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Okay, so here's some stories from my time working at <giant corporate game company>. This is my first SC post, yay 
Let's See How Much We Can Spend
So this woman comes into the store and asks about our Xbox 360s because she wants to buy one for her 17 year old son. Now, this very day, Microsoft dropped the price of the Pro system to $299 from $349.
Me: Well, we have all three versions in stock right now. We have the cheapest, the Arcade System, for $279. That comes with a wired controller, a few arcade games and a memory unit which doesn't hold too much information. This is really only good if you're only going to be playing a few games.
SC: Hmm, okay. What's the next one?
Me: The next one up is the Pro console. Microsoft just did a price drop today to $299. This comes with a wireless controller and a 20gb hard drive, and it is definitely the best one for a teenager who's going to be playing a lot of video games.
SC: And the next?
Me: The next one is the Elite, the black console-
SC: OOH, BLACK?! HE'LL WANT THAT ONE!
Me: Well, the Elite comes with a 120gb hard drive, which is good for downloads, but it's much more expensive. It costs $449 right n-
SC: WHAT THE FUCK?! You're trying to rip me off! Well, whatever. I'm not spending THAT much, jeez! I'll take the Arcade system. And you guys have hard drives right? I'll take one of those too.
Me: Umm, ma'am, if you're going to buy a hard drive, that'd bring the total to about $360 before tax. It'd be cheaper to buy the Pro system, plus you get a wireless controller with it. That would be saving you about $60.
SC: What is a hard drive, anyway? Why does he need one?
Me: So he can make a profile for himself and save his data for his games. There's more space on a hard drive, which means lots more game saves.
SC: Well what if I just bought an extra memory card?
Me: That would still bring the total before tax up to about $325. It would still be cheaper to buy a Pro system.
SC: YOU'RE LYING! You're just trying to make me buy extra stuff that I don't need! You're just trying to make me spend more money! You're a horrible salesperson, you probably get huge commission don't you?! note: we don't get commission at all
Me: -looks at huge sign on 360 wall that says NOW ONLY $299.99!!!- I'm sorry ma'am. Let's just go with what you asked for before.
SC: -smug look- That's what I THOUGHT. You really shouldn't try to sell extra stuff to veteran buyers. You need more sales experience, little girl!
Me: /thinking -Fuck you.-
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I CAN'T REACH IT!
Okay, I don't have a problem with people who are somewhat overweight. My fiancee is a little chubby, and I like him that way. But there is a point where you have to just say, "That's just wrong." This is that point.
A mom comes in, looks like she's about in her mid-fifties. Nice little lady. She starts looking around for a game for her kid's birthday. She's a bit hefty, but she carries it like one of those sweet little country grandmas, so it's almost cute, heh.
As she's looking around, I look out the window and see this kid coming towards the store. The kid looks to be in their late teens; they couldn't have been any older than me (I'm 19). I can't tell if they're male or female. 6 foot tall, had to weigh at least 400lbs, dirty greasy unwashed mop of hair, all-black clothes that don't manage to hide the stains, the shirt has many holes where you can see the rolls of flesh. A few minutes later, I found out it was a guy, but only because the mom said "my son".
Well, mom's still looking for a game, occasionally bringing something over to the kid. He decides he wants to play with our demo 360- well, the way the demo system is set up, the controllers are about 5 inches away from the stand, and they are non-mobile. They stay right where they are, or an alarm goes off.
Get this.
His arms CAN NOT REACH THE CONTROLLERS, because his stomach is in the way.
DLF: I CAN'T REACH THE CONTROLLERS! YOU NEED TO MOVE THEM FOR ME!
ASM: We can't move them, it'll set off an alarm. They're stuck there, sorry.
DLF: WELL FUCK YOU, SHORTASS! note: my assistant manager is a tiny little guy, barely breaks 5 feet. I'M THE CUSTOMER YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT I WANT WHAAAAAAAAAAA!
This kid, who like I said is in his late teens, begins throwing a screaming tantrum a two year old would be proud of.
Poor mom buys a game and drags her kid out of the store, red-faced and apologizing. I feel so bad for her
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What? You mean "trade in" doesn't mean the same thing as "return"?
This kid had come in earlier in the day and had traded in a game for his PSP he bought recently. My manager specifically asked if he wanted to do a TRADE IN, which means bringing the game in for whatever store credit it is currently worth. The kid acts all rude and sullen- "Yeah, yeah, that's what I said innit? Just get it over with. My mom's outside and she wants to leave already." So they do the transaction, C, my manager, TELLS him he's getting $5 in store credit, kid leaves, we're done with it.
