Old ladies hate to walk... (language warning)

[BoxGirl]

First off, hi, I'm BoxGirl, or Rio.... or whatever you prefer to call me.

So, it was my first or second week of work. Just started working in retail for the first time ever... went from no-time to full-time during Christmas season. That was stupid, and I've vowed never to do that again. But anyway! Since I was the new girl and didn't have any training at the moment, all I could do was stand behind the counter and hand out gift boxes.

Now, we check receipts. We used to hand out boxes to anyone that asked, but we'd run out WAY before Christmas, and then everyone would get mad. So this year, we started a new trend. We check the receipts to make sure they bought something from us, and how much they bought. You buy five items, you can have up to five boxes. Thus far, it's worked. We've still got some boxes left over, even.

Enter: Epic Bitch.

This old lady comes up, seeming really miffed. She starts ranting to me about how she hates that you have to come all the way over to our counter to get the boxes, and that the boxes should be available at the registers. I'm totally not in the mood to argue, so I just ignored her comment and asked for her receipt. And she starts screaming at me, wondering why the hell we have to check receipts, oh this is so stupid, it's just a box, this is ridiculous... blah blah blah. And she's all "I'm old, and old people can't walk that whole way!" (Make note of that for later) "You'll be old someday, too!"

At this point, I felt like saying "Ma'am, I have cancer and won't live to be 30." I don't actually... but I certainly felt like saying it.

So she throws her receipt at me, I calmly take it, stamp the receipt, and hand it back to her. She promptly snatches the receipt out of my hand. I get the boxes she needs, then politely ask if she needs a bag for them. Of course she does, she's old. So I bag up her boxes and hand them to her, and she snatches the bag out of my hand and marches off.

Me: Merry Christmas!
Epic Bitch: *whirls around* No, merry Christmas to YOU. YOU'RE the one that needs the spirit.

..... okay. Now, I've been working here for two weeks, but we haven't had boxes at the register for YEARS. I don't know what she was expecting me to do about it.

Oh, but it gets better. Remember when she yelled at me because she had to walk all the way over to our department?

About fifteen minutes after she left, she came back with no bags in hand, marched past this huge line, came up to the counter, pointed a finger at me and said "I spoke to a manager, and I returned a hundred and twenty five dollars worth of stuff because of YOU." And then turns around and marches off again.

Yeah. So, after complaining about all that walking she had to do, she walked all the way back to the registers, stood in the crazy Christmas lines to return her stuff, walked all the way UPSTAIRS to talk to a manager, then came back downstairs and walked back to our department to tell me that she hates me. Lovely. Not only that, but she returned all that stuff. Don't see how that helps.... we just re-tag the stuff and sell it again, so it's not like we're losing any money....

So I just rolled my eyes and said to the other ladies behind the counter, "I'm taking my lunch break."

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Holy shit, she wished you Merry Christmas? Wow, that's hardcore. I bet that taught YOU a lesson you won't soon forget.

[Nutjob R/T]

Did you obligingly quake in terror and/or faint away on the spot?

[Saydrah]

Did your manager manage to refrain from giggling during this return?

[jedifarfy]

My store has lots of retirement apartments, and it's amazing how many of these old women will use that as an excuse!

The last one, that made everyone mad at ME, was an old lady who cut the line, and refused to get back into the line. I rang her up all while she bitched about the line (ugh, cause it's Christmas time maybe?). She went on and on about having to leave stuff behind before since she couldn't stand in line, etc. etc.

Of course, everyone in line heard her ranting, and still was irritated with me. I rang a couple of people out and just left the front. I hate cashiering!!

JF

[powerboy]

BoxGirl, welcome to the boards. Don't let any of us scare you off.

Wow, she returned over a $100 worth of products because you asked for a receipt.

[Gravekeeper]

I'm wondering how she pulled off the return since that would require her to violate whatever crazed religious tenants she's holding herself too and once again hand over the receipt.

