What the hell lady?!

[CrystalynRose]

It took me a while to be able to type this one up as up until now, it made me way too angry even thinking about it to try.

I work the customer service counter in a large grocery store. About a month back, we had some big sales going on around the store and the vast majority of the items had limits on them just because the sale was so popular. The item in question in this story is some really cheap store brand soup that we'd put on at 4/$1.

I was at the counter on my own, my coworker had just gone on break, when this woman came storming up waving her receipt at me. And just when I had been thinking the day had been going so smoothly... guess I jinxed myself.

Woman: Hey! I bought these soups and they're supposed to be 4 for a buck! But after the first eight, they rang up at 75 cents each! FIX IT! *slams receipt down*

Me: *picks up receipt and looks* Just a second, let me have a look at the flyer.

I grabbed it, knowing full well it listed the limit, just as ALL the bright yellow signs by the soups did, and showed it to her.

Me: Ma'am, the limit at that sale price is eight cans. *counts items on receipt* You have 24, so after those first eight, they'd be the regular price.

Woman: The signs didn't say that!!!!! *at this point, her voice as gotten almost shrill enough to make my ears bleed* You have to give it to me for the price it says! I don't care about some stupid limit!!!

Me: I'm sorry, but I can't do that. We put the limits in place for all our customers so everyone who wants some has a chance at them.

Woman: Well fine! I don't want ANY OF THEM!

And before I could even blink, she picked up one of the cans from the cart and threw it AT MY HEAD! I managed to move just enough that it missed me and instead hit the cabinet behind me which, combined with her screeching and my loud and immediate response of "What the HELL lady?!", drew the attention of my manager who escorted her out of the building with her shopping and told her never to come back.

The whole thing was just unreal. I've had angry customers before, but that one was a first. And all over some cheap nasty cream of mushroom soup...

[mysticgirl5]

What an asshole! Thank God it didn't hit you...stupid bitch, I'm so glad she got banned! What kind of person does that?! If I was Queen of the World, there'd be a stoning in the village square and everyone could throw cans of soup at her crazy ass and see how she likes it.

[EvilEmpryss]

OMG! I'm so glad you were able to dodge that! That could have easily been a nasty ending.

I'm also glad your manager kicked the bitch out of the store. I'd have liked to read that she was detained for the police to come and be charged with assault, but this is better than nothing.

[CrystalynRose]

Normally my reflexes aren't quite that good, so I think it was sheer luck that I managed to dodge it. Had it hit me, there definitely would have been charges. I'm just happy at this point she's not allowed back. They've got her picture up for employees and managers so if she's seen, the cops can be called and she'll get charged with trespassing.

[Monterey Jack]

Wow, what a loon. If it were me she were throwing that can at, I would have had to restrain myself from jumping over the counter and throttling her.

Then again, I wear glasses, so the idea of any object flying towards my unprotected face fills me with dread.

Most customers at my store get around the "limit [number] per purchase" thing by just insisting that we break up their order into however many individual transactions as needed, which always ticks me off.

[XCashier]

It must be Bitch Day today! All the psycho hosebeasts came out to harrass store employees and demand discounts they're not entitled to. And we're the ones who have to deal with them...

I am so glad you were able to dodge that can; it could've caused a nasty injury or worse. Further glad she was banned; would've been better if she were arrested, but we'll take what justice we can get.

[Pixilated]

I would've been hard pressed not to pick the damn can up and hurl it back at her.

Kudos to your manager for making sure there were consequences to her behaviour!

[Food Lady]

She should've been charged anyway. It was still assault. I shudder to think what would've happened had it been me; I am already recovering from a brain injury. If a can of soup hit me, well, I don't even want to think of it.

[wolfie]

Too bad (making an assumption based on "large grocery store) you don't work at the only grocery store in a small town. That way, banned soup-thrower would have to travel MILES out of her way on every subsequent grocery shopping trip.

[eltf177]

I personally would have handed her merchandise back, tell her absolutely _NO_ refunds and to leave and _NEVER_ come back!

[Shironu-Akaineko]

I'm actually glad your manager didn't then turn around to tell you to watch your language in front of customers (I know at least one who WOULD do that).

Double yay for banhammer!

[Dreamstalker]

Most customers at my store get around the "limit [number] per purchase" thing by just insisting that we break up their order into however many individual transactions as needed, which always ticks me off.

A way to combat that would be linking quantity sales to a given customer card per day (if an SC is trying 4 groups of 8 using one store card, it would reject the extras and need manager approval to override).

Then again, that might cause even more meltdowns...

[downforit2008]

I've had angry customers throw things at me before! They miss every time because I always manage to duck, having very fast reflexes.
And they get even more PISSED just BECAUSE they missed me! Oh, I am SO sorry that I took away your satisfaction of being able to render me unconscious with some kind of head injury just because YOU want to try to attack an employee in order to make your problems all go away! And each time, I am tempted to throw something back at them, or to smash their head in with a swing of a baseball bat.

Thank God I don't work Retail anymore. I'm in construction, and we don't get any piss-ant customers waltzing onto a hard-hat required construction site screeching, "GIVE ME SERVICE!" with their screaming brat kids in tow.

[mhkohne]

Thank God I don't work Retail anymore. I'm in construction, and we don't get any piss-ant customers waltzing onto a hard-hat required construction site screeching, "GIVE ME SERVICE!" with their screaming brat kids in tow.

That's awesome - if they do walk in and start screaming, you'd be remiss if you didn't throw them out, wouln't you.

[EvilEmpryss]

Thank God I don't work Retail anymore. I'm in construction, and we don't get any piss-ant customers waltzing onto a hard-hat required construction site screeching, "GIVE ME SERVICE!" with their screaming brat kids in tow.

You've cursed yourself now. I've had people do this in machine shops where coolant and metal shavings are flying in a five-foot radius. When a speshul snowflake thinks their problem is paramount, it doesn't matter what dangers stand in their way. It's almost like they think it's an epic quest, and all the hurdles just confirm the righteousness of their cause.