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Quick background: I work part-time at the large bookstore chain that likes the color green. 
Sucky Customer
This happened a few months ago when I was working customer service:
Me –
SW – Sucky female customer
SW: (No “hello,” or “can you help me?” just) Where are your African-American books?
Me: Is there something specific you’re looking for? (I always try to ask this, because if I don’t then I inevitably take the customer to the section he/she’s looking for and then they tell me the book they want.)
SW: (Sigh) Romance books by black authors
Me: Well actually we just put all of our romance books together. (I lead her over to the section.) They’re alphabetized by author.
SW: (Huffs) Fine.
5 minutes later…
SW: (Reappears at customer service desk) I can’t find any books by black authors. You don’t have any.
Me: I assure you we do, ma’am. (I take her back to the romance section and point out numerous books by black authors.)
SW: (Still pissy) I don’t know why you don’t separate them. Every other bookstore I’ve ever been to separates them.
*I know for a fact that neither my store nor the other 2 main bookstore chains separate the black authors in the main genres (fiction, romance, sci-fi, etc); only for African-American history/cultural studies, etc. If she was telling the truth, then I don’t know where she’d been shopping unless it was a privately owned bookstore, but even that seems far-fetched.
Me: I’m sorry, ma’am, we don’t segregate our books like that.
SW: (Huffs and walks off)
Dragon Heiress
A month or two after I started working at this store, I was working at the cash registers when a lady came up and wanted to exchange an item for a different one of the same. I was still pretty new at that sort of thing, so I wasn’t sure if we allowed exchanges like that, or if we needed a manager’s approval like we do with all other returns/exchanges. So I called the manager to come to the registers to help.
Right after I hung up the phone, she started in on her story anyway, even though I told her I couldn’t do anything.
Lady: (Pulls out a green plush dragon doll/toy from her bag) I just want to swap this out with another one.
Me: Okay… (I look it over and see nothing wrong with it) What’s the problem with it?
Lady: Look at its face.
Me: Um, I don’t see anything.
Lady: It looks like Paris Hilton!
Me: ….
Lady: Look! It does look like her! I don’t like Paris Hilton!
Me: (trying not to laugh)
*Manager appears at the front
Me: This lady just wants to exchange this dragon for another one because it, um, its face looks like Paris Hilton.
Lady: (Thrusts dragon in manager’s face) See!
Manager: (Successfully managing to keep from laughing) That shouldn’t be a problem.
*Manager escorts her to the kids’ section in the back of the store to swap it out.
We had a good laugh over that later.
The best part - Its face really did look like Paris Hilton!
Sucky Customer
This happened a few months ago when I was working customer service:
Me –
SW – Sucky female customer
SW: (No “hello,” or “can you help me?” just) Where are your African-American books?
Me: Is there something specific you’re looking for? (I always try to ask this, because if I don’t then I inevitably take the customer to the section he/she’s looking for and then they tell me the book they want.)
SW: (Sigh) Romance books by black authors
Me: Well actually we just put all of our romance books together. (I lead her over to the section.) They’re alphabetized by author.
SW: (Huffs) Fine.
5 minutes later…
SW: (Reappears at customer service desk) I can’t find any books by black authors. You don’t have any.
Me: I assure you we do, ma’am. (I take her back to the romance section and point out numerous books by black authors.)
SW: (Still pissy) I don’t know why you don’t separate them. Every other bookstore I’ve ever been to separates them.
*I know for a fact that neither my store nor the other 2 main bookstore chains separate the black authors in the main genres (fiction, romance, sci-fi, etc); only for African-American history/cultural studies, etc. If she was telling the truth, then I don’t know where she’d been shopping unless it was a privately owned bookstore, but even that seems far-fetched.
Me: I’m sorry, ma’am, we don’t segregate our books like that.
SW: (Huffs and walks off)
Dragon Heiress
A month or two after I started working at this store, I was working at the cash registers when a lady came up and wanted to exchange an item for a different one of the same. I was still pretty new at that sort of thing, so I wasn’t sure if we allowed exchanges like that, or if we needed a manager’s approval like we do with all other returns/exchanges. So I called the manager to come to the registers to help.
Right after I hung up the phone, she started in on her story anyway, even though I told her I couldn’t do anything.
Lady: (Pulls out a green plush dragon doll/toy from her bag) I just want to swap this out with another one.
Me: Okay… (I look it over and see nothing wrong with it) What’s the problem with it?
Lady: Look at its face.
Me: Um, I don’t see anything.
Lady: It looks like Paris Hilton!
Me: ….
Lady: Look! It does look like her! I don’t like Paris Hilton!
Me: (trying not to laugh)
*Manager appears at the front
Me: This lady just wants to exchange this dragon for another one because it, um, its face looks like Paris Hilton.
Lady: (Thrusts dragon in manager’s face) See!
Manager: (Successfully managing to keep from laughing) That shouldn’t be a problem.
*Manager escorts her to the kids’ section in the back of the store to swap it out.
We had a good laugh over that later.
The best part - Its face really did look like Paris Hilton!
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