The difference: legitimate complaint vs asshole

[Freak]

What is the difference between a customer with a legitimate complaint and one who's just an asshole?

The one with a legitimate complaint asks to talk to management, while the asshole just yells at you until you get a manager.

I work in the menswear section of a department store, and yesterday I had one particularly sucky customer. We had a deal on a few brands, where you got 30% off if you bought two or more shirts or tees. Now, you may notice that we classified shirts and tees separately. This is because when we say "shirt", we mean the ones that button up all the way. In other words, shirt does not inclide tees (no biggy in this case, as they were part of the deal anyway) or polos.

Now, there is always someone who is confused by this, and I have no problem with that. I've made much dumber mistakes in my time as a customer. Some of these people buy the polos anyway at full price, some change their minds, some are frustrated but keep their cool, and some ask for a manager in the hopes of getting the deal. I have no problem with any of these reactions.

But then you have people like yesterday's customer. Upon finding out that his polos weren't on sale, he begins yelling like a madman, pointing to the sign and saying that it says "30% off casual shirts." I explained to him what the sign meant, but was that good enough for him? Of course not. He calls it "misleading advertising" and threatens to get Consumer Protection to sort this out. Yeah, little hint, these signs are used by every store in the country, and we've had the same basic deal many times in the four years I've been working here - if they were really something Consumer Protection were willing and able to stop, then they would have done so.

I would just like to emphasise this once again: all this time, he is yelling at me. As it stands, I wasn't actually the person putting the transaction through, but since my two coworkers are both smaller than this guy, and I at least have a height advantage (I'm an utter stick, but the way I see it, if he breaks any of my bones, I can have his ass in jail), I decided to attempt to handle it.

Oh, and remember how I said earlier that most people ask for a manager in this circumstance? Well, not this guy. He just keeps yelling at me, as if I have the authority to just give discounts on anything and everything, and as if I decide the wording on the signage. At any rate, I really just wanted this guy out, so I could get back to serving customers who could actually make a meaningful contribution to society as anything other than a fuel source, so I went to get my manager (I knew she was nearby, having seen her walking the floor a few minutes earlier, just before the proverbial hit the fan).

Now, you want to know what really pisses me off about this? As I went to get the manager, I overheard him saying, "This happens every time I shop here!" I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from saying, "Then you should know what we mean by 'shirt', you piece of ****."

To cut a long story short, the manager gave him the discount. I'm really not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, the deal is kind of stupid, and I have no objection with management giving the discount on polos to people who ask nicely. On the other hand, this just comes off as rewarding the SC for being an asshole.

I'm just really baffled by the fact that I never see these sorts of customers when I'm shopping, and could actually call them out on their douchebaggery. They're not exactly common when I'm working, but I would have thought random probability would have meant that I would have seen at least one in the wild.

[emax4]

I say the next time he comes in, don't bother ringing him up. Next time, call a manager over. The SC will complain that you have to wait, and that's when you say, "We'll I've got a stronger backbone than the managers, and I'm not putting up with you. Because of your behavior, you're going to have to wait. I hope it's worth it..", then walk away.

[Seshat]

Would you get away with putting a note on the sigh saying specificially that shirt means button-up shirt?

(Probably not, but .. )

[Freak]

I say the next time he comes in, don't bother ringing him up. Next time, call a manager over. The SC will complain that you have to wait, and that's when you say, "We'll I've got a stronger backbone than the managers, and I'm not putting up with you. Because of your behavior, you're going to have to wait. I hope it's worth it..", then walk away.

Honestly, I'll never remember what he looks like. I put way too many customers through a day to remember a particular face.

Would you get away with putting a note on the sigh saying specificially that shirt means button-up shirt?

(Probably not, but .. )

You're basically right. All the tickets are done on a template, and the exact text for sale deals is, as far as I can tell, decided by the national office. I generally make a point to remind specific customers if I get the chance, but I stand no chance of getting to every one.

[mjr]

I'm in agreement with those of you who say that it's just rewarding SC behavior.

Though I would like to see a story (and I think there have been a few on here) where the manager says something like, "No, you're not getting what you want. Because you are abusive and berating to my employees as well as being aggressive and belligerent. We are now refusing you service. So, you may now leave, or I will have you escorted from the store/premises by law enforcement."

Or something like that.

[EricKei]

If corporate made the signs a bit too vague, that's THEIR fault, not yours >_<

If the signs literally say "shirts" and "casual shirts", I could understand some confusion (but not anger, nor the abuse he meted out to you) -- if I saw only those two terms, I'd say that polos count as "casual". It would have been better for Corporate to make signs that say "dress shirts", "polos", and "t-shirts" (or at least "dress shirts" and "short-sleeve shirts") as separate things. If that were done, there would be effectively no room for confusion. Better yet, they should include a picture of each on the sign.

[shopgirl15]

How spineless of the manager. Just call security on his ass and ban him.

[PepperElf]

I say the next time he comes in, don't bother ringing him up. Next time, call a manager over. The SC will complain that you have to wait, and that's when you say, "We'll I've got a stronger backbone than the managers, and I'm not putting up with you. Because of your behavior, you're going to have to wait. I hope it's worth it..", then walk away.

Yeah but some managers HATE when you do that too. (even if the customer demands a manager)

[EricKei]

Pepper: It's a pity that those spineless managers always seem to suddenly grow a spine when it's time to call them out on their own spinelessness...>_> or a description thereof.