Sorry, Your Happiness Is Not Worth My Job

[Record Store Tough Guy]

We used to get the 3x3 flats of cover artwork advertising new and upcoming releases at the record store. I have three, myself (Spiderman 2, the Legend of Cash, and Cake's Pressure Chief, along with a 2x2 of Tenacious D's Complete Master works). We got to keep them when we took them down. We used to let customers reserve them, until one lady got pissy about her flats. I don't even remember what happened; I think there was a mix up and hers got switched with someone else's. I wasn't there, but you can imagine the suckiness. After that, we stopped giving them to customers (unless they were regulars, and we liked them), and just told people we had to give them back to the record labels.

Back in the 90s, though, they made 1x1 cards with some promo stuff on one side, and the album cover on the other. The reps would come in and make a 3x3 grid to start, then make these freakin' sweet 3D displays using a stack of these cards. I saved the one for Jagged Little Pill (had to rebuild it once I got home, actually) and gave it to a girl I was crazy about.

[TwoScoopsSciath]

My movie swag come from these two cons I go to in Roanoke/Blacksburg. I had a whole bunch of stand-ups, t-shirts, buttons... *sigh* I love those cons!

[RammsteinGirl]

I've had customers come up with clothing that had a VERY small, almost nonexistent snag on it or a small spot and want a deep discount on it since it's "damaged." What we normally do is offer to take 10% off the item, but for some people, that's not enough, and they'll sneer, "WELL THEN I don't want it!!!"

Everyone here knows that childrens' clothing is expensive, right? A lady brings up a shirt that WAS a part of a $25 toddler shirt and pants set. The pants got lost. She wanted to know if she could just buy the shirt, and I asked a softlines associate about it and she said to offer her $6.00 for the shirt. The lady snorts in a very rude tone, "I'm NOT paying $6.00 for a shirt!!!" I mean come on, that's nearly half off ($25 for the set, both pieces figuring out to $12.50 each) so that's a good offer. Can you say CHEAP? Good luck finding ANY shirt, adult, toddler or otherwise for less than $6.00, unless you're at a freakin' yard sale!

[ArenaBoy]

Posters

I have a lightpost banner (Those things you see hanging from lampposts) of Paul McCartney when he came here to play. Although I have yet to find a decent place to hang it, that thing is huge.

[bainsidhe]

My sister used to be a huge Tommy Lee Jones fan. When the first LOTR movie came out, the local theatre was creating a hobbit hut/home/hill, whatever it is called and was using this huge Men in Black poster for a drop cloth. I probably pestered that poor manager to death and was ever so thankful. I scrubbed off all the paint and presented my sis with it for Christmas. It was so big that it was too long to hang on our apartment wall. As in, it was longer than the wall.

I used to also work in a video store. When the last U2 CD came out, I got the cardboard backdrop that showed the band, a little smaller than life size. My sis, who is now a huge U2 fan, was very excited.

I'm a great sis who loves getting free stuff

[Lady Heather]

Hot Discount

I have asked, and recieved (I flirted shamelessly) advertisment posters. The movie theater I worked at would hand out fake money for doing crappy jobs and you could "buy" the movie posters. My store does sell some of the stuff, you just have to beat the employees to it. Oh and NOT being an ass helps too.
But when we have been told by the DM it would cost us our jobs, NO!

The Mallrats always ask for a discount. I do not understand why the adults do. I am supposed to making the store $$$. Not discounting stuff when there is nothing wrong with it! The Boss called me today on my day off with this one:

Boss: Hello! How-
Jerk: Your going to discount this for me, right?
Boss: Is there something wrong with it?
Jerk: No. I just want a discount.
Boss: Sorry sir I can't do that.
Jerk: I always get discounts!
Boss: Here? At this store?
Jerk: Yeah! Here!
Boss: I'm sorry sir. We don't do that. I can't discount this.
Jerk: The old manager did! (That manager quit over a year ago)
Boss: I won't discount it sir. Do you still want it?
Jerk: Fine but I'm not shopping here again! I've get discounts all the time! Most women think I'm hot!

Hot but stupid. Boss called me and could not stop laughing. Every store has a "Hot Discount" option apparently. The percent off is determined by how "Hot" the customer is of course. Boss said the Jerk was only 15% Hot anyway.

[Marxfan]

Boss: I won't discount it sir. Do you still want it?
Jerk: Fine but I'm not shopping here again! I've get discounts all the time! Most women think I'm hot!

"Sorry to burst your bubble, sir, but they didn't give you discounts because they thought you were hot. They gave you discounts because they thought you were poor and pathetic."

[greensinestro]

Oh, yes, the typical "you make me a happier customer by breaking the rules for me and not someone else" syndrome! I deal with it almost every day, particularly when it's someone wanting me to not protect the security of a person they are calling in for.

SC: I just need to know how much my mother-in-law's bill is.
Me: I can't do that, sir. It's in her name and it does not show we can discuss it with you.
SC: Sure, you can. I'm married to her daughter and have every right to know! I'm the customer, dammit!

Whatever!

[CreepyCarrie]

I have a lovely official double sided movie poster for Titanic. That movie came out when I was 11, and I went to the same theater to see it 14 times (once a weekend, every weekend, for almost 4 months....all my allowance money that year went to movie tickets ). As a result, I became quite friendly with the employees and the manager. When they finally stopped showing Titanic, they saved the poster for me.

[XCashier]

SC-"You don't have to check that. Just give me my change."
LH-"Sorry Ma'am I have to check all $20 $50 and $100 bills."
SC-"I just got it from my bank!"
That's what the SC said yesterday that tried to pay with a $5.00 that had been bleached and reprinted as a $50.00.

Methinks the laddie doth protest too much. Got a guilty conscience there, SC? Why else would you put up so much fuss over someone holding your bill up to the light?

When someone vehemently protests normal procedures like checking bills, it's almost guaranteed that they're a scammer.