Well Heeled Wummin

I was unemployed for many a year, and I kept the madness at bay by working in various charity shops. Man, I thought those customers were odd, but in the past few months I have discovered that there are far crazier people out there. They are the Bookshop Customer.

The other day I had an experience so bizarre I actually got a headache for about 20 minutes after it. I was lying awake during the night afterwards replaying it in my head (bad habit that).

I was on a late shift, so arrived on shop floor for my first tills shift a little after 1:30, served about 3 customers. A slight lull, then a customer comes over. Well Heeled Lady, dressed well, speaks with a fairly posh accent.

(I paraphrase slightly as I cannot recall the entire conversation, the rage shut my brain down.)

Me: Hello, how can I help?

WHL: (in very loud angry voice, which she uses throughout the conversation) I have a complaint, I bought this book on Saturday and I've been overcharged.

She shows me her receipt, then the book. Sure enough, book has £6.99 printed on it, but a (Damnit I have no Euro symbol!!) Euro10.45 price sticker on it.

Me: Ok, no problem.

WHL: Oh but it IS a problem!

Me: Sorry, I meant it's no problem to refund you the difference.

WHL: Well I should hope not!

Me: I can only apologise, it's been priced accidentally.

WHL: Does that happen often?

Me: Oh no, every now and than, but it's a glitch that we should catch before it reaches shop floor.

WHL: Yes, that's all very well, but you cannot get away with that!

Me: With what? Sorry?

WHL: Ripping people off!! If you're replacing £ prices with Euro ones, and hoping nobody notices, you're ripping people off!!

Me: Oh no, it's not like that, it's an accident!

WHL: You cannot charge a Euro price on something if there is a £ price and call that an accident! If you do that on every book in here you're making an obscene profit!!

Me: No, no, I assure you, the sticker was printed accidentally, it should never have been put on this book. It was a total accident, not done on purpose.

(All the time I'm working on the till, scanning the book, refunding her the difference. I give her the receipt and the money. She's wittering on a lot and I'm trying to concentrate on both tasks at once.)

WHL: (looks at £3.46 I've given her and says) Is that all you're giving me?

Me: Yes, that's the difference, the amount you were overcharged.

WHL: Well that's disgraceful. I'm going to make a complaint about this, you are ripping people off and being blatant about it!!

(by this time a substantial queue has built up behind her and people are looking pissed off. Now, this is where it goes extremely pear shaped, and embarrassing for me, as I have no idea why I thought what I did. Rage rage, I suppose. She picks up the book.)

Me: No! You cannot keep the book, I have refunded you! (for some reason my enraged brain thought I had fully refunded her!! Why?!?!)

WHL: WHAT???!?!??!?!?!!?!!!!

Me: (realising my error) Oh!! NO, sorry, you are right, for some reason I thought I had fully refunded you! I'm sorry! You confused me!

WHL: I confused you???? WELL...The Citizens Advice Bureau will hear of THIS!!!!

(stomps off)


Why I thought that...I don't know. She flummoxed me with her constant whiny voice snipping away at me as I tried, on more than one occasion, to apologise and explain. The staff on either side of me were asking, 'what just happened?? What was she on??!!'

About half an hour later I had a similar complaint, a man had bought books on a 3 for 2 offer and realised after he had paid that he had been charged for all 3. I apologised, refunded him the difference, and he said, 'don't worry, these things happen'. Laughed about it. What a difference in personality!!