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Good evening to all! I have visited Customerssuck for years, but I finally decided to try a post of my own - please be kind. 
A little background: I have finally escaped the purgatory of retail and am in a corporate job (yay!), but I used to work in a large bookstore chain whose favorite color is blue. Most of my posts will come from there, as does this one.
It was the holidays (why is the general public such a putz at the holidays, anyway? peace and goodwill my foot), and of course, we were extremely busy. I was the general manager, but I was, shall we say, younger than most managers are expected to be. I still got carded for R movies at times. We were the only large bookstore in town, our green-color-schemed competition being about an hour and half away. I was on the floor, helping a little boy (probably about 8) pick a book for his mother. He was really excited since it was the first time Daddy had let him pick out his very own gift without help (Dad actually gets good parent points: he stayed next to the kid until I was helping, and then just went over to the next aisle). The problem was, he didn't know what kind of books Mommy liked. We had narrowed it down to Harlequin romances (red cover on the books and the similarity of pictures), and he was trying to decide which one when the SC showed up.
Me - Hi
SC - Self-explanatory - older gentleman who should have better manners
SC: Hi, I need some help please.
Me: If you give me just one second, I'm with a customer, but we're almost done. You can also go up to the front desk; there are employees there who might be able to help.
I turned back to the little boy. About three minutes later...
SC: I need some help NOW.
Me: Hoping he just wants to know where the bathroom is, ignoring the three foot tall sign. If you want, I can point you in the right direction and then come find you when I'm done with this customer. We're just about done.
Now, this eight year old is looking a little nervous. I know he's only a kid, but I was trying to set an example that everyone is important. I've tried the "I can point you in the right direction and then come find you" bit, and it normally worked.
SC: You're going to help me right NOW.
He actually reached out and grabbed the strap of my apron.
This made me a bit angry. 
It should be noted that I had studied martial arts and grappling for about five years at that point. Also, I really, really don't like it when kids look scared, so this guy had a lot points against him, plus, by all technicalities, he just assaulted me. I looked at his hand and then back at his face, and a perfect line from a book came to me.
Me: Sir, you will remove your hand from me, or I will remove your hand from you.
I think I shocked him. He did let go, so I gave him my best "I will eat your soul" glare and said:
Me: You need to leave my store right now, and you will not come back.
SC: You can't tell me what to do
Me: I really hate the word "can't", by the way. Well, actually, yes, the shiny gold name tag says I have all rights to refuse you service and ban you from this store, and I am invoking it now. Also, if you are not gone immediately, I will call the police and have you arrested for assault. Good-bye.
He left quickly, and the boy's dad came around the aisle. He had apparently been on his way over when the altercation took place (very quickly), but he did give us his contact information in case the SC called corporate to complain. And they bought the book.
Best part? The guy never called to complain, and he never came back.
A little background: I have finally escaped the purgatory of retail and am in a corporate job (yay!), but I used to work in a large bookstore chain whose favorite color is blue. Most of my posts will come from there, as does this one.It was the holidays (why is the general public such a putz at the holidays, anyway? peace and goodwill my foot), and of course, we were extremely busy. I was the general manager, but I was, shall we say, younger than most managers are expected to be. I still got carded for R movies at times. We were the only large bookstore in town, our green-color-schemed competition being about an hour and half away. I was on the floor, helping a little boy (probably about 8) pick a book for his mother. He was really excited since it was the first time Daddy had let him pick out his very own gift without help (Dad actually gets good parent points: he stayed next to the kid until I was helping, and then just went over to the next aisle). The problem was, he didn't know what kind of books Mommy liked. We had narrowed it down to Harlequin romances (red cover on the books and the similarity of pictures), and he was trying to decide which one when the SC showed up.
Me - Hi
SC - Self-explanatory - older gentleman who should have better manners
SC: Hi, I need some help please.
Me: If you give me just one second, I'm with a customer, but we're almost done. You can also go up to the front desk; there are employees there who might be able to help.
I turned back to the little boy. About three minutes later...
SC: I need some help NOW.
Me: Hoping he just wants to know where the bathroom is, ignoring the three foot tall sign. If you want, I can point you in the right direction and then come find you when I'm done with this customer. We're just about done.
Now, this eight year old is looking a little nervous. I know he's only a kid, but I was trying to set an example that everyone is important. I've tried the "I can point you in the right direction and then come find you" bit, and it normally worked.
SC: You're going to help me right NOW.
He actually reached out and grabbed the strap of my apron.
This made me a bit angry. It should be noted that I had studied martial arts and grappling for about five years at that point. Also, I really, really don't like it when kids look scared, so this guy had a lot points against him, plus, by all technicalities, he just assaulted me. I looked at his hand and then back at his face, and a perfect line from a book came to me.Me: Sir, you will remove your hand from me, or I will remove your hand from you.
I think I shocked him. He did let go, so I gave him my best "I will eat your soul" glare and said:
Me: You need to leave my store right now, and you will not come back.
SC: You can't tell me what to do
Me: I really hate the word "can't", by the way. Well, actually, yes, the shiny gold name tag says I have all rights to refuse you service and ban you from this store, and I am invoking it now. Also, if you are not gone immediately, I will call the police and have you arrested for assault. Good-bye.
He left quickly, and the boy's dad came around the aisle. He had apparently been on his way over when the altercation took place (very quickly), but he did give us his contact information in case the SC called corporate to complain. And they bought the book.
Best part? The guy never called to complain, and he never came back.
I think you did a very good thing 
!
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