From unklethan, Tales From Retail:

I have multiple journals of crazy stories from the used book store I've worked at for a few years now. We'll call this story "Broken Bookends".

Enter customer. Browses for a while, looks through various sections and at all the displays. Decides he wants the large 4-vol set that is prominently displayed on top of a ~6ft bookcase, bookended by two beautifully carved marble horse heads.

Customer reaches up for the set.

Me: "Do you need any help there?"

C: "No, I'm alright."

Customer grabs all 4 of the 300-page volumes at once, on tiptoe because they are above his head, a step stool about three feet from him. This knocks the marble horses over, and they tumble once to his head and shoulder, once more to be smashed on the concrete floor below.

Me: "Oh my gosh, are you okay?!"

C: "Yeah, I'm fine." Looks at broken marble bookends looks at me walks up to the register

Me, thinking: I'm glad he's okay. He's gonna offer to pay for the bookends. I'll say something about how glad I am he's okay, and I'll just let it go. Accidents happen.

C: looks at bookends still smashed on floor, looks at set of books (used books for used prices), looks at me "Can I get a discount on these books?"

Me: looks at bookends still smashed on floor, looks at set of books, looks at C "No...no you can't."

--unklethan