Tales from the retail world...

[So]

Originally posted by: Nevada
i used to work at staples many moons ago. there was a customer that was pretty irrate with one of my co-workers. the guy began following my co-worker around the department and then purposely rammed his shopping cart into my co-worker.

1. ...and then?
2. If you're not from NV, having a user name of Nevada is blasphemy!

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: Nevada
i used to work at staples many moons ago. there was a customer that was pretty irrate with one of my co-workers. the guy began following my co-worker around the department and then purposely rammed his shopping cart into my co-worker.

OMG... LOL

 

[kermalou]

liquor store in high school, would deliver to the neighborhood alot. one particular woman would order every day a delivery, and one day I was feeling really good, so i pick up the [hone with the normal greeting and notice its her. The first words out of my mouth into the telephone were, " SO what would our favorite alcoholic want today?"

needless to say, I wasn't fired but given the rest of the day off.

 

[Patt]

One day working at my computer store this guy who could have passed for Momar Gahdafi (might have spelled it wrong - Libyan leader) wanders in with State Patrol Glasses on. Whips them off, and starts demanding some of our account information on someone else, asking how much they have spent, and when. I said I couldn't do it without that person there, and he waves someone else in. Two thugs come in, 6'4" at least, and topping 280. One of them is talked to in a language I didn't understand, and then he says he is the person in question. I ask for ID, knowing full well this wasn't going to be him. Comic interlude of him patting himself down looking for a wallet that doesn't exist, before pleading with me. No can do. Then they tried to threaten me by crowding all in over the counter. I casually, and calmly reached for the phone, when they decided to give up. Momar whips out the biggest roll of bills I've ever seen, and whips off a $100. Asks me again. I say I'm sorry but I can't. Throws the $100 in my face and stomps out of the store with his heavies. Never saw any of them again, but after consulting the police, spent the $100 on new speakers for myself!

 

[BriGy86]

Originally posted by: MaverickBP
I remember one christmas season..electronics section was slammed with people wanting items... Now we can only do so much and everyone gets their turn..but you gotta be patient. one lady didnt seem to understand that.

it was this ladies turn and i put my key in the lock to get her a video game...and she decided to speak..."about damn time..i thought i was gonna have to get on the table and start stripping to get any attention around here.." i locked the cage back up and said that sounded like a great idea..and walked away lol. shes like "i need a game damnt"...i pointed and said walmarts right down the street..and continued with the next guest

that is great

also one of the things i was talking about... the right thing to do, but now she'll be buying from walmart and not your store

you kind of get screwed over in both cases

 

[Queasy]

Another story from when I was working at Lowe's. Had a contractor come in with one of his employees to get some wood. I'm being the eager beaver and doing everything I can to help the guy. We're loading some 4x4s on a cart and he tells me he doesn't want my help. So, I say OK and go over to the cash register to watch them with the girl at the cash register as they loaded up their truck. The contractor comes to the cashier pissed off about something and says he wants to speak to my manager. Manager comes over and the contractor starts complaining to him that I wasn't helping and was just standing here watching them and talking with the pretty girl at the cash register. I tell the manager that the contractor told me he didn't want my help. Manager asks contractor if that is true and of course the contractor says yes, pays, and leaves.

I still don't know what the hell it was that made him come up and make that stupid complaint.

 

[95SS]

Right out of HS, I worked in home improvement. It was really busy just before the 4th of July, it seemed everyone had a project to finish. I was on a forklift, taking an entire pallet of readymix concrete out, and no one else in the department would answer the phone. My spotter (required for safety in the warehouse) answered the phone on our way to the door, and all I heard him say was "Well why the fsck did you call?!?" as he slammed the phone down. It seems the tool that called asked for a price on a certain door, and my coworker had looked at his price list, and told him a price that was a couple days old. The guy on the phone comes back with "Your ad from today says it's only $XX.XX!!" And of course, the only repsonse to that is "Well why the fsck did you call?!?"

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: 95SS
Right out of HS, I worked in home improvement. It was really busy just before the 4th of July, it seemed everyone had a project to finish. I was on a forklift, taking an entire pallet of readymix concrete out, and no one else in the department would answer the phone. My spotter (required for safety in the warehouse) answered the phone on our way to the door, and all I heard him say was "Well why the fsck did you call?!?" as he slammed the phone down. It seems the tool that called asked for a price on a certain door, and my coworker had looked at his price list, and told him a price that was a couple days old. The guy on the phone comes back with "Your ad from today says it's only $XX.XX!!" And of course, the only repsonse to that is "Well why the fsck did you call?!?"

LOL good one.

 

[BriGy86]

i've often wondered what people are thinking in stories like this... like the customers

what are they thinking as they go to the bathroom in a fitting room

or demand service in the spot when they can see full well that there are 5 other people that have been there before them

 

[nsafreak]

An old classic that was posted on ATOT (didn't involve an AT member was just funny as hell) is the great Vinegar Boy story. Highly recommended reading.

 

[MaverickBP]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Nevada
i used to work at staples many moons ago. there was a customer that was pretty irrate with one of my co-workers. the guy began following my co-worker around the department and then purposely rammed his shopping cart into my co-worker.

1. ...and then?
2. If you're not from NV, having a user name of Nevada is blasphemy!

QFT!

<--vegas here

 

[VTHodge]

Here's a phone conversation I had while I was working at Target:

Me: Sporting Goods, how can I help you?
Him: Y'all gots duffle bags?
Me: Yes
Him: How much?
<go to look>
Me: He have about 8 different ones from $12 to $60.
Him: (thinks for a second) What are they like?
Me: Did you have something in mind?
Him: hmmm . . . I don't know.
Me: Maybe you should just come in and have a look.
Him: Yeah.

