Read the damn signs! (Me a Jackass)

[Plaidman]

Wow. Two jackasses, and I gave it right back to them. The first one I totally went overboard, and if he does call corporate, I'll be honest. It be a write up, but hey, I did go overboard.

Change the Sign!

On our coke cooler, we have a sign that states B1G1 Free Orange Juice with Coupon! After we ran out of coupons, we wrote OUT over the empty ticket holder.

Naturally this is just too hard to understand for this jackass. He has came in several times now, screaming he can't get a free orange juice.

SC: This is False advertisment!!
ME: Not really. You need a coupon. Coupons are out.
SC: If I ran a store, I would give the juice out!
ME: And you would lose so much money.
SC: YOu need to take that sign off!
ME: Coke pays us for that. No.
SC: ITS False advertisment!
ME: BITE ME.
SC: ?!!??! What?
ME: I said BITE ME, Jackass!
SC: Oh bite me huh? Jackass? I thought this was your friendly neighborhood convience stores.
ME: Not to assholes like you.
SC: .... Your going to get fired. I'm calling your superiors.
ME: Awesome.

Learn. To. READ.
SIDE NOTE: Our system sucks. If people bring up non-food, and food, and pay with a foodstamp card, we can't void anything after the foodstamp card goes through. So if somethings not covered, and they don't want it, its a real big hassle to get it to be fixed, which requires putting their PIN number in several times. Its a big hassle, and almost feels like a scam.

A youngist /punk/ man came up with three big bags of MEOW MIX cat food, and food. He pulled out a food card.
ME:"You do know that your cat food isnt covered, and is over twenty dollars right?"
SC: How the F*** is it over twenty dollars? The sign says 3 dollars!
ME: No, their 6.89 each.
SC: "Well your sign says 3 dollars. I want them for 3 dollars.
ME: .... show me.

So we go over to the cat food. He first points to the tag that clearly says ALLEY CAT food.
ME: That's ALLY Cat, not MEOW mix.
SC: *Now he points to a old, faded sticker thats partly on. One of those old fashion by hand tags that are shatterd throughout oriental stores.* THERE!
ME: ... That's not even a full tag man, it just shows a 3, and barely at that!
SC: "Well thats the price!!!"
ME: No, its not. Period. That's the price, it even has its name on it!" *points ot the meow mix tag*
SC: *growls at me, and we both go to the counter*
ME: DO you still want them??"
SC: WHY THE F*** Wouldn't I!?
ME: Just asking. Its over 20 dollars.
SC: WHat, you think I don't have any money?.
ME: Just asking. *we ring everything through, and he pays cash for the cat food*
SC: You know, you need to show some f***ing respect to me. I'm the customer.
ME: You know, you need to learn to read. Alley Cat. Meow Mix. Difference.
SC: OH! You don't think I Can read!!!!?
ME: ... you've proven it.
SC: NO! THAT TAG SAID 3 dollars!!!

At this point several customers are idly watching. Includign one old man.
THe punk storms out screaming more profanties, threaten to kick my crosseyed ass. The old man eyes widen.
OLD MAN: Jackass.... *takes his coat off and puts in the counter*
ME: Dude.. what? NO WAIT!

But he doesn't hear me and storms outside. Now people are all watching out the door.

OLDMAN: HEY! JACKASS!!! YOU WANT TO FIGHT!!!

The punk about to get into his car stops and stares. I'm trying to knock on the window and stop the old man. *Yeah, in hindsight I should have called the police*

They are talking, I can't really hear too much of whats going on, but the punk looks freaked out. He dives into his car and takes off. The old man comes back in, with some shattered applause.

ME: .... thank you bro, but you really didn't have to do that.
OLDMAN: .... I wanted to. What a punk. He was wrong, and took it out on you. When I said you want fight, do you know what he said?
ME: ??? What?
OLDMAN: He pointed to his kid and asked If I could handle beating him in front of his son!
ME: .... he wanted to use his kid as bodyguard?
OLDMAN: I said I won't out of respect for his kid.
ME: .... bad...ass. thank you. Let me buy that candy bar for you.
OLDMAN: *drops money on counter, doesn't say anything and just leaves*.

[Gerrinson]

So, in the second story, are you trying to say Clint Eastwood shops at your store?

