Tales from the Thrift Store

[Durptastico]

The phone rings and I pick up:

SC: What's the number to your X location?

Me: This IS the X location.

SC: Oh.



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Once, I had a customer want to buy some furniture:

SC: "Do you know anybody who can deliver this to me?"

Me: "Sorry, but we don't deliver furniture, you'll have to get a truck and pick it up within 24 hours."

SC: "No, I mean do YOU know anybody who can pick it up for me?"

Yes, I'm totally going to call up someone I know and have them come deliver it for some random asshole for no incentive whatsoever. Idiot.

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A customer had just bought a bike, so I was unchaining it from the bicycle stand, and a few customers began examining the bike. I told them I was sorry but the bicycle had just been sold. They called the next day complaining that I sold the bike to someone else after they had wanted it, that I hadn't checked the price on it when I sold it (another cashier rang them up and I had indeed checked the price on the bike, in fact they watched me), and that they wanted to speak to me but I "ran to the back room and wouldn't come out."

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We had a cart full of wares that was waiting to be put away. A SC asks me how much the stuff in the cart costs. I told her there was price tags on everything. Later she complains that I didn't know the answer to a question I should've regarding mattresses, even though she never asked me anything involving mattresses.

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A ugmo comes in wanting to return a pair of jeans... she complains that it was for her daughter for halloween, and that they found a condom in the pockets and how her 10 year old daughter shouldn't be subjected to that. There was no tag attached, so I refused to do the return. She threatens to call the press on me and the store, which I respond by happily smiling and giving her my first name. As she storms out of the store I remind her that she left her receipt on the counter and hand it over to her and wish her a good night.

The jeans were mens 2x. I really want to see what her "daughter" looks like .

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One time an item rang up as 1.00 while the sign said they were 99c, due to a mistake in the system. A customer screams at me, points at me, and shouts "YOU ARE CHEATING THE CUSTOMER."

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I once found a copy of Richard Simmon's autobiography in the men's restroom. I threw it away.

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Someone brought a pair of sneakers tagged at .39 cents to the register. I already knew that pair was 24.99. As I examine them:

Me: These sneakers are 39c?

SC: Yeah, pretty cool, huh?

Me: Uh.... no.

I peel the sticker off and reveal the 24.99 original sticker under it. They don't buy the sneakers.

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"Do you guys have a restroom I can use?"

I've gotten that at least 3 times this week.

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"If it doesn't have a price tag, does that mean it's free?"

Wasn't funny the first time, isn't funny the 5000th time.

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Will post more as I remember them.... there's just so much stupid, it's hard to keep track of it all.

[Teskeria]

No, if it doesn't have a price tag it means it is $579.87 (increase if needed).

Hey Richard Simmons was perfect for one show - the one for toddlers and parents. My older daughter loved 'It's you and me Kid.' She was about 2 then

[Moosenogger]

Gotta love the idiots who change price tags and expect the cashiers to be drooling monkeys who can't see a scam coming a mile away.

[Caractacus_Potts]

No, if it doesn't have a price tag it means it is $579.87 (increase if needed).

I was buying something that wouldn't scan and I said, "So...if it doesn't scan that means it's ten thousand dollars, right?"

It took about five seconds to register with the cashier then she burst out laughing. Still, I only did that once because ANYTHING will get old after a while.

[Merriweather]

Once, I had a customer want to buy some furniture:

SC: "Do you know anybody who can deliver this to me?"

Me: "Sorry, but we don't deliver furniture, you'll have to get a truck and pick it up within 24 hours."

SC: "No, I mean do YOU know anybody who can pick it up for me?"

Yes, I'm totally going to call up someone I know and have them come deliver it for some random asshole for no incentive whatsoever. Idiot.

****

Isn't it amazing how even with the price of gas nowadays, people think nothing of expeciting free door to door delivery? I can see it on big ticket items from major stores, sure, but a thrift store? I've had people on Craigs List expect to meet me near their house across town or even in nearby towns, so they don't have to drive to my area for an item I'm selling for less than $5.

When we lived in an apartment complex, one guy had a pickup truck, and his bumper sticker read "Yes, this is my truck. No, I won't help you move". Loved that sticker

[Slayer]

Lmao, 39 cent guy couldn't have chosen a less drastic price? Geesh.

And wth with the Richard Simmons book? In the bathroom, too? O_O

Sounds like the thrift store is a cutthroat business With people that make complaining a lifestyle.

Question #2 isn't that stupid to me XD. I've done it before, but not with thrift stores. I called moving companies when we got a new fridge and the guys refused to move the old one and asked if they could do just one item. Finally got two guys that came after work and earned $100 for it. Same when we bought a 10 foot metal gazebo. Store didn't offer assembly, but one of the guys that worked there did it on the side so we got him to do it.

[Durptastico]

No, if it doesn't have a price tag it means it is $579.87 (increase if needed).

Hey Richard Simmons was perfect for one show - the one for toddlers and parents. My older daughter loved 'It's you and me Kid.' She was about 2 then

This was the book, if you want to know why I was grossed out:



I also remember one VERY incompetent former employee.... he was taking out the trash from the front, and the bag started leaking... so of course he takes the leaking bag INSIDE the store, drops it off in my dust pile (I was sweeping for him because he was very stupid and slow) and then looks at me as if to say, "What now, chief?"

