A customer is buying a $400 item.

Me: “Ma’am, I’m happy to tell you that we have a deal on right now and I can offer you a 10% discount.”

Customer: “Nice try, but I saw [same item] at your competitor for $389!” *She shows me the item on her phone.* “I know you price match, so I want this price instead.”

Me: “Uh… okay?”

Luckily for me, I have a specific ‘price match override’ button that allows me to enter in any price I want, so that’s what I did. She had such a smug look of victory as she walked out…

A customer orders a custom sandwich. One of our cashiers rings it up as a promotional sandwich with a couple of modifications because it comes out cheaper than building the exact same sandwich from scratch.

A few minutes later, the customer and his girlfriend returned to the counter with the sandwich and receipt.

Customer: “This isn’t what I ordered.”

Me: “What’s wrong with it?”

Customer: “Look at the receipt!”

I look. The sandwich listed on the receipt is the promotional version.

Me: “Sir, that’s the sandwich you ordered. We just entered it this way because it’s cheaper.”

Customer: “But that’s not what I ordered!”

Me: “It is. It’s the exact same ingredients.”

Customer: “Then why doesn’t the receipt say what I ordered?”

My manager overhears and comes over.

Manager: “Sir, the receipt does describe your sandwich. We entered it as a promotional item because it costs less than entering all the ingredients separately.”

Customer: “No! That’s how receipts work! They have to describe the exact item or they’re useless!”

Manager: “The sandwich is correct.”

Customer: “I want a refund, and then I want the right sandwich.”

Manager: “Certainly.”

My manager processes the refund. He doesn’t even touch the sandwich sitting on the counter.

Then he starts ringing up a new order.

Customer: “What are you doing?”

Manager: “Entering the sandwich exactly as described.”

The total comes up.

Manager: “That’ll be $6.99.”

Customer: “Wait, why is it more expensive?”

Manager: “Because this is how the system prices your sandwich when entered exactly as ordered.”

Customer: “I want the original price.”

Manager: “Sorry, sir. I wouldn’t want your receipt to be inaccurate and therefore useless.”

The two of them stare at each other for several seconds.

Finally, the customer sighs and taps his card.

Manager: “Thank you.”

Then my manager picks up the sandwich that has been sitting on the counter the entire time and slides it back across to him.

Manager: “Your sandwich, sir.”

The customer stares at the sandwich, then at the receipt, then back at the sandwich.

His girlfriend starts laughing so hard she has to lean on the counter.

Customer’s Girlfriend: “You dumb motherf*****!”

While working at a pizza chain a few years back, I got a call from a lady about her online deal not working for the two pizzas she wanted to order.

Caller: “The deal is for £20 off an order over £50! I want that deal!”

Me: “That deal code has expired, I’m afraid. But good news, since you’re only ordering pizza and not sides, I can give you a code for 40% off any pizza order over £40. This will save you more money.”

Caller: “No! I want the £20 off £50 deal!”

Me: “I can’t do that, madam. As I said, that deal has expired, but with the other code, you could save—”

Caller: “—I don’t care about how much I can save with the other deal! I want the deal I asked for! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! HOW CAN YOU NOT COUNT MONEY WHEN YOU WORK IN RETAIL?!”

I passed the call over to my manager, who listened to about ten seconds of her abuse, and then decided to give her the deal she wanted with an override on the computer.

Manager: “…Okay, so your total comes to £55, and with £20 off, that’s £35.”

Caller: “Yes, finally!”

Manager: “Okay, those pizzas will be with you soon. Oh, and if you’d used the voucher my colleague offered, it would be £33, which is £2 cheaper.”

Caller: “What, wait—”

Manager: “—Goodnight!” *Click.*

I used to work at a sushi place, and we also served ramen there.

Customer: “I want to send my ramen back.”

Me: “What’s the issue you have with it, ma’am?”

Customer: “It’s got all this… junk in it!”

I look at her untouched bowl.

Me: “I’m not seeing anything out of the ordinary with your ramen bowl.”

Customer: “It doesn’t look anything like the ramen I get at Walmart! What’s with the egg? And all these veggies! And I didn’t want all that pork!”

Me: “Would… would you like a ramen bowl without any of those things?”

Customer: “Yes! Like a real ramen bowl! None of this extra junk!”

So, I took it back, and they made her a new ramen with only noodles. She was super happy with her $18 noodles and broth.

I’m a seventeen-year-old guy, working the concessions counter in a movie theater. I also had to sell tickets because we didn’t have a box office worker scheduled.

We had a special running that day, where you could get two tickets, two small drinks, and a medium popcorn for a discounted price (it was a surprisingly good deal for a theater). 

Two girls come in, probably around fifteen to sixteen, and order their tickets together. I offer them the special.

Customer #1: “What’s that?”

Me: “You get two small sodas, a medium popcorn, and your tickets for [low amount of dollars].”

Customer #1: “Oh, no thanks.”

Customer #2: “Yeah, we don’t… need that from you.”

Me: “Alright, here are your tickets. Would you like any concessions?”

They proceeded to order a medium popcorn and two small sodas.

Me: “So… that’s basically the deal I just tried to sell you.”

Customer #1: “Wait, that was real?”

Customer #2: “Oh! We thought you were like… hitting on us or something.”

Me: “How would my offering you a special deal be me hitting on you?”

Customer #2: “I mean, look at us. Guys like you are giving girls like us discounts all the time.”

Customer #1: “So, we’ll take that deal?”

Me: “Sorry, you already got your tickets. It only counts when tickets are purchased together with the concessions. It’s a shame, girls like you miss out on this deal all the time.”

They don’t, but it was nice to get that jab in. They wanted to speak to a manager, but since we were so understaffed that afternoon, they wouldn’t have been able to speak to him before their movie started, so they dropped it and went to see their movie.