Was I supposed to describe all of them to him?

Also had a couple times with customers calling in asking for prices on something we didn't carry. They never want to believe you. "I know you have it! I saw it!". Do I have any reason to lie to these people?

 

[So]

Originally posted by: MaverickBP

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Nevada
i used to work at staples many moons ago. there was a customer that was pretty irrate with one of my co-workers. the guy began following my co-worker around the department and then purposely rammed his shopping cart into my co-worker.

1. ...and then?
2. If you're not from NV, having a user name of Nevada is blasphemy!

QFT!

<--vegas here

:thumbsup:
(vegas in the summer, reno for school )

 

[VTHodge]

Originally posted by: kermalou
liquor store in high school, would deliver to the neighborhood alot. one particular woman would order every day a delivery, and one day I was feeling really good, so i pick up the [hone with the normal greeting and notice its her. The first words out of my mouth into the telephone were, " SO what would our favorite alcoholic want today?"

needless to say, I wasn't fired but given the rest of the day off.

Nice one. . . I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

[labgeek]

So this one time a guy comes in and starts asking a bunch of computer geeks advice about using Quikrete for his driveway... Wait that wasn't in retail, that was here.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: akubireally? only 5% of the ppl here never worked in retail? i feel like an outcast

I must've had about 20 jobs during my teenage years and through college... (I drive around town now with my wife and I point out all the places I've worked at - it even amazes me)... anyway lots of temp positions and all that (was never around long enough because of school)... data entry, some database work, clerical... but never retail. It wasn't a conscious thing to stay away... just never really wanted to do anything like cashier, stock, sales, etc.

I never worked retail or food services either. Mostly construction, farm work, river guiding through H.S. and temp work on breaks during college. Temp work was mostly construction, maintenance & warehouse stuff.

 

[NakaNaka]

At the store my family owned, it was a coffee business. This bitch ordered one thing then said she ordered something different when we gave it to her. She started yelling at my aunt and then threw the cup of coffee at my aunt. It took my 6'2'' uncle to restrain my aunt from hopping over the counter and kicking this womans ass.

Another time and a different woman, she shoplifted an item and my uncle had to chase her down and hold her till the cops came.

 

[Nevada]

Originally posted by: So

Originally posted by: Nevada
i used to work at staples many moons ago. there was a customer that was pretty irrate with one of my co-workers. the guy began following my co-worker around the department and then purposely rammed his shopping cart into my co-worker.

1. ...and then?
2. If you're not from NV, having a user name of Nevada is blasphemy!

i wasn't working the day it happened. i heard the story from another co-worker. i believe the cops were called and the customer apologized for his behavior.

my first name is reno and that's why i have the username of nevada.

 

[IronWing]

I was working at a food stand at a park. This little kid comes up and orders a bunch of stuff for himself and his friends. I get the stuff together and he pays in old coins, silver dollars, liberty heads, buffalo nickles. So I asked the kid his name and called his mom. Little brat had of course raided his parents coin collection and decided to treat all his friends. Mom came down and paid for the stuff and hauled junior home.

 

[nakedfrog]

When I worked at the adult store, it was in the day shift, so I didn't really end up with a whole lot of stories. People used to call looking for certain regular videos, not knowing we were an adult store, and I'd respond immediately by telling them we don't have it. Some people would get uppity and say I didn't check. That was when I'd say I don't have to check, because we were an adult store.
We were immediately next door to a lingerie modelling shop. I swear half the people that came in during the day just came to ask what they did over there. I usually gave the obvious suggestion of going over there to check.
I do suspect that the guy that came in and always watched the gay porn in-store (we had the coin booths, but you could also pay to watch one of the videos in them) was taking time off work to indulge in his secret passion.

 

[austin316]

Or what about the @ssholes who bring up an item to the register and you scan it and the scanner doesn't ring up the item and they always say "I guess its free then!" The joke is not funny, especially when they are the fifth person that day to say that.

 

[labgeek]

Had one guy come in at the grocery store and pay all with silver certificates. Told him he should talk to a collector before using them, but he didn't care. I bought them from the till at face value and sold them to a coin collector friend at about double (made about $100) off that. Probably should have found out the real value but hey it was a cheap profit for me.

 

[Qwest]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
An old classic that was posted on ATOT (didn't involve an AT member was just funny as hell) is the great Vinegar Boy story. Highly recommended reading.

i'm 2 pages into it...i'm guessing the kid was trying to pass a drug test?

 

[labgeek]

Originally posted by: austin316
Or what about the @ssholes who bring up an item to the register and you scan it...

Toy store had price tags. Watched one couple change the tag on a large stuffed animal ($75 to $9.99!) and then became indignant when I refused to sell it for that. Told me "I had to... illegal..." all kinds of garbage. I pointed out the cameras and mentioned that I watched them change it, and if they didn't leave right then I was charging them with theft by fraud. Security shows up right them (I called from the back), and they decided to just leave.

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: Phoenix15

Originally posted by: DnetMHZ
When I was a teenager I worked at an Acme store and I had an old lady sh!t at my register.. literally sh!t on the floor.

I worked at a Wal Mart during college. I was walking out of the bathrooms in the back of the store when this HAAWWWWWWTTTT cashier came walking up rapidly towards the bathroom. I always flirted with her and was about to start some game when RECCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH she PUKED all over the floor and the front of the milk cooler. She had a stomach virus and the asshole manager wouldn't ler her leave. She was SO embarrased. It all worked out in the end as we got married Sept 18th last year. :thumbsup:

Awesome!!!