From  electriceellie, Tales From Retail:

My boss was shadowing me at the register on my first day, and things were going okay but I was pretty nervous with her watching over my shoulder. Midway through my shift a customer comes up and recognises me from my previous job. I can’t remember her for the life of me, so I have no idea if our previous interaction(s) had been good, bad, or unmemorable. Lucky me, though, because she launches into a whole speech about how amazing I am! Right in front of my boss! I wanted to reach across the counter and hug her, she completely made my day /and/ gave my new boss an incredible first impression of me. She’s a regular now, calls me “hun” and is always so kind. She’ll forever be my favourite customer.

-- electriceellie

From  apawneecitizen, Tales From Retail:

Background: I'm new to retail and I like the clothing store that I work at and I've got great managers. I've thankfully not had too many difficult customers. The other day I did, however, have a very difficult grandma. Also sorry if I have poor formatting, I don't post often.

I do the whole welcome spiel. She immediately asks for two gift receipts, I say sure. Customer asks me to tell her the prices of each the items as I scan them (annoying request because I have to scan the item twice to check the price and then again if she wants it). Still, I happily oblige and begin scanning. She asks me if we had any coupons. I launch into the store credit card spiel but cuts me off immediately saying she didn't want a credit card. I tell not a problem we have a coupon if you text a particular number. She asks me about five times how she would have to do it. She then asks if she would get other texts. I tell her she would get other texts but she could reply stop at any time (I don't care if she uses it or not and am simply answering her questions but she is acting like I'm twisting her arm). She eventually says she doesn't want one and I'm relieved. During all of this, I'm telling her the prices of the items. She also asks the size of each item even though she picked them out and she wants me to tell her the original price so that she knows the sale came off. I'm still trying to be upbeat but she is testing me. She also makes me create three separate bags for different kids. Not a problem except she asks me to do it five different times even though I had been placing the clothes in appropriate piles. I'm usually quite fast but her many requests are making the transaction go by slowly.

She reminds me again that she wants two gift receipts.

After forever, I'm done scanning everything I ask if she's paying cash or card which she considers for a full two minutes. She then asks if she can pay with a check which I forgot to ask because over three months working at my store, two people have paid with a check. I say sure and ask for her license. I'm trying to enter the details of her check while shes bombarding me with questions about our return policy and I finally process it all.

I ask her if she wants a printed, e-receipt, or both. She says "printed and also-" "Two gift receipts, got it". I gave her receipts, her three bags and wished her good day. It took all my willpower not to explode, bless those who have to deal with these types of customers regularly.

-- apawneecitizen

 SaekDasu, Tales From Retail:

I just recently started in retail and your not-so-average grocery store and after being hired to stock shelves, I got claimed by the E-Commerce department because they liked me. I have no qualms with this at all as this department is considered one of the easiest in the store, but it isn't at all during the day. Anyways, this tale happened a week ago and has since blown over.

So here I am, walking back from my break along front-end to go back to our department.

notices lady looking nervous heading to me

Me: Hi how are you today ma'am?

C: I'm good, I'm okay. where are the phone chargers in a rushed voice

Me: we actually have a display that you walked right past back towards the self-checkout! I can show you if you need help!

C: that's okay I'm good!

It was then that C ran off into the baby aisle completely ignoring the phone charger display a few feet away. Now as this is going on I just think of it as odd and move on with my day.

Next thing I know, 3 policed officers are walking in, 1 being a buddy of mine. So i flag him down and ask him whats up.

Me: Hey Joe! what brings you here?

J: oh you know just the usual. following shoplifters from store to store.

Me: What?

J: yeah, apparently a lady just decided to take what she wanted from the hobby store and then she came up here so we are going to do a sweep of the store.

Me: well good luck man. I don't know what she would have wanted from hobby store though!

J: me neither but oh well.

Anyways, next thing I know as I get ready to work on some orders, I see the crazy phone charger lady in handcuffs on the floor in the freezer section. all in all, she stole around $300 of stuff from a hobby store, had thrown it in the back of her beat up truck, and then tried to hide in our store to evade police.

I still question today why she asked about the phone chargers though...

-- SaekDasu

From  SEND_ME_YOUR_CAULK, Tales From Retail:

This was my first job working at a failing retail chain in the mall. I had worked probably 2 weeks when this happened.

Every once in a blue moon I have to go through and scan 50 items and the sticker on the shelf to check pricing and all that jazz. I was told by one of the three managers that I need to handwrite the tags to correct the wrong ones.

As it turns out the handwritten tags I was making were no longer valid because the promotional event they were for was over. Naturally I went to my manager to ask, we'll call him "K". K has no idea what tags I'm supposed to use, so he takes me to the general manager who we know as "T". K, T and I were all standing around the computer looking at the pamphlet from corporate telling us what goes where and all that. K asks what signs are supposed to be used and T goes to the handwritten portion and can't find the tags. J have no clue what the hell is going on so I'm just observing at this point. K gets mad at T and so they start bickering and the third manager "D" sticks her nose in and starts yelling at them for something else.

Soon enough the three of them are arguing about the tags and T is pointing at his screen yelling "LOOK AT THE PICTURE D. DO YOU SEE THOSE SIGNS?"

This went on for about 10 minutes with me stuck at in the room being uncomfortable as hell.

After it dissipated they all wandered off and to this day I still haven't finished that task.

-- SEND_ME_YOUR_CAULK

From  l_om_, Tales From Retail:

 I work for a well known jewellery brand. I'm only new to this thread and over my 3 years in retail I have so many ridiculous customer stories.

My first horrible customer experience went like this, a woman came into the store and went to our first large display cabinet which had multiple rose gold rings stacked on top of each other. She points to the display

Her: " How much is that one?"

Me : "Sorry which one?" (How about describing it)

I reach into the display and put my finger on them

Her : "no that one, no not that one, no the other one"

Me : " Sorry but can you describe which one it is? It might be easier, like is it this flower one or this one with a bow on it?? "

Her ; "Ah I'm here F-king ages now are you blind just f* off if you can't tell me the price of it"

She shouts this while storming out of the store and stares in at me while walking away because our whole store is glass on outside.

:)

-- l_om_

From VernonWilkesJR, Tales From Retail:

This tale is from my first day on the job when I was 16 and 1 day. Green as grass.

My first customer ever comes up to me.

Customer: "Do you know where the garbage bags are?"

Me: "No, sorry it's my first day."

Customer: "But you do know what garbage bags are right?"

Me: "... yes"

Customer: "Then why don't you know where they are?"

$me: "um... I'll help you look"

The store had 100 aisles so it was pretty big. I make an educated guess and lead him to the proper aisle on the first try

Me: picks up a box of regular black garbage bags, "Here you go, Sir"

Customer: "No, I need gaaaaaarbage baaaaags", he picks up a box of compost garbage bags right next to it, "I can't believe you have never seen these before", starts laughing

Me: blank stare, "I have"

Customer: now dying of laughter, "Boy, you really are useless you know that!"

Me: "haha, yeah", what the hell is happening

Customer: "Now you know!", walks away

Me: I guess this is my life now

Sidenote: in Toronto, you have to separate your garbage into compost (food, tissues, paper towels) and regular garbage. You must throw away compost in compost garbage bags.

--VernonWilkesJR