Always so expensive!!

[Shmuggly]

Background:
So at my little convenience booth, we tend to charge at least a few dollars more for our cigarettes than most places. I'm not entirely sure the reason, I suspect it has something to do with our mall's ridiculous rental fees, but it doesn't really matter in the end. The prices have been set by the higher ups, and there's nothing me or my boss can do about it.
What gets annoying though, is that almost every fifth customer that buys our cigarettes has to tell us exactly how expensive they are, and tell us *random competitor's* price. Its gotten to the point where each time I ring in a pack, I pause for a couple seconds. I just wait for the outburst and they either buy it anyway or march off.
This particular Sucky Customer story embodies all of those tiresome complainers and really points out how stupid they can be.

SC: Can I get a pack of *generic brand* cigarettes?
me: Sure, that will be *.**
SC: What? That's ridiculous!
me: It sure is.
SC: That is so expensive!! *random other store* is so much cheaper!!
me: Yup.
SC: I could just go right there (points out the door), just a short walk out the parking lot, and get them for 2 dollars cheaper!!
me: You sure cou-
SC: No, you're not understanding me here, I could just walk right out those doors, across the parking lot, and across *street name* street right now and get them for 2 dollars cheaper!!
me: I heard you the first time.
SC: Fine I'll buy them (grumpily hands me money)
me: Thanks, have a great day.
SC: This is highway robbery!


Whenever someone says to me, "But they're cheaper at *other place*", all I can think of is "Then why don't you go to *other place*?!"

[bhskittykatt]

They could get them at the other place, but that would require them to go across the whole parking lot AND a street! It would take effort!

[rose_metal_nz]

Loved it! You handled all their ranting, and they were oblivious to it & how stupid they sounded!

[Zellie Crescent]

When I worked for Terry and Kevin I used to tell people that a lot, for Gamestop and eBay and they would still come back.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I actually hear this a lot too. How our competition (if you want to call it that, I think all the different chains have their own kind of focus, but whatever) has free shipping or never makes them wait for anything or actually stocks stuff in the store so the customer doesn't have to order it...blah blah blah blah blaaaaaah. So just go shop in those other stores then, if they're so great. They're all too expensive for me, except for a few trinkets now and then. There must be SOME reason you keep coming back to us, so either reassure yourself with lovely thoughts of those reasons, or go away.

[fireheart]

I actually told a guy that he should stick to shopping online once in a store that I visit almost religiously. I was a customer, a regular, and got along well with the staff.

He was bitching about the cost of handheld DS sets, particularly the secondhand ones (he was actually getting a pretty good deal, given that DS Lite handsets there are less than $100, DSi's are $125, DSiXL's are around $169 and 3DS's are around the same secondhand) and how in one case, it was missing a stylus. Usually if there's some cosmetic flaw with it (i.e. cracked hinge or stylus missing), they'll make a note of it and maybe reduce the price.

He basically wanted the store in question to charge him the price online. I asked him why he wouldn't go online and he said that he wanted the stuff NOW. I haven't seen him in the store since .

[MetalSeagull]

I remember a teacher who told us that the 3 factors in life are Time, Energy, and Money. You can get more of one, but you'll have to spend the other two to get it.

It's not always true, but it works out pretty often.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Heard a similar conversation at Starbucks.

Person would whinge on about how the coffee at Starbucks was so much more expensive than it was at the Dunkin Donuts three stores down on the strip mall.

Every day for a month this person would come in and complain how he was getting charged an arm and a leg for a urine sample cup sized coffee when he could get a huge coffee at Dunkin Donuts for a quarter of what he's paying.

At one point the person behind the counter piped up and said "And yet every day you come here. Why?" to which he replied "because I can't get [insert overly long named and way over complicated to make coffee beverage] there."

I'm not certain but I think the entire line facepalmed at the same time. Next day he was back and yes he again bitched about the price of the coffee.

[ackmeow]

Bweheheheh. Welcome, shmugs. This forum will cleanse your life.

[Crossbow]

I remember a teacher who told us that the 3 factors in life are Time, Energy, and Money. You can get more of one, but you'll have to spend the other two to get it.

It's not always true, but it works out pretty often.

More often than not, I'd say.

I had some twit pull the "I can get this at XXXXX for less!" in front of me at a gas station a few months back. I just had to pipe up with "And yet here you are, standing around and making me wait." All said with the sweetest smile I could muster (meaning bared fangs and all). Funny, he paid quickly and left.

[Golden Phoenix]

Some days i drift off and wistfully dream of a time when i could actually say "well go there then" to a customer.

*sigh*

I need to open a shop purely to sass the customers.

Anyone wanna work for me? We all shall ahve spines of steel and the customer is always wrong. You can swear at them, and tell them exactly why they are wrong, and provided you have less than half your shift to go and you don't get plastered you're allowed to drink...cookies will be provided free of charge every day.

Paradise.

[sms001]

Welcome Shmuggly!

I had some twit pull the "I can get this at XXXXX for less!".... had to pipe up with "And yet here you are, standing around and making me wait."

Did essentially the same thing last week. Guy was moaning and groaning and I interjected with "I'm ready to pay that for smokes RIGHT NOW." Got a good snort out of the cashier and a CBF from Mr. Whiney.

[Merriweather]

Some days i drift off and wistfully dream of a time when i could actually say "well go there then" to a customer.

*sigh*

I need to open a shop purely to sass the customers.

Anyone wanna work for me? We all shall ahve spines of steel and the customer is always wrong. You can swear at them, and tell them exactly why they are wrong, and provided you have less than half your shift to go and you don't get plastered you're allowed to drink...cookies will be provided free of charge every day.

Paradise.

And all of us here will shop there, and you'll treat us like royalty cause we actually know how to behave

[EricKei]

I'd come work there. Just get me a ticket across the pond and a work visa >_>

[Nemesis44UK]

Where do I sign up? You sound like the world's best boss!