Why do I work in retail? Part 2

I wasn’t even supposed to be at work today, yet I still had to deal with a customer’s bullshit. So, I’m training an associate on how to fill out the daily schedule, when a customer comes to her line. No problem, she'll get this knocked-out, and we can continue training. I notice the customer is taking advantage of our Buy 2, get the 3rd for a penny DVD sale, but has two different stacks. So, the associate starts ringing the first stack up, and I see there’s one in his other pile that qualifies for the sale as well. So, I point it out to her, and she scans it in as a penny, since it's the cheapest. I then explain to the customer that it’s the lesser value one that’s the penny. So, he says, oh, then I’ll get these, and slaps down a 50 dollar bill, and I’ll pay for the others separately (wanting to get the more expensive one for a penny). I said, well, that’s actually cheating the system, and he says, well, I can put the other ones back and just take these (the first three). So, not in the mood to fight, I said, whatever, and told the associate to go ahead and let him do it this time.

Well, he presses the issue, and says no, if that’s not the case, then I won’t get these (the other stack of DVDs). I said, I’m going to give them to you this time, but want you to understand how it’s supposed work. He then says, I spend a lot of money here. I reiterate that the sign says it’s the 3rd lesser value that’s the penny, and doing it any other way is cheating the system. I guess he took that as me saying “You’re a cheater!” because he gets a little more defensive and says, are you the manager? I say, yes. He says something to the effect of, I thought you’d give better service. I thought, why, being the manager means I have to kiss your ass? Instead, I rebutle, it’s still a good deal, no matter how you look at it. He says, you said I’m cheating, blah, blah, blah, and I say, that’s not what I said. He says, you need to quit while you’re ahead, so instead of knocking bis block off, I shut up, and he finishes the transaction (only buying the original three, and a soda). So, as he's leaving, I say, thanks for your business!

I’m like, WTF, dude. Just because you don’t want to drop another 6 bucks on a DVD you thought you should get for a penny, doesn’t give you the right to be an asshole. I'm sure I was a little defensive, but I’ve always been told to treat customers as you’d want to be treated. In this case, if I’d have tried to pull a fast one, and it didn’t work, I’d understand, not proceed to make a stink about it. Boy, he sure showed me! Yeah right, he'll be back! And, the “I spend a lot of money here” card doesn’t work with me. Whether you spend 50 cents or $500, you get the same treatment. And, if you try to pull one over on me, I’ll call your bluff and stand my ground. The only reason I backpedal is if I truly believe I’m in the wrong, or my fear of getting fired. And, it's usually the thought of losing my job that dictates it. It’s a damn shame that I have such little control over my business, but that’s the way it goes in corporate America. I still maintain the philosophy that the customer is NOT always right, but you’re alright until you cross me.