Of course, not really.
40 minutes before close, the kid comes back with his mom, who promtly begins yelling at C for stealing money from her kid.
C: manager
SM: sucky mom
SM: My son came here earlier to bring back a game, and you only gave him back $5! The game cost $14.99! You're trying to steal his money!
C: Well, he said he wanted to trade it in. Trade in credit for that game is only $5 right now.
SM: You mean you don't offer full credit for bringing back a game? This company is horrible! We're never doing business here again!
C: Ma'am, we give full refunds for returns, but he said he wanted to trade it in. Trade in value is only $5 for this game.
SM: You mean they're not the same thing?
-Well, duh.-
C: No, ma'am, they're not. I can do a return for you if you'd like.
SM: Well I don't know why you didn't do that in the first place!
C: Because... you know what? Never mind. Do you have a reciept, ma'am?
At this point, the mom looks entirely put out- receipt?! No one said we had to have a receipt! Of course not. So the kid digs through his wallet for 10 minutes before finally finding the receipt, and the entire time the mother is yelling at C for following company policy. Kid finally finds both the original receipt and the one from the earlier transaction that day. Okay, now things are fine, right?
Well, C tries to reverse the transaction from earlier that day, which in and of itself is a huge pain- except now, for some reason, the five dollar credit refuses to come off the gift card. So we have a dilemma: C, not willing to give them a free 5 dollars (no matter how much they felt they deserved it), cannot return the game for its original price. He spends 30 minutes on the phone trying to find someone who can remove the $5. All the while mom is huffing and puffing and kid is starting to whine about how unfair it all is, can't he just return the game? I'm dealing with other customers, the checkout line is starting to get long because C is on the phone and can't help and I'm the only other person there, people are shooting the mom death glares and bitching at me when they reach the register.
I eventually have to usher everyone else out to close, which of course brought on the whole "They're still in here, why can't I be?"
Finally, tired and angry, C calls G, the district manager (who, by the way, is a total douchebag) and asks if he can just return the game for whatever the price would be minus $5, and after much lecturing for not just returning it like they wanted in the first place (here we go again!) G agrees. Everything gets done to mom's not-so-much-satisfaction, and they leave with the threat "We're never coming back HERE!"
C mutters as they say this, "Thanks for the offer but I don't really believe you."
Let's See How Much We Can Spend
So this woman comes into the store and asks about our Xbox 360s because she wants to buy one for her 17 year old son. Now, this very day, Microsoft dropped the price of the Pro system to $299 from $349.
Me: Well, we have all three versions in stock right now. We have the cheapest, the Arcade System, for $279. That comes with a wired controller, a few arcade games and a memory unit which doesn't hold too much information. This is really only good if you're only going to be playing a few games.
SC: Hmm, okay. What's the next one?
Me: The next one up is the Pro console. Microsoft just did a price drop today to $299. This comes with a wireless controller and a 20gb hard drive, and it is definitely the best one for a teenager who's going to be playing a lot of video games.
SC: And the next?
Me: The next one is the Elite, the black console-
SC: OOH, BLACK?! HE'LL WANT THAT ONE!
Me: Well, the Elite comes with a 120gb hard drive, which is good for downloads, but it's much more expensive. It costs $449 right n-
SC: WHAT THE FUCK?! You're trying to rip me off! Well, whatever. I'm not spending THAT much, jeez! I'll take the Arcade system. And you guys have hard drives right? I'll take one of those too.
Me: Umm, ma'am, if you're going to buy a hard drive, that'd bring the total to about $360 before tax. It'd be cheaper to buy the Pro system, plus you get a wireless controller with it. That would be saving you about $60.
SC: What is a hard drive, anyway? Why does he need one?
Me: So he can make a profile for himself and save his data for his games. There's more space on a hard drive, which means lots more game saves.
SC: Well what if I just bought an extra memory card?
Me: That would still bring the total before tax up to about $325. It would still be cheaper to buy a Pro system.
SC: YOU'RE LYING! You're just trying to make me buy extra stuff that I don't need! You're just trying to make me spend more money! You're a horrible salesperson, you probably get huge commission don't you?! note: we don't get commission at all
Me: -looks at huge sign on 360 wall that says NOW ONLY $299.99!!!- I'm sorry ma'am. Let's just go with what you asked for before.
SC: -smug look- That's what I THOUGHT. You really shouldn't try to sell extra stuff to veteran buyers. You need more sales experience, little girl!
Me: /thinking -Fuck you.-
---------------------------------
I CAN'T REACH IT!