[chainedbarista]

And she's all "I'm old, and old people can't walk that whole way!" (Make note of that for later) "You'll be old someday, too!"

calls bs on this one; plenty of oldsters these days prefer to remain active, rather than whine about their supposed 'infirm condition due to age,' so maybe instead of whining about those extra steps, she should take them and think 'this will keep me young' rather than 'i'm old and can't walk.'

oh right, that darn cs thing again...

more old whining hags wanting special treatment; deal with it, grandma.

[blas]

Lots of people don't want to walk. Hell, I know some people my own age or maybe a tad older where I work who will waste 5-10 minutes vultering desperately around the parking lot, trying to find the closest spot so they don't have to walk. A lot of people are lazy.

I'm pretty sure if everyone could afford a scooter or Rascal, you'd be surprised how many people 20-40 would be using them as well. If walking weren't necessary, if we could be mobile everywhere we went, I'm sure some people would do it.

[Broomjockey]

And then there's people like me, who will walk along the bus route if I miss my bus, rather than wait for the next one. I don't have a prayer of making it to my destination, but I'd rather walk than stand around.

Heck, one time I walked the nearly 60 blocks home because all figured, it was faster than waiting the hour for the bus, then taking the nearly hour long trip. Actually, I did that twice...

[texasbelle5]

The last one, that made everyone mad at ME, was an old lady who cut the line, and refused to get back into the line. I rang her up all while she bitched about the line (ugh, cause it's Christmas time maybe?). She went on and on about having to leave stuff behind before since she couldn't stand in line, etc. etc.

Of course, everyone in line heard her ranting, and still was irritated with me. I rang a couple of people out and just left the front. I hate cashiering!!

JF

Rule Number 1 of cashiering: Don't ever reward a line cutter by ringing them out first! You are going to piss somebody off, that's a given. So piss off the line cutter and be a hero to all the people who got in line and waited.

It's all about picking your battles.

[princess4life]

And then there's people like me, who will walk along the bus route if I miss my bus, rather than wait for the next one. I don't have a prayer of making it to my destination, but I'd rather walk than stand around.

Heck, one time I walked the nearly 60 blocks home because all figured, it was faster than waiting the hour for the bus, then taking the nearly hour long trip. Actually, I did that twice...

I must admit I do the same thing I will look at my watch and realize I have 30-60 minutes before the next bus so I will start walking along the bus route instead of just sitting and waiting. I even did it when I was 7 months pregnant in the middle of winter.

[Sliceanddice]

ok this is why i cant work in a retail store (as well as delivery) i would get fired in one week after i told some old bitty to get to the back oif the line and wait her turn or hand me her stuff so i can hang it back because isnt being rung up by me until shes in line.

[Misanthropical]

Rule Number 1 of cashiering: Don't ever reward a line cutter by ringing them out first! You are going to piss somebody off, that's a given. So piss off the line cutter and be a hero to all the people who got in line and waited.

It's all about picking your battles.

I agree with this! We have been known to put all the stuff we were going to buy back when we have seen line cutters being rewarded by being rung out instead of told to get in line.

I don't care if it's some old bitty or the President of the United States, they need to wait in line like everyone else.

[BoxGirl]

Heh. Thanks for the welcome, guys. And no, you won't scare me off. Heck, anyone that's here to share stories about nightmare customers certainly aren't going to be scared off by you lot.

I did none of the fainting or quaking in fear, thank you. Just mentally cussed at her and flipped her off, all while keeping an external air of pleasant-ish-ness. (Ish)

And the manager wasn't around at the moment. In fact.... the old bag managed to scream at me only when I was the only one behind the counter, or my coworkers were otherwise occupied...

Working in retail, I realise that teenagers are my favorite customers. Old people, Middle-aged people, and people barely old enough to drink have tempers if you make them wait too long. The teenagers are fully content to stand in line, don't try to change company policy, don't try to be the exception to the rules, and if anything goes wrong, all they do is go home and blog about it, rather than holding up the line and bitching me out.