[tropicsgoddess]

Hats off to the old man! Way to have that punk leave with his tail between his legs!

[Jester]

OLDMAN: He pointed to his kid and asked If I could handle beating him in front of his son!

The real question is whether the punk could have handled having an old man kick his ass in front of his kid!

[RayvenQ]

The real question is whether the punk could have handled having an old man kick his ass peroid

Adjusted

[Mikkel]

I almost pity the punk, to act so badass and then be outed as the coward he is. It must have been really humiliating.
Of course I pity his kid more .

[South Texan]

SC: You need to take that sign off!
ME: Coke pays us for that. No.

The SC has a point. It makes no sense to continue to display an advertisement if you no longer are offering the promotion. All it does is frustrate customers.

ME: BITE ME.
SC: ?!!??! What?
ME: I said BITE ME, Jackass!
SC: Oh bite me huh? Jackass? I thought this was your friendly neighborhood convenience stores.
ME: Not to assholes like you.

And yes, you went WAY overboard in how you reacted. I hope you still have a job if he complains.

Had you said something empathetic like you see the problem and also would like to take the sign down, but the store is bound by contract to keep it up even when the coupons run out, you might at least have transfered his anger to the Coca Cola company rather than being directed toward you.

[jackfaire]

we have a sign that states B1G1 Free Orange Juice with Coupon! .

That makes sense to me.

The SC has a point. It makes no sense to continue to display an advertisement if you no longer are offering the promotion. All it does is frustrate customers.

Only the ones that can't or won't read where it says with coupon. I have seen sales like this that went on for months and every time new inventory came in there were more coupons.

I would expect customers to read and the reasonable response then would be, "Do you expect more coupons in?" If then answer is no then comment, "Well it sucks that Coke would make you keep it up if they aren't sending more coupons"

And yes I have had similar conversations with people where I was the customer and I took the time to read the advertisement and not just see the word Free.

[Broomjockey]

The SC has a point. It makes no sense to continue to display an advertisement if you no longer are offering the promotion. All it does is frustrate customers.

They could get more coupons in while the offer goes. There could be people with coupons from previous visits who would still like to know the offer is valid. There's plenty of valid reasons to keep the signage up.

[EricKei]

Same issue with, say, Wii's or 360's when they first came out. Stores had HUGE displays advertising a product which they only had a small number of (typically, 1 shipment per week which sold out in 30 minutes or less), for the simple reason that Corporate requires it. Then again, Corporate is who gets paid to advertise them, not the people at store level. It generally gets enforced via the "Well, if you are incapable of following a simple advertising guideline, we'll find someone who CAN do it..." x.x

[Plaidman]

They could get more coupons in while the offer goes. There could be people with coupons from previous visits who would still like to know the offer is valid. There's plenty of valid reasons to keep the signage up.

Broomjockey nailed it. Coke sellsperson comes in once a week to do order/make sure we're doing things right. He'll (she??) will put up more coupons occienesley.

[bainsidhe]

It also sounds like this guy does the screaming jerkface act each time he comes in with no coupons. It gets old quick. And the OP is fortunate to be in a job that allows some discretionary attitude towards customers. The conversation went downhill a tad quick, but I appreciate why the OP did it.

[Getpowned]

thats awesome

i just have to say that some people take so much advantage of the whole customer is always right thing, but the economy is getting really bad right now and as a business to keep people with jobs, busniess have to be uptight even with the most crappiest of things some times.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Kind of reminds me of the cigarette display in the petrol station. We have one brand of ciggies that no-one, repeat, NO-ONE ever buys; but we have to keep them up, cuz the brand pays for their ciggies to stay there. It bites, but there it is.

[Plaidman]

So bossman talked to me. He did call. No write up. Just asked what I did. Was honest. He belived me when I told him how he was acting.

He did tell me to bite my tongue more, and do slightly better remarks, like "I can totally let you out with the extra juice, but I'd have to charge for theft since no-one paid for it".

Bigboss didn't really seem to care, which was a surprise because she is normally totally customer sided. I love her, but and she thinks I do a great job.

I think the fact maybe I was totally honest rather then lie or denied, or soup it up might have helped, or maybe whatever the caller said might not have been very pleasent.


In any case, Decemember First that juice deal went down.