I'll never forget the sheer stupidity of it.

[Durptastico]

Lmao, 39 cent guy couldn't have chosen a less drastic price? Geesh.

Yeah. Our shoes start at 3.99 so if was even going to be smart about it, he'd use one of those tags instead.

[MistressOfTangents]

Someone brought a pair of sneakers tagged at .39 cents to the register. I already knew that pair was 24.99. As I examine them:

Me: These sneakers are 39c?

SC: Yeah, pretty cool, huh?

Me: Uh.... no.

I peel the sticker off and reveal the 24.99 original sticker under it. They don't buy the sneakers.
l

I get the above when I'm working my stint in a local charity shop. I HATE that sort of thing, I hate it with the fire of thousand burning suns.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Lmao, 39 cent guy couldn't have chosen a less drastic price? Geesh.

You know, a D turns into a B so easily. You just got greedy.

[MoonCat]

I shop at a local thrift store near my house pretty often, and I can believe things like this happen there all the time! I've gotten some really good deals there, no need to try messing with the price stickers, the prices are already awesome. Besides it's for CHARITY. I hate people who try to cheat a charity.

There's a guy who will deliver stuff for you, too, for a price. He's not affiliated with the shop, officially, but they have his business card at the registers.

[Durptastico]

People who donate are almost just as bad: "people" will donate stuff like used cat litter, broken electronics, and such that's unsellable and just ends up in the trash. Porn and sex toys get donated, so wonderful and thoughtful that the thing that was inserted in your ass can be shared with the world. Additionally, they'll take little care and do stuff like put a food processor blade at the bottom of bags, which happened to me and made me have to get stiches after it sliced out of the bag into my palm.

One time some nimrods came through wanting to donate a used mattress, but I told them that we couldn't take it because it no longer had its tags on it. Their response? "I bet a democrat made that law!" As if that was somehow relevant to anything. They were condescending, too, "you guys have a nice gig going on here, just sit around and take donations every so often." Fucking asshole, I have to bust ass all over the store getting paid peanuts. Irony: I donated to a republican.

Back to the sales floor: I almost always refuse to go down on prices because of these reasons:

1) I fully know if I start doing that, people will damage merchandise to get it cheaper.
2) I know once I start doing that, people will be more eager to haggle. No.
3) You give someone an inch, they take a mile.

"But they did it at the other store!" Yes, and we're not the other store, AND the fact you're saying this is why I won't go down. I'll only go down if something is obviously overpriced (sometimes the taggers don't really know how much something is, like selling a blank CD for $4 is retarded) or you show me something else that's almost exactly the same and I'll go on the lower price.

I can usually tell when they're going to buy something even if I don't go down on it, so of course, I'm not going lower, lol.

[Slave to the Phone]

I agree that people who try to cheat thrift stores are scum. The prices are already great AND its for charity.

I once found a lamp that matched my living room wonderfully. The base would have cost at least $70 in a regular store, and the fabric shade was clean and unstained. It was $5.00. I asked if it could be plugged in with a lightbulb because I wanted to know if I needed to stop at Ace and get some guts for it. The lamp didn't work. Fine, a great base and shade for $5.00 and guts for less than $10.00. I was happy. The person who helped me test it got a worried look on his face and said that he could take 2 dollars off, but that was all. It was like he expected me to go all crazy on him. I didn't understand until I started reading thrift store stories here.

I paid the 5 bucks.

[PepperElf]

How about... "If there's no price tag then it's mine and you can't buy it."

[Durptastico]

Another thing that I love is that customers don't actually check to see if the CD or DVD is inside the case.... theft is a problem, and I don't get what kind of idiot doesn't actually look at the merchandise they buy from a THRIFT store and then get shocked when there is no DVD inside the case.

Same goes for shoes and purses.... its like they impulse buy then want a return on something that isn't returnable because they didn't take 2 seconds to see if the zipper didn't work or whatever. So stupid. Stupid stupid stupid.

I remember one customer was SHOCKED that theft goes on in a thrift store. Like, they thought I was joking. Such a person must life a very sheltered life here in suburbia.

Also, there are two rare customers we have that come in very infrequently:

Cane lady: She has a cane, but doesn't use it. Her claim to fame is almost always coming in 5-10 minutes before closing, disregarding all store announcements and direct confrontation, and continue shopping. Me, being anti-retard, figured out that she'd respond to "register is closing in 30 seconds" on the intercom which of course was the only thing to get her to stop shopping 20 minutes after close.

She hates me because I make the store closing announcement every 5 minutes while she's in the store LOL.

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Ned Flanders: This guy seriously looks like ned flanders, and his mannerisms are beyond hilarious. While not an SC, his over-the-top friendliness is kind of off-putting. He'll say thank you to ANYONE, even the donation attendant vacuuming the front lobby while he leaves. He came in one night right when the doors lock to search for N-Sync CDs (LOL). I let him in because he's nice and I wanted to troll my coworkers :P.