Customers from Hell

What follows is not a dramatized and exaggerated story. It is told as closely as possible to what truly occurred, no matter how it makes either party look. It is to a large extent a tirade that I just need to get off of my chest. If you skip the following story (I actually advise it), the moral is don't be a jerk.

Working retail has its shares of ups and downs. I have become used to disgruntled, unhappy, and just rude people. I usually can shake off what they dish out by realizing that they are just rude idiots. I couldn't shake off the following interaction that left me crying in a store full of customers. Talk about awkward - what do you say to the cashier who is crying when you ask for a couple of copies. It was amazing how many people were gracious and how many just wouldn't make eye contact.

A customer walked in the store with his packages. I greeted him and told him that I hadn't seen him in the store lately. He shared that he hadn't been in for a couple of months, because he recently had hip replacement (the guy is college age). I asked him if his packages were going to Canada (as he had shipped multiple packages there in the past). He replied no and commented that I had a good memory. The interaction was going well.

I began by asking if the packages were going to a business or a residence. He replied a home business. I then said, OK, I will plug in the address and see what UPS determines the address to be. The customer then asked what the best way to ship two packages to one location would be. I looked at the packages and asked if they could be combined into the box he currently had. He replied no. I said then we could sell you a box that is bigger. I measured the box, and as I said the measurements he told me that the box would have to be bigger than the current box. I told him that the box would be $8.25. He said, "And that would be the shipping charge?". I replied that that was just the boxing charge. He made a comment to the extent that that was ridiculous. He then asked about the shipping charge. I replied it would be $36 (I can't remember the exact numbers). He then complained that that was different than what the internet said it would be. We then began to talk about what shipping estimate form he used (as Ebay is legendary for being way off), and he replied that he used the UPS website. I explained to him that it could be because he didn't measure properly or didn't have the correct weight.

At some point in the conversation, another customer had walked in the store with something to be packaged and sent. I had her begin filling out her paperwork while I continued to work with the current customer. The customer asked how much his other package would cost. After measuring the box, I told him it would be $12. He said that wasn't the price he was quoted on the internet. At this point he asked if we had the internet and if we could check the UPS rates. I told him we did and plugged in all of the numbers. The internet price came up as two dollars less. He asked if I was going to give him that price. I said I was unable to give him that price because I couldn't give him any other price then what was in our system.

He then asked why I put in the estimate that the package was 4 pounds when it was 3.85. I explained to him that UPS always rounds up to the next pound. He told me that what I was doing was illegal because I wasn't giving him the advertised price. The women in the store pipes up that it is illegal. I explain to the customer that UPS and the UPS Store are not the same company, and that although, the prices ought to be the same, I could do nothing about the prices that were advertised by another company. He was not happy with that explanation. The women in the store says that she is Bonnie's (my boss) friend and that my boss is nice (my inference - you (employee who won't give this price) then are a *itch). He then asks about the postal rate. She follows up his comment with, "Yes, you should give him that price." I told the man that it was $15 to go through USPS. She then follows that quickly up with, "If I was you, I would be calling Bonnie." She might have included a young lady in her address.

I explained to them that Bonnie was on vacation but I would give her a call. I explain to Bonnie that a customer was in the store and was complaining about the discrepancy between the prices. She explained to me that she could not charge anything other than the computer (what I had already explained to the customer). I asked her if she would explain this to him. I thanked Bonnie when I got the phone back and figured the problem was handled. He looked at me and said, "I just don't understand why the prices are different."


A little taken aback because Bonnie had just explained, I said, "As I was saying before ..." only to be interrupted by the lady in the store saying I was being sarcastic. I told her I was not being sarcastic. (Brief side point: In all honesty, I wasn't being sarcastic. For those who know me, I know I can be sarcastic, but I know its time and place in retail (pretty much never). I may have been condescending while having to explain the same thing for the third time, but that is not the same as sarcasm.)

