"I accused you of stealing?!"

[BowserKoopa1]

The other night I had a customer come through my line. After I gave him his total, he gave me 2 gift cards. The first one the computer gave me this message, "Does the customer have a temporary gift card slip?". My managers told me that this means the gift card was not sold.
I explained this to him as best as I could, basdically telling him that on rare occasion the register will do this, and that it simply meant that there might have been an error when he purchased the card. He says, "Are you saying that I stole the card?", and I politely reply, "No, sir. I never said that."
I tried to explain it again, and then the moron finally says, "Would you get me your manager please?". I put my hands up in the air and say, "Dude, I never accused you of stealing. I only said that there might have been rung up wrong or something like that when you first purchased the card."
I managed to calm him down and apologized for any miscommunication. I told him he could go to Guest Service to fix the problem, which he did. Then the ahole sure enough complained on me. I forwarned my supervisor about the situation before he complained though. When he pulled me into the office, he didn't write me up or was mad or anything like that. I proceeded to call the customer a few nasty names (the supervisor is new and didn't care that I did that) and suggested the idiot probably had a screw loose.
Let me make myself clear on this matter.... I never have and never will accuse a customer of stealing, even if I see them do it or all the evidence points to them. I know that kind of thing will get me written up, probably even fired. I'm certainly not that stupid to accuse a customer like that. Where this idiot ever got the idea that I accused him of stealing is beyond me. Sure, they can steal the gift card, but it won't have any money on it and it has to be activated.
Anyone else ever have a customer who said you accused them of stealing when you didn't?

[VenomX]

Nope but I guess I am lucky. If I see you stealing I can say what I wish to you.

Just told someone the other night to get the f*ck out after I seen him stealing a pack of 50 cent cookies. Boss wont say a word since they are STEALING and are NO longer going to be a customer.

Boss caught a guy stealing a pack of $1 roll your own tobacco the other day. He chased him out the door and told him to stay the f*ck out. He tried to come back in when I was working a few days later and refused to leave when I told him to. I "escorted" him out the door. It was either me get him out or my co-worker beating the crap out of him.

[bainsidhe]

We aren't supposed to even imply that someone is stealing. It's supposedly more of a safety measure, since you never know what some wack job will do and our safety isn't worth it. But I can tell you, I've wanted to accuse some people of it. And then there are those who take offense to anything you say, even if it is "How are you this evening?" "Whats that?! Why are you asking!! Gaahhhh!" I mean, paranoid much?

[Snowbird]

He says, "Are you saying that I stole the card?", and I politely reply, "No, sir. I never said that."

I don't know about anyone else, but that seems to be a sure sign of guilt right there. It's one thing to be flustered that the card doesn't work but another to accuse someone of saying one is stealing when there isn't even the suggestion of it beforehand.

[KMCA]

I've acused people of stealing, not directly but I've informed them I'm following them because they are a suspected thief that I have been asked/warned to watch. I don't say this straight up but wait till they piss me off with asking me "Why are you following me" and similar questions non stop.

[PepperElf]

i dont remember when i worked there...but i did work at a really CRAPPY discount store once. Crappy as in they couldn't even afford to give us paychecks - they just paid us in cash. And they went out of business a year or two after I left.

whenever people brought big items through we had to check them for stolen items. prolly embarassed this lady... she was buying some bedding set, and a matching sheet set just happened to be stuck inside. i asked if she wanted to buy it but she didn't.

Then again, issues like that weren't unusual for us.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Anyone else ever have a customer who said you accused them of stealing when you didn't?

Yeah. People who were stealing.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

Just once, but after the fact it was reeeeally scary.

I was counting the registers for the daily report & this guy comes up asking me about drape colors (to match his apartment walls, white or off-white). Now, I'm obscenely polite & helpful, so I'm trying to give him some help as I'm counting the cash to leave in the drawer. I'm hurrying so I can get done & get away from this guy, who doesn't seem so bad but either so clueless why isn't he wearing a "hi, my name is....& if I am lost please call....." tag or he's a few fries short of a happy meal.

As I get done, I'm looking for my pen, muttering to myself, 'Now where is my pen."

This guy immediately blurts, "I didn't take it."

"Um, didn't think you did..." wondering, okay, is this guy self-medicated or does he need to be? "Ah, here it is, it rolled under the register. Now, if you'd like to wait, I'm sure that one of these ladies will be able to help when she's free."

I go to the office to do my daily math quiz. The part-time Ass't manager comes in about halfway through to tell me that some guy tried to rob the drugstore a couple doors down, at gunpoint. It was the guy who'd been asking me about drapes! That's also the closest call that I ever had to getting robbed (unlike one of our Ass't Managers who came to our store after hers got robbed twice; her nerves weren't up to working at that location anymore).