Retail nightmares...?

For those of u who work retail, what are some horror stories you can share?

One that recently happened to me:
I'm a key carrier for a major retail chain. A woman came in my store on Sunday and was upset because on Saturday her granddaughter left her jacket (that supposedly had sentimental value) in the store and one of the associates threw it away.

In order to keep her from calling our customer satisfaction number (which we get in trouble BIG TIME for) I had to let her pick out $70 worth of clothes, because that was what the jacket was worth.

-The associate really should have put the coat in one of the offices instead of throwing it away but he said the coat was nasty and dingy looking.

-It just really bugs me that customers can get away with stupid crap like that. If that had've been WalMart they probably would've told her to get stuffed. If the jacket was so "valuable" then she shouldn't have left it behind.

Those of you who work retail know what I mean. Especially if you're in management and forced to kiss butt.

Any stories like this one?

Yes people, work any angle they can to get free stuff. I worked at a Michael's Craft store and people were downright thieves sometimes.

They would put an easily fixable flaw in a frame so they could get a discount. Remove the fake flowers from the fake stems and say they were on the floor to get the for free. Open up packages and spill to refill bottles or get stuff for cheaper because the only need one out of a box of ten. Mess up specialty papers on the edges so they could get a discount because they would only be suing the middle part. Bring stuff back they had broke and claim we broke it or it broke on its own. Return paint they've used claiming it was the wrong color or didn't work when you know they only needed a little bit and didn't want to pay for it. Let their kids run amuck breaking things and not pay for the damages, or not being allowed to charges them for the damages.

The best though was not where I was working. I was in a Popeye's Chicken for some reason that elludes because that place is scary. Anyway, this "big" guy comes in and walks right up to counter and says, "Yo, last time I got a bucket of chicken and it wasn't a full bucket so like they said I could come back and get another bucket of chicken." and the gave him his free bucket of chicken, which he clearly did not need. I laughed so hard on the way home, it made me feel a little better about my crap job.

I do not like dealing with people but I also do not like being homeless and hungry so I'll suck it up if I have to. We you're in a position of survival your principles tend to steer towards not dying.

an elderly old ladie grabbed my behind

That was your "choice" based on cowardice and lack of principles ... it would not have been mine.

Sometimes people are shifty and do crap like that just to get free stuff. I hate that!

Forced to "kiss butt". No one is forcing you to do anything. I'll tell it to you like it's told to millions of employees every day, "If you don't like the job, you can always quit".

Not excatly but I used to work in retail...a crummy store too. And a customer cursed me out, called me worthless peice of sh*t, waste of a life, and f*ing idiot. Why? Because I couldn't find something that someone else (a co worker) had misplaced. He gave me like 2 minutes to find it, then blew up on me...I was alone. I had some choice words for him, but didn't want to loose my job.

i have been called a bitc* to my face for IDing a guy for cigs
i have had customers make me cry
it sucks
now i work at a cold beer and wine PT and can say what i want.....

retail sucks ***! i honestly am trying to forget. so i am not going to bring up story's :).
but people expect different levels of satisfaction from different places. depending on location, cost and the product. that is why walmart gets away with it, they have cheap crappy products and they are in crappy neighborhoods where people around them are poor. so they are stuck going there no matter what.

I do what ever it takes to make my clients happy within reason. It makes me happy to see other people happy.

What I CAN tell you is how much AWFUL customer service I have dealt with in retail.

If you do not like dealing with people, get another job.

i got screamed at once because i lost the pair of shoes that that customer wanted even though i gave her a replacement that was the same size. she said it didnt 'fit the same way'

not quite in the same area but I have a story about wal-mart from a while back when I worked there. I worked in the electronics as an associate. every day for about a week this old woman would come in and walk around a stack of computers sitting in the center aisle.. they were on sale for about 600 dollars and they included everything.. monitor and all the goodies. heavy as well. Well the second to last day that she came in there she walked around the computers.. 8 computers stacked 4 on top of 4.. now I can't stress how feeble this woman looked.. she must have weighed 90 pounds and been over 60 years old. She grabbed the computer from the top of the display. threw it in the cart and RAN out the door.. Unbelievable as it was.. it got even more so. she ran across one of the busiest roads in grand rapids.. and even more amazing. she out ran the store manager and 2 other managers AND the security guard. She came back the next day to do it again and they arrested her and used the video tape against her or something like that.. it was crazy

dont let it get to you! maybe she needed what you had to give her. we are tested in different ways..amybe this was one of your tests!

I'd make sure the dumb ASSoci ATE the $70.00,for the free giveaway's !! But if the jacket was nasty and smelly, I'd of thrown it away too. My family... we were in the resturant business,so you know how much of a hassle that is.At 15yrs. old back then,I had to stand my ground. One person orders something,then goes Bull s****** with his friend.Then sits down and b*tch** cause his food is cold. ''Well harry,just to keep your business,I'm gonna cook your dam egg's over AGAIN,but you better sit your *ss down and eat them this time