From kmclaire-chan, TalesFromRetail

My tale took place just five hours ago, while I was counting down the minutes until lunch. A customer had asked me for help with a tv console, so I grabbed a coworker and we loaded it up onto a flatbed.

While we were working with the furniture piece, another customer came up to me with a question.

Customer: Excuse me, could you tell me the price of this item?

Now, the item she was holding was a fake autumn-themed plant. Another customer came up to me earlier in the day with the same question for the same item, so I knew the price.

Me: Oh, that item is $39.99.

Customer: Okay, thank you.

She then walked away, and I thought that was that. That is, until around twenty minutes later, when another coworker pulled me aside.

Coworker: Hey, what did you tell a customer who asked you for a price while you were loading a piece of furniture?

Me: I told her it was $39.99. I knew that because a customer asked me about the exact same item earlier.

Coworker: Okay. I only ask because [other manager] gave her a 10% discount on her transaction because she claimed that you said, "We're too busy to help you."

WHAT. First of all, I would never say that to a customer. Ever. Second, I very clearly told her the price while loading a piece of furniture, and she acknowledged my doing so.

I made a beeline for the manager's office at this, where the other manager was filling out paperwork.

Manager: Oh, kmclaire-chan, have a seat.

Me: Okay, I didn't tell that customer that we were "too busy to help her," I told her that the item in question was $39.99.

Manager: Yeah, I knew that wasn't something you would say. I just felt like that lady had some problems - she said she gets bad service every time she comes in here and that you guys scared her dog with the flatbed.

In other words, she knowingly gave a discount to a lying customer because she "had problems." And they wonder why our customers think they can walk all over us?

--kmclaire-chan