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Definitely drunk, possibly crazy?

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  • Definitely drunk, possibly crazy?

    This is a long one!

    I work in a chain liquor store where we have, of course, our "regulars". Well, we have one guy that comes in -- let's just call him "Absolut guy". He comes in about every day and buys a half gallon of Absolut Vodka. For those of you who don't know what that is... it's the big bottle of 80 proof alcohol.. yikes!

    We've had trouble with him before coming in multiple times a day on different shift periods. It's gotten to the point where we have to write down when he comes in so we can make sure not to sell to him again. He's even tried to come in after buying two bottles earlier in the day. Of course, we always refuse him.

    Well, this past Thursday he left his credit card at the store. My cashier went ahead and put it to the side (of course labeled "absolut guy"). Friday he didn't come in. Saturday morning I'm working and around noon (exactly at noon), he comes in to buy his bottle not even remembering he left his card a few days earlier. I ask him his name to "verify" that it is indeed him (I don't really have to, we have to check his card to type in the last four anyway.. I already know his name). I give him his card and he begins praising me on how sweet I am and that he can't believe there are nice people in the world who would give him his card back. Yadda ya; I'm trying to get him to leave as nicely as possible because he smells REALLY bad. He pays with the card I gave him and leaves.

    Sunday was my one day off, I get a call from my other cashier saying that the guy is back in asking about his card. I tell her that I gave it to him Saturday.. he tells her that he didn't come in Saturday. Whatt?? Okay, he buys his booze on a different card and leaves.

    Monday morning he comes in AGAIN asking for his card: "I was told that you had my card... I was inquiring about it to see if you found it?" I tell him politely "No sir, you left your card last Thursday and I gave it to you on Saturday." He tells me that I didn't give him his card back, because it would be in his pocket. I pull up his receipt and tell him that I will call the manager next door to verify it on camera. He says okay, and walks next door. Of course, the manager can see clear as day where I give him his card back and he pays with it. The guy never says anything to the manager or asks about his "lost" card there.

    Not even 5 minutes later he walks in AGAIN and proceeds to start the same exact conversation again that we had earlier: "I was told that you had my card.." I once again told him that I gave it to him Saturday. He says no, you must have given it to someone else. He proceeds to take his cards out of his pocket and says it would be in his pocket if I had given it back to him. I explain to him that it's possible it may have dropped out of his pocket and that maybe he should just cancel it. He says "Oh, I know you wouldn't have done anything malicious with it, you're an angel.. you wouldn't do that. I just wanted to make sure you didn't give it to someone else" I once again say "No, sir. We looked it up on camera and it was definitely you". For clarification, he wears the same clothes everyday. He finally leaves mumbling about finding his card.

    Next day.. (today) he comes in AGAIN and starts the same exact conversation. No booze this time (maybe he forgot to buy it )

    I'm clear of out ideas on what to do with his guy! Do I just keep telling him the same thing over and over hoping it'll somehow kick in? I'm not too sure if this is due to his alcoholism or if he has other issues. Me and another co-worker were discussing that maybe he comes in multiple times a day is because he FORGETS that he bought the bottle already (he always puts it in his trunk) and I've heard from the grocery store that he'll come in and buy the same items over and over throughout the day.

    So, any suggestions?

  • #2
    Sounds like he has a memory problem...maybe from a stroke.

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    • #3
      Poor sot. And poor you for having to deal with him!

      Maybe you can show him the tape?
      "Ignorance is no excuse for a law."
      .................................................. ..................- Alfred E. Newman

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      • #4
        "Sir, you're drunk. Go away, sober up, and then come and talk about your card. Until then, get out and don't come back."

        I seriously love being able to do this and it's all perfectly legal.

        Comment


        • #5
          Quoth dakhur View Post
          "Sir, you're drunk. Go away, sober up, and then come and talk about your card. Until then, get out and don't come back."

          I seriously love being able to do this and it's all perfectly legal.
          Unfortunately, the company I work for doesn't allow us to "accuse" a customer of being intoxicated. We can only say that we cannot sell any alcohol at this time. (not saying I haven't said it before... they get pretty testy when you refuse their booze).

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          • #6
            But if they're intoxicated are you required to NOT sell liquor, or is that a company policy?
            Frankly if they're THAT SHITFACED on a regular basis, I might call the cops. Especially if they're driving.
            I'd had to do that a few times on my gas station days. I don't take to that behavior lightly. (this is why I'd never work in a bar)
            In my heart, in my soul, I'm a woman for rock & roll.
            She's as fast as slugs on barbituates.

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            • #7
              Reminds me of a customer that I used to have. He would come in fairly regularly, usually buy a big bottle of cider. He didn't appear actually intoxicated for some while, then one day he came to my till and I thought "Hmmmm...." I wasn't totally sure - he wasn't roaring or staggering, but very much vaguer than usual.
              After he had gone, I asked R (the supervisor) to confirm the company's policy in selling booze to the already drunk. He knew who I meant, and told me that this guy had actually been banned from the store on a previous occasion, but he had mental health issues - he was a resident at a local sheltered home - so he probably didn't even remember the ban.
              The sad ending to all this is that a couple of years ago he went missing from the home... as far as I know he has never been found.
              Engaged to the sweet Mytical He is my Black Dragon (and yes, a good one) strong, protective, the guardian. I am his Silver Dragon, always by his side, shining for him, cherishing him.