Okay, I don't have a problem with people who are somewhat overweight. My fiancee is a little chubby, and I like him that way. But there is a point where you have to just say, "That's just wrong." This is that point.
A mom comes in, looks like she's about in her mid-fifties. Nice little lady. She starts looking around for a game for her kid's birthday. She's a bit hefty, but she carries it like one of those sweet little country grandmas, so it's almost cute, heh.
As she's looking around, I look out the window and see this kid coming towards the store. The kid looks to be in their late teens; they couldn't have been any older than me (I'm 19). I can't tell if they're male or female. 6 foot tall, had to weigh at least 400lbs, dirty greasy unwashed mop of hair, all-black clothes that don't manage to hide the stains, the shirt has many holes where you can see the rolls of flesh. A few minutes later, I found out it was a guy, but only because the mom said "my son".
Well, mom's still looking for a game, occasionally bringing something over to the kid. He decides he wants to play with our demo 360- well, the way the demo system is set up, the controllers are about 5 inches away from the stand, and they are non-mobile. They stay right where they are, or an alarm goes off.
Get this.
His arms CAN NOT REACH THE CONTROLLERS, because his stomach is in the way.
DLF: I CAN'T REACH THE CONTROLLERS! YOU NEED TO MOVE THEM FOR ME!
ASM: We can't move them, it'll set off an alarm. They're stuck there, sorry.
DLF: WELL FUCK YOU, SHORTASS! note: my assistant manager is a tiny little guy, barely breaks 5 feet. I'M THE CUSTOMER YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT I WANT WHAAAAAAAAAAA!
This kid, who like I said is in his late teens, begins throwing a screaming tantrum a two year old would be proud of.
Poor mom buys a game and drags her kid out of the store, red-faced and apologizing. I feel so bad for her
------------------------------------------------
What? You mean "trade in" doesn't mean the same thing as "return"?
This kid had come in earlier in the day and had traded in a game for his PSP he bought recently. My manager specifically asked if he wanted to do a TRADE IN, which means bringing the game in for whatever store credit it is currently worth. The kid acts all rude and sullen- "Yeah, yeah, that's what I said innit? Just get it over with. My mom's outside and she wants to leave already." So they do the transaction, C, my manager, TELLS him he's getting $5 in store credit, kid leaves, we're done with it.
Of course, not really.
40 minutes before close, the kid comes back with his mom, who promtly begins yelling at C for stealing money from her kid.
C: manager
SM: sucky mom
SM: My son came here earlier to bring back a game, and you only gave him back $5! The game cost $14.99! You're trying to steal his money!
C: Well, he said he wanted to trade it in. Trade in credit for that game is only $5 right now.
SM: You mean you don't offer full credit for bringing back a game? This company is horrible! We're never doing business here again!
C: Ma'am, we give full refunds for returns, but he said he wanted to trade it in. Trade in value is only $5 for this game.
SM: You mean they're not the same thing?
-Well, duh.-
C: No, ma'am, they're not. I can do a return for you if you'd like.
SM: Well I don't know why you didn't do that in the first place!
C: Because... you know what? Never mind. Do you have a reciept, ma'am?
At this point, the mom looks entirely put out- receipt?! No one said we had to have a receipt! Of course not. So the kid digs through his wallet for 10 minutes before finally finding the receipt, and the entire time the mother is yelling at C for following company policy. Kid finally finds both the original receipt and the one from the earlier transaction that day. Okay, now things are fine, right?
Well, C tries to reverse the transaction from earlier that day, which in and of itself is a huge pain- except now, for some reason, the five dollar credit refuses to come off the gift card. So we have a dilemma: C, not willing to give them a free 5 dollars (no matter how much they felt they deserved it), cannot return the game for its original price. He spends 30 minutes on the phone trying to find someone who can remove the $5. All the while mom is huffing and puffing and kid is starting to whine about how unfair it all is, can't he just return the game? I'm dealing with other customers, the checkout line is starting to get long because C is on the phone and can't help and I'm the only other person there, people are shooting the mom death glares and bitching at me when they reach the register.
I eventually have to usher everyone else out to close, which of course brought on the whole "They're still in here, why can't I be?"
Finally, tired and angry, C calls G, the district manager (who, by the way, is a total douchebag) and asks if he can just return the game for whatever the price would be minus $5, and after much lecturing for not just returning it like they wanted in the first place (here we go again!) G agrees. Everything gets done to mom's not-so-much-satisfaction, and they leave with the threat "We're never coming back HERE!"
C mutters as they say this, "Thanks for the offer but I don't really believe you."
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