So, after a few more minutes and Bonnie calling to ask if everything is okay (I couldn't answer since he was still there), the end result is the customer didn't want to spend that much, so he left. After looking up the other customer's number to ensure that we had the address in the computer, I headed towards the packaging area, she told me that she wanted change once I got a chance and she still had a card to put in the package. I began wrapping everything in bubble wrap, since everything (with the exception of two bags of candy) was breakable, and then measured for the correct box size once I had added on for peanuts. The box was big, I brought the box to the front and she commented in a skeptical voice, "That it was an awfully big box." I explained to her that since everything was breakable, I had to bubble wrap and peanut everything. She snottily replied, "Candy is not breakable, and I still need change."

Taking it in stride, I said, "You are correct, the candy wasn't breakable, so I put it in the candy packages in the candy dish to save on space." I then gave her two tens, so she could put those in the card for her granddaughters (My justification: if you had told me earlier that we were waiting for the change to put in the card, I would have done it right away, I can't read your mind, and my job is not to give you change because you don't have two tens for your granddaughters). Bonnie calls again, I tell her I am still unable to talk.

I then gave her the price for the shipping and boxing. "That costs more than the present."

I replied, "Unfortunately, that often ends up being the case." I saved the estimate for the shipping charges and began to ring up her charges. She interrupts me and asks that we make sure the address is correct. I go into the other part of the computer system and re-look up the address and ensure her that it is the correct address (Note: why wouldn't you have me check last time I looked up the address for you???)

She looks at me and tells me that I need to be more patient. I explained to her that I was sorry, that no one had ever complained about me being impatient with them. She continues to tell me that she wouldn't tell me this, except there are no other customers in the store (I guess calling me out on doing something illegal and sarcastic is okay). I continue to ring her up as she continues to talk; at my wit's end of her berating my service and character, I begin to cry (if you are reading this, you know how often people see me cry). As I hand back the change, she says, "I didn't mean to make you cry."

In a matter of what voice I reply, "Well, it is too late now."

"There you go again with that sharp tongue." Another customer enters the store. Now, (probably feeling guilty that I am crying now with an additional customer in the store), she takes my left wrist with her right hand, and uses her left hand to pat my left hand and starts saying things to try and comfort me. She is acting all grandmotherly by patting my hand, but at the same time, she is holding on to me and basically telling me (with her body language), "You will listen to me."

Another customer comes in. The customer from hell leaves. While handling the next customer, yet another customer comes in. Bonnie calls again, she asks if I am okay, I say no, and she hears the distress in my voice. So there are three people in the store and the thing I find so amazing is how different personalities react to seeing someone cry. As alluded to before, one women wouldn't even look me in the face, another one asks if I was okay, the other just looks bewildered, like what do you do when the cashier is crying. Eventually everyone is out of the store, and I take a minute to compose myself. I look behind me and there is a mound of packages around me that I need to finish (when we get busy in the store, we estimate the shipping charges on every package and then go back and actually ship the packages as soon as there is time).

After a few minutes of no one in the store, the back door opens and Bob walks in the store. I sounded so bad on the phone, Bonnie called her husband to come for moral support. I briefly explain the situation, and he begins to tape packages and do anything he can to help me out. The flow of customers continues to come, he just looks at me amazed and asks, "Where are all these people coming from?"

After a little while, Bob sees that I am all caught up and looks at me, tells me to keep on doing a good job (since the customer from hell left, one customer had come in gushed to Bob about how helpful I was), and he heads out. I leave twenty minutes after we close, I head to coffee with my sister and Dave. I am so keyed up, I can't even talk about how stressful and frustrating the situation was until two hours into coffee, and then only in wide, sweeping generalizations.

I go home only to remain with my stomach churning for the next 4 and 1/2 hours keeping me up till 2:30, which makes me even more annoyed since I know I have to open the store tomorrow morning

If you read this whole thing, Wow! Thanks for listening to my tirade and sorry for the poor writing. You should really get back to work now.