC? LAst I knew he was still working there...although he's never let out to go parts shopping and was forced to make a written apology to me signed by Him, the Manager of the IT department, and the head of Human Resources so I'm sure he must have gotten his ass chewed off.

M

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Man, we used to get that crap all the time. "Well,STAPLES is cheaper!" Yes, I know Staples is cheaper. However, this is not Staples. It's Kinkos. No, we don't price match, either. Your option is to take it or leave it.

Used to give us a lot of jollies that half of the people who left us for Staples came back to have their jobs re-run because Staples had screwed them up or just run them poorly. Then they ended up paying twice...once to Staples and once to us. I dont' know about you, but I'm willing to pay extra to get it right the first time so I can be done with it and not have to worry about it anymore.

I told a guy flat out one afternoon, "No, we are not the cheapest shop in town. We are the BEST shop in town. You get what you pay for."

[TonyDonuts]

but I haven't the slightest notion why this jackarse got so abusive towards me since it wasn't even his money that was being spent on the card.
M

Why? Because there's a certain breed of guy who believes, deep down in his heart, that if he acts like that to people, then they will resepct him.

Because He Takes No Crap.

Because he's In Charge.

Sometimes, it works.

Other times, they get slapped down hard for it.

Sometimes literally.

[TeslaRecoil]

Charging the same as your competition does not necessarily constitute price-fixing. If, for example, all the drug stoes in town suddenly doubled the price of aspirin for no reason, that'd constitute price fixing. Rasing prices slightly that have remained fixed for 12 years is probably just good business sense.

[protege]

Rasing prices slightly that have remained fixed for 12 years is probably just good business sense.

Exactly. Whether it's caused by inflation, labor unrest, shortages, etc., prices of things will go up. Since it costs more for a business to buy a product, they'll have to raise their prices to compensate, otherwise, they'll go out of business.

[lordlundar]

Had one moron that thought he could haggle on a price for an Xbox. It was an open box bundle and he kept trying to force a lower price, even saying that I could just sell him the unit itself for a lower price. I told him that since verything is included in the bundle at no extra charge and we can't do anything with it if we do that, those items do not affect the price. He even had me phone a manager to try for a lower price. (it was already at 10% below cost) Manager said no, because we're not making any money on it as it stands. I tell him this, his response:

Him-"I don't care if you're not making any money on it."
Me-"Well then I don't care to sell it to you."

He wanted to talk to a manager who promply told him that people who try to haggle for a price lower that what we pay for it are not valued customers. He finally got the point and left.

The best part? sold it the next week with service plan, two controllers, and hi-def cables. Made a nice profit on it.

[ladyklack]

Hagglers are always fun! When I was selling cameras we would alway run into people trying to buy the display model for less money. Company policy clearly stated that we could only sell the display if it was the last of its model in the store, and even then we could NOT discount it.

Typical exchange:
SC: How much is this camera?
Me:$299
SC: How much is the display model?
Me: $299
SC: How much is a new one?
Me: $299

Then I'd get crap because other companies would discount floor models. Well, I don't care what other companies do. They have their policies, we have ours, end of story!

[AFpheonix]

I had an idiot once that came over from Rite Aid wanting a very expensive medication that wasn't on his insurance's list of preferred meds. He couldn't seem to understand why his copay at both Rite Aid and my store were so high (he came to us because he though rite aid was gouging him...guess what pal, a copay's a copay, the only way it will be cheaper is if your insurance is contracted with a specific chain, or they're trying to scoot you to mail order).

We also get a lot of people that compare our prices to Costco. Honestly people, do you berate the people at Safeway if their frozen whatever is not only in a smaller package but more expensive than Costco? We are not a member only wholesaler! Different business models! Aaaauuugh!

[WHShit]

Me, flipping it over to reveal that price that apparently is only visible to staff : It's £5.99 sir.

:

This IS strange, isn't it?

I really wish that the companies that make the products would make prices that can be seen by EVERYONE!

[Mr. Rude]

C: This was cheaper 2 years ago!! why does it cost more now?

Me: It's called inflation. Everyone has heard about it.....

[Lulu]

I'd love to know why they always feel the need to bitch about a price when they know perfectly well that they're not going to get it cheaper anywhere else! Honestly, even if I had any control over the price whatsoever, what makes these people think I'd be willing to drop it for them after they spend 10 minutes having a hissy fit at me ?!