First post and a tonne to vent with...

[PinkyBrain]

So I work in a charity shop in the UK. I enjoy doing it and plan to continue doing it but damn! Some customers drive me right up the wall.

Yesterday, we had a nice selection. The child who drops a load of toys on the floor, plays with them and leaves with her mother who says nothing throughout her visit. Simply browses through the clothes. So, on my hands and knees picking them up.

We had a lamp - just a simple bedside lamp. A customer asked how much it was, I told him £3. His face dropped, he said okay, put it back and left. I swear some people don't realise that the charity is meant to come our way.

Another lady came in to buy a coat and complained that it wasn't half price - a sale which ended nearly a week ago. After a great deal of stress, she decided it wasn't for her and left.

And finally, the cherry on the cake - a lady comes everyday, either five minutes before closing or five minutes after. She spends twenty minutes looking through every item of clothing, spends ten minutes trying a bunch of stuff on and leaves five minutes later with a scarf that cost £1. Hell, she knows what time we close but it seems she's determined to see who will tell her to "get out!!!!"

[wolfie]

Welcome to Customers Suck! When the mice take over the world (cookies for reference), will sucky customers be put against the wall?

[eltf177]

And finally, the cherry on the cake - a lady comes everyday, either five minutes before closing or five minutes after. She spends twenty minutes looking through every item of clothing, spends ten minutes trying a bunch of stuff on and leaves five minutes later with a scarf that cost £1. Hell, she knows what time we close but it seems she's determined to see who will tell her to "get out!!!!"

Every member of staff should be telling her to go home repeatedly, and a ban might be worth considering...

[mjr]

When the mice take over the world (cookies for reference)

To prove their mousy worth,
they'll overthrow the earth.
They're Pinky
They're Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain...

[EricKei]

I've never understood why people who are already shopping somewhere incredibly inexpensive, insist on trying to get those prices lowered even further. Those same people, especially if they're wealthy, will often have no problem with spending ten times as much at a "normal" store.

PB: Welcome to CS! We're friendly types 'round these parts. Feel free to PM me or another mod if you have any questions.

wolfie - Well, at least we'll know who the SC's are. They'll be the ones who don't have their towels.

[Sparklyturtle]

I have a towel, so I'm all set.

Once I bought a very nice royal blue top, but I didn't know there was a stain on it. The manager rang up my parcels, and gave me a discount of two or three dollars on the top which I hadn't asked for, because of the spot. I took it home and washed it, and it came clean, and I still wear it.

[Monterey Jack]

Once I bought a very nice royal blue top, but I didn't know there was a stain on it. The manager rang up my parcels, and gave me a discount of two or three dollars on the top which I hadn't asked for, because of the spot. I took it home and washed it, and it came clean, and I still wear it.

Not a thrift store, but one time I was buying a paperback book at the train station, and couldn't find a copy without at least minimal damage to the cover, and the clerk (manager?) ringing me out gave me an unasked-for two-dollar discount on the spot.

[Seanette]

I've also worked in a thrift store (USian for charity shop, apparently). Your stories sound all too familiar to me.

[Shyla]

If she's waiting for someone to tell her to get out, you should oblige her. She's not even worth the extra electricity. Each time, remind her of the hours you're open while guiding her to the door.

[Slave to the Phone]

Welcome to the forum!

It amazes me how often I see people in thrift stores dickering over prices. The stuff is already super cheap and its for charity!

Once I was in a thrift store and saw the perfect table lamp for our living room. Not only was the lamp just what I wanted, the shade was in perfect shape AND it was only 5 bucks. SCORE!!!

I asked the clerk if there was an outlet I could use to see if it worked and he told me that none of the electrical things had been tested, there was no guarantee that they worked and that he could only give me 50% off. I tried to explain that I didn't want a discount, I only wanted to know if I was going to need to stop at the hardware store and buy a new set of insides for it. We actually went in circles for several minutes until his brain reset and he understood that I really didn't want a discount, I just didn't want to make another trip to town if I needed to go to the hardware store.

My only explanation for this is that the poor clerk was so used to people demanding discounts that he just couldn't understand someone being willing to buy something that was "flawed" without a discount.

[notalwaysright]

Oh, I meant to comment about SCs who are making stuff for charity... I seriously dread when someone comes to the cutting counter with a cart of fabric and announces "I'm making quilts for charity / to donate / to send oversees!" When this is the FIRST thing out of their mouth it almost guarantees they are going to be be a giant pain in the butt. They will have the cheapest fabric in the store, and then try to get that reduced even more, always prefacing it with "I need to do this as cheap as possible, it's for charity!"

They will play the annoying remnant game. This is when a person knows our policy about remnants, (remnants are a yard or less, usually offered at 50% off, if there is extra on the bolt) and then makes me measure the fabric ("how much is left on the bolt?") and if there is 1.75 yards they will say "I'll take a yard and the remnant." So I have to do it, even though the point of offering remnants is so that customers will buy the EXTRA and the store won't end up with little pieces of fabric. It's funny, because if someone is nice I will actually offer this without them asking. I helped the lady who started this cool local charity and she was so nice that I gave her every discount I could without getting in trouble. It's the ones who feel like they need to play the system, and want to donate stuff without actually paying any money.

[Slave to the Phone]

I must have a lot to say about this subject, because I'm back again

I do pet rescue. One of the many things our animal rescue group always needs is blankets and towels. Once a month, I'll go to our local St Vincent's and go through their towels and blankets. I pick out the stained/damaged ones for purchase and refold all of the nice ones. (Critters don't care about stains and puppies will destroy everything in short order, so why take the good stuff that people might want to use in their homes?)

A volunteer once watched me and asked what I was doing. When I explained, she said that she was amazed that I didn't demand a discount because I was buying them for charity and because they were damaged.

That actually worked out pretty well, they started putting the ugly towels and blankets aside for me so I wouldn't have to sort through everything they had out.

[VComps]

Welcome to Customers Suck! When the mice take over the world (cookies for reference), will sucky customers be put against the wall?

Well they're not REALLY mice, they're actually hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings. (Which actually explains a lot about Brain. Pinky, not so much.)

[XCashier]

And finally, the cherry on the cake - a lady comes everyday, either five minutes before closing or five minutes after.

When she comes in later, run like hell and lock the door before she gets there. "Sorry, we're closed!"

She spends twenty minutes looking through every item of clothing, spends ten minutes trying a bunch of stuff on and leaves five minutes later with a scarf that cost £1. Hell, she knows what time we close but it seems she's determined to see who will tell her to "get out!!!!"

Is there no manager to do that? Dealing with difficult customers is part of their job, after all.

Do the trading laws not apply to charity shops? One of our regular posters, Lace Neil Singer is also in the UK and has had to deal with a few customers who insisted on trying to enter the store after closing.

[Racket_Man]

Well they're not REALLY mice, they're actually hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings. (Which actually explains a lot about Brain. Pinky, not so much.)

But is the answer really 42??