From u/Twizzler26 Tales From Retail:

So this happened a long time ago in my old job at a high street jewelers in the UK but I think about the interaction a lot so wanted to share! I was working on the shop floor and an elderly gentleman and his daughter came in and started looking at the bracelets and bangles. To give some perspective this isn’t a prestige jewelers; unless something had a diamond in it, the most you could look to spend was £300-£400.

After giving them a few minutes to look I went over and asked if they need any help. The gentleman said he was looking for a bangle for his wife for their anniversary but he wasn’t sure what to go for. I brought them over to the table and chairs and let him have a sit while I took ten or so bangles and bracelets out of the display for him to have a look at. I brought them over and explained the difference between the metals, the clasps etc, let him hold them, try them on his daughter to see how they looked on the wrist. That sort of thing. I probably spent about 40 minutes with them helping them choose something.

He landed on something he liked and left happy with a new bangle for his wife. Such a nice man and it was a pleasure to see him off with something he liked.

Skip to the following Saturday and I was on the shop floor again. A lady comes in looking around for something so I head over and ask if she needs anything. She clocks my name badge and says “ahh, are you chap that helped my husband pick out this bangle?” It was the wife of the gentleman I helped and she had come into town to find me specially to say thank you for “spending so much time with him to pick out such a lovely present” and how much she loved it. Apparently it had meant so much to the old timer he told her all about the experience in store. He had no idea really what he was looking for and I was just pleased to help guide him through the minefield that can be women’s jewelry!

I’d never had such warm fuzzies working in that shop and still I think about it a lot!

--u/Twizzler26

From u/MuseMania, Tales From Retail:

So I work in a hospital as an administration officer/admissions clerk. I know it's not retail, but sometimes it may as well be with the amount of people we interact with. I have a lot of crazy stories from working at reception, but this one is my favourite out of any job I've ever had.

To preface, it was my 21st birthday last Saturday, and my coworkers organised a surprise set of flowers to be delivered while I was at work on Friday. Overwhelmed with emotion, I went out to the front reception to give my colleague a hug to say thank you. The conversation went like this: (M is me, C is colleague and OG is older gentleman)

M: Thanks so much for the flowers!

OG who was standing at the desk: What's the occasion?

C: Oh it's MuseMania's 21st birthday tomorrow!

OG: Well it's not every day that you turn 21, happy birthday! When I was 21, my grandmother bought me a Rolex watch. I never wore it very often because I knew how special it is. Recently I had it valued and it's worth between $5000-$20000!

C and I expressed our amazement and OG left.

Now this was a lovely interaction but I didn't think much of it afterwards until I came back to work the next week.

I was unwell over the weekend so I didn't return to work until the Wednesday. When I arrived back, my colleague told me that OG had been looking for me on Monday and Tuesday, but was discharged so he didn't catch me before he left. However, she led me out the back and showed me a little envelope with a package inside. She beamed and told me to open it. Inside was a brand new watch and a note that said: "I know it's not a Rolex, but happy 21st birthday! From OG."

I'm not going to lie, I stood out there and cried for a good five minutes. Sometimes all it takes is one good customer to make up for every other bad customer you get. I've never been so grateful :)

Here is a photo of it 😊 http://imgur.com/5k6Qp0o

--u/MuseMania

From /SaulTheBoss Tales From Retail:

I'm at the registers doing my thing when a Mom (M) and her 5-ish daughter (D) come up. The mom has a small basket with some snacks, jars of peanut butter/jelly, and napkins, while the daughter is gently cradling a scrubby holder in the shape of a unicorn.

>S: Hello, ma'am. How are you today?

M: I'm fine. How are you?

S: I'm fine, thank you. *(Looks over counter at D)* Well, hello there!

D: *(Come up to counter, places unicorn in front of me)* I'm buying this!

S: Well, so you are! Do you have any money?

D: *(Looks confused, then at M)* No...

S: Well then, I guess your Mom will have to get it for you then. Ma'am?

M: *(Laughs)* I suppose I'll have to!

S: *(Scans unicorn, hands back to D)* There you are, ma'am.

M: D, what do you say?

D: Thank you!

S: You're very welcome. *(Scans rest of items)* You're total is $10.67.

D: Ten. Sixty. Seven. What does that mean, mamma? Is that ten dollars and...?

S: Oh, I was saying the number very quickly. It's actually One Thousand and Sixty-Seven dollars.

D: (0.0)

D: *(Looks at M)* Is that true?

M: Oh yes, it's very expensive.

D: But why?

S: Well, you DID buy a unicorn, after all.

D: *(Looks down at the unicorn in her hands, then at M)* Really?

M: Oh, yes. Be careful with your unicorn.

D: Okay!

M: *(To me)* Thanks for that.

S: Not a problem, ma'am. You two have a good day.

M: You, too. Come on, D.

D: *(To me)* Bye! *(To M)* I'm gonna tell all my friends I got a thousand dollar unicorn!

:D

--

From MarxyFreddie  Tales From Retail:

--MarxyFreddie

From  thelotchkeykid Tales From Retail:

A few days ago, a mother and her two kids come into my apparel and accessories store and look around for a while. The little boy is about 9, and the girl is about 5. After poking around for a while, they come up to my register and lay everything down: a hairbow, a little girl's watch, and a piece of candy.

As I ring everything up, the little 9-year-old boy gets out his wallet and carefully starts counting out the money.

The mom sees my surprised look, and she tells me quietly "He worked all weekend, and now he's using his money to buy something for his sister."

It was so sweet and genuine that I teared up. When I gave him his change, he even held it out to the little girl so she could pick out a quarter with a state on the back

--thelotchkeykid

 From  thegamesthief Tales From Retail:

I work at a friendly local game store, we do tabletop games, ttrpgs, that kind of thing, and we have a really strong community of awesome people who game here regularly. With that out of the way, my story:

It's a really, really slow Sunday, nothing has happened all day, and I've been doing homework most of the day, with nothing else to do until a family of 3 walks in. It's a fairly young couple and their daughter, probably 5 or 6 years old. They look around for a while, I give the usual "let me know if I can help" and that stuff. About 10 minutes into them getting here, with me working on other things, the daughter (DT) and the dad (DA) have this conversation with me (ME)

DT: That man (pointing at me) needs a hug daddy. Hug him.

DA: Well as nice as that is honey, I don't know him very well, he may not want a hug from somebody he doesn't know.

ME: I love hugs, and I normally would say yes, but your dad is right, I don't usually want hugs from people I don't know

DT:(now visibly sadder) oh. Ok. I'm not going to make you hug my daddy if you don't want to... But if you need one, let us know!

And they both just kept on looking around the store for a while, ended up getting some dice, and as they were leaving, the little girl turned to be and said "I hope you find someone to hug you!" And left with her parents.

It was easily the nicest thing that's happened to me working retail ever, even working at an amazing shop like this one.

--thegamesthief