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              • #8
                My guess is that yes, he's lost a section of his memory-storing ability.

                Of course, to be certain I would have to (a) be a psychiatrist, and (b) examine him. And I'm not a psych.

                But it does happen - and it's not just Alzheimers that causes memory issues. I suspect he remembers just enough of the incident of you giving back his card to remember that there's something significant about you, the shop, and his card. But not what.

                As for how to deal with it? One method is simple patience. Depending on exactly what's wrong, it's possible for enough repetition to get it to actually be remembered.
                Another is to grab him and help him actually cancel the card with his bank while he's with you - once the bank has reissued his card and he actually has a <whatever> card, he may well forget the whole incident entirely.

                ...

                A third is to report him to whatever agency is responsible for handling adults who can't take care of themselves anymore, in your city. And hopefully they'll put him in a sheltered home or some other supported service; so he can get decent meals and clean clothes and basic medical care.
                Oh, and a real psychiatrist who can check whether he has a memory defect.
                Seshat's self-help guide:
                1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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                • #9
                  "Groundhog Day". :-)
                  "All I've ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who out-drew ya"

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth Sheldonrs View Post
                    "Groundhog Day". :-)
                    Hmm... he left his credit card there on Groundhog Day, and although he didn't come back and start his repeating behavior until a few days later, you might be onto something.

                    But in all seriousness, I do feel bad for him. He's obviously got a drinking problem and should seek help. If he's drinking at least half a gallon of Vodka per day, that doesn't only cause memory issues, his life is at risk.
                    Fiancee: We're going to need to do laundry. I'm out of clean pants.
                    Me: Sounds like a job for Gravekeeper!
                    Fiancee: What?!
                    Me: Nevermind.

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                    • #11
                      Given what was said earlier about his buying the same items at the grocery over and over, I'd bet that he either has a trunk - or liquor cabinet - full of Absolut bottles, most of which are either still sealed or have had exactly one drink taken out of them.
                      "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                      "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                      "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                      "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                      "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                      "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                      Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                      "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Just an update:

                        Thanks for the tips!

                        He came back in today and didn't mention anything about his card. In fact, he paid for his alcohol WITH his card and was talking to me like normal (still impossibly smelly). I've actually called the cops on his once before (and got in trouble for it too ) when he tried to come back the third time and almost crashed two cars in the parking lot when we refused him. I'm not too sure what came out of that situation, but he didn't come back for almost 3 months. All I know is that I'm glad he's stopped asking (for now). It was a very odd situation to be in.

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                        • #13
                          Quoth Aethian View Post
                          Sounds like he has a memory problem...maybe from a stroke.
                          Probably from drinking so much.
                          If anyone breaks the three pint rule, they'll be running all night to the pisser and back.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            As CS.com's resident drunk, and as someone who deals with drunks on all levels on a daily basis, from the average Joe Sixpack to the Tourist Who's Not Used to Drinking This Much to the fullblown alcoholic to the Fall Down Drunk, I am theorizing that this issue, while it may have been caused by excessive alcohol intake and alcoholism, is not itself necessarily a sign that he is drunk when he comes in. I have no doubt that he often is, but it sounds like he has significant memory issues, even more than most drunks. I myself have blacked out certain time periods, certain nights, certain events, as have many people on this hard-drinking island, but not to this level or with this much repetition.

                            So while he is probably drunk, I would say there is a bigger issue at work here. One that may well have been caused by alcohol, but not one that is just about him being drunk anymore.

                            Quoth Seshat View Post
                            As for how to deal with it? One method is simple patience.
                            I also advocate patience, not just because this guy is probably suffering from memory issues, but because, by your accounts, he's been very pleasant about it each time (even if his body odor has been less so).

                            I once had to deal with someone with a memory issue, though only for a night, and it had nothing to do with alcohol. My friend and dorm mate at college crashed his bike or got hit by car on his bike (don't remember all the details, just that it was a bike accident of some sort) and came back to the dorms a bit bloody and somewhat discombobulated. Being not only a nice guy, but also one of the few residents with a car at the time, I drove Dave to the hospital. And had the same conversation with him for HOURS. Including his occasional insight into his situation. "Jester, I think I may be having short term memory loss." "Yep, Dave, I think you are." This exchange, and many others, repeated over and over, on a seeming endless loop. But I stayed patient (as aggravating as it was) and remained calm, so as not to freak Dave out anymore than he already was by being in the hospital and not remembering anything. And lucky me, I got to be the person who called his parents back wherever he was from and apprise them of the situation.

                            But yeah, be patient. This guy is suffering with his situation all day, whereas you only have to deal with him a few minutes each week. Remember that. Even if he can't.
                            Last edited by Jester; 02-09-2012, 04:46 AM.

                            "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
                            Still A Customer."

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                            • #15
                              Quoth Jester View Post
                              And had the same conversation with him for HOURS. Including his occasional insight into his situation. "Miles, I think I may be having short term memory loss." "Yep, Simon, I think you are." .
                              Fixed that for you... Seriously, this sounds exactly like what happened to Illyan when his memory chip glitched.

                              Oh, and http://www.myspace.com/video/ultima/...orform/5564828
                              Last edited by Shalom; 02-09-2012, 05:56 AM.

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