Retail Balls: Crazy Fabric Store Lady Gets Told In a Clever Way

Swatchbuckler gets a Retail Balls Award for how she repsonded to a mean, ungrateful hag custy:

Swatchbuckler here.

Sorry I have been away but I quit smoking and everyone's stories made me want to smoke...alot.

But, I'm back with a tale of an old lady who decided to act like a toddler. We know this woman, she comes in every summer to buy fabric for her never ending supply of ponchos. She's hard to deal with and doesn't smell so nice but she usually isn't horrible and I even let her use my AAA account when she had a flat tire in our parking lot last year. Although my business partner hates dealing with her because she is a blatant racist.

She came in today near closing looking for the same fabric she does every year. She looks at the fabric and yells at me because she forgot her hearing aids and she can't hear me.

Fine.

I yell to communicate with her.

Everything I show her she says "I hate this." "This is ugly, why do you have such ugly things?" and she got into a huff when I showered her a pretty rayon fabric and went on to argue with me that you can't wash it. (Yes, you can.)

She then passes gas and stinks me out so I leave her to her choices and she decides on one fabric.

There is just about 2 yards on the roll and I give it to her for 1 1/2 and the total came to $7.50. She pulls out a card and I explain to her that we only take debit over $10. (There are signs allover the store saying this.)

Saying this was apparently akin to kicking puppies and skinning hamsters.

She got angry.

I explained to her that the credit processing company charges us exponentially for low charges and sometimes we lose money.

She screams "They don't do that! You're lying!"

Yeah, I'm totally in the business of not selling fabric.

She then asks if we take checks and at the same time I noticed with her wallet open that she has a $5 bill and I said "I'll take that for the $7.50." Meaning she gets a great effing deal.

She then says to us "That's for a bill! I only live on $800 a month! I can't use that cash! I won't have lights!"

I'm like alright we will take a check. She then went into a tirade about how if she had known she would have brought a check and that our business had gone down hill since last year and that's why we are empty. (It was almost close.) She was the one that asked if we take checks. She then continues to go off on how this was a waste of time and actually STOMPS HER FEET and storms out. 

After she leaves, we leave and on the way she continues her tirade saying that we sell shit and that we are terrible people I mention to her, "Remember last year when I used my AAA to help you get a new tire? Well the company that came actually charged me a fee which I paid so you have no right to talk to us this way."

She then huffed and screamed "No, they didn't!" and I said yes they did and that she has a terrible way of showing appreciation for someone who helped her out.

I think I got her. She screamed I was a rude person and got in her car and sped off. 

You know if she didn't flip the fuck out I would have said, "Take it and pay us next time." like what we do in most situations like this.

Odd thing is people always pay us back.

Anyway that is my tale of woe for the day.

Stay strong Slaves.

Hugs and Hard Liquor,

--Swatchbuckler

 

Comments

[The Last Archimedean]

Hopefully she doesn't come back.

[candieaddict]

I think with this lady it's time to stop being nice, and offering her stuff at a lower value. That's what I got from the 5 for 7.50 part.

She clearly doesn't want the nice, so why bother at this point? If she can't afford to be nice, then don't bother. Charge her what she deserves, and go on with your business.

[Skittles]

Wow that lasy is nuts, pure and simple. Good on you for giving up smoking, it's hard as hell I've yet to give it up myself.

[Skittles]

Wow that lady is nuts, pure and simple. Good on you for giving up smoking, it's hard as hell I've yet to give it up myself.

[The Last Archimedean]

I don't smoke, but I like the vices I do have.

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." -- George Burns

[Or maybe it was Henny Youngman. I'm not quite sure.]

Anyway, congrats on quitting smoking, and as for the old lady, good riddance to bad rubbish.

[Chicajojobe]

Yeah, I'd say you were way too nice to her!

Next time just tell her you can't take cards unless the purchase is at least $10, and take the retail version of "rules are rules" and suggest she might like to get something else so her total will be 10, and if she says no then "Well I'm sorry but there isn't much else I can do for you unless you have another form of payment"