My Job...
Most of the time I love my job, but there are a few people who just make me want to scream.
The Obligatory Background Information:
I manage a small, independently owned 2nd-hand bookstore. Basically, people bring books they no longer want to the store, we sort through them and give a percentage of the original cover price in trade for store credit or, on occasion, cash. Only the store owner and myself (as manager Woo!) can pay out cash for books. My co-worker is only allowed to give store credit and generally doesn't deal with large numbers of non-fiction books.
I also have the authority to give small discounts on large purchases.
When you enter the store, there's a display table with a selection of higher priced books, very good quality books and just-come-in books on it. These books do not get marked down any farther until they've been there for several months.
Paperbacks are sold for half of the original cover price with a few exceptions. They don't get additional discounts unless you're buying a BIG pile of stuff then it's at my discretion. If you've been a PITA, you don't a get a discount. If you've been a nice, polite customer, you'll probably get a small discount.
The Story of a Jerk Who Wants BIG Discounts:
One of our semi-regular customers is a guy who comes in about once, maybe twice a month and picks up anywhere from 2 to 6 books from the display table at the front of the store. His total usually comes to between $30 and $90.
He ALWAYS want a BIG discount and is a pushy jerk about it. And when I say 'pushy jerk' I mean f*cking dick-head. He nearly had my less-than-a-month-working-there-at-the-time co-worker in tears with his bullying. She ended up calling me on my day off, when I had a fever of 104F to get the dick to leave. I regret to say I did end up authorizing a discount of about $5 on a $70 purchase just to make him leave. He was told he'd have to deal either directly with me or the boss from then on, no more phone calls, ever.
Since then he's been back several times saying that the owner ALWAYS gives him AT LEAST 25% off his purchase. Uh, no. I'd already asked the owner about this twit and his super special discount. Turns out my boss had no idea who the guy was.
Each time he came in, he was told that no, he didn't get to name his own price. He could pay what the books cost or set them aside for the owner to decide on a discount. He'd sort through the books he'd picked that day and usually put one or 2 of the books I COULD offer discounts on back. Then he'd want me to give him the same dollar discount on the reduced total.
For example, one time he brought the following up to the cash:
2 just-came-in books for $10 each = $20 (no discount allowed)
2 perfect condition, high demand books for $15 each = $30 (no discount allowed)
3 old hardcover books that had been forgotten in the window for the last year and are sun-faded for $10 each = $30 (can give a $10 discount) (These 3 books really should have been tossed into our donate-to-charity box long ago but I hadn't had the time to pull apart the window display in far too long.)
Total before discounts = $80
Total with the discounts on the old books = $70
The guy then decided he didn't want the 3 old hardcover books.
New total = $50
Except he still wanted the $10 discount off of the $50. He couldn't seem to grasp the fact that the discount was ONLY for the crappy old books, not the good ones.
He was finally told that if he didn't want to pay for the books he was welcome to leave without them. He paid but was NOT HAPPY.
He came back this past week wanting a BIG discount on stuff I wasn't willing to discount. I got seriously fed up with his bullying and told him (politely) I would no longer be giving him ANY discounts and he'd HAVE to deal with the owner. I told him when the owner would be in and I could set the books aside with his name on them. He finally agreed to do that. Then he added a couple of those older, crappy hardcover books that I could have discounted to the pile. D'oh!
He did come back and deal with the owner and was told that any future discounts would have to go through him. YAY!
I'm actually looking forward to the guy coming back just to see what he does.
Other People Want Free Books Because They're USED Books:
A couple come in asking about a certain non-fiction book. They'd already looked on the shelf and didn't see it there. I pulled out my handy-dandy step ladder and checked the box of extras on the 'Employees Only' shelves. Amazingly I found what they were looking for. Woo!
It was a hardcover that had a couple of tears in the dust jacket. They asked if that was the best price I could do. Since the book had been in a box, unwanted for so long, I agreed to mark it down to $6.95 from $9.95. Yay for good discounts right?
Not so much. They picked out 2 more books for about $12 each that were in perfect condition. Then they wanted another $5 off because the book I'd already marked down wasn't in perfect condition. They weren't impressed when I pointed out that I'd ALREADY given them a discount on the not-perfect book and the others were actually LESS THAN HALF of the original prices.
Them: But they're USED.
Me: It's... a used bookstore.
Them: ...
Me: Do you still want the books?
Them: FINE.
Sigh. Next time go to Chapters and Spend $50 more for the same books. If they're still in print and you can find them.
One of the perks of the job is that I don't have to put up with unreasonable crap from people. (Yes, I could actually have told the first jerk to leave but I kinda enjoyed telling him NO.)
So far I've only had to deal with 2 'toss-em-outs' and 1 warning.
The warning was to a 13-or-so-year-old talking on his cell phone. Loudly.
Kid: Dude, just F*CK OFF ALREADY!!!!
Me: Watch your language please.
Kid: Says who?
Me: I do. My store, my rules. Or you can leave.
Woman who was with the Kid: You heard her...
Kid: FINE!!! *slams cell phone shut and stomps to the door* Lets get out of here!
Woman who was with the Kid: I'll be done in a minute, you can either be quiet or wait outside.
I kinda love that woman.
Toss-em-out #1:
A 13-or-so-year-old who had already been semi-banned from our old store location due to not leaving the store cat alone was given a 2nd chance if he promised to behave himself. His cat-manners did improve (mainly because the cat would wander off when he came in, smart kitty that she is!) but he decided to be an ass to me instead. Joy.
He was given the usual warning that the store will be CLOSED in 2 minutes. He was sitting at the front of the store reading a Harry Potter book. Yes, he heard me.
I had a few things to do to close for the day (close the blinds, turn off the lights in the back room, turn the signs to 'CLOSED') so left him there until I was done.
I then went and specifically told him that I was now CLOSED. His response? 'Duh, I know, I'm just gonna finish this chapter' as he turns to the 2nd page in a new chapter. Riiight. I took the book away from him and told him to get out and don't bother to come back.
Toss-em-out #2:
A group of 5, 13-or-so-year-olds (Yes, it seems to be a theme!) came in just to be annoying. One of them asked what would happen if they knocked over a bookshelf and another asked what would happen if he kicked the cat.
Me: Okayyyy, time for you guys to leave...
They weren't serious, just annoying.
On the up-side I have a lot of fantastic customers who I just love to see walk in the door.
There's my 'Egg Lady' who used to bring me farm fresh eggs when she still had chickens.
There's B who brings me a banana or a cookie whenever she comes in.
There's S who always asks about my cats and brings me pictures of her cat and her mother's cat. Two of my cats, her cat and her mother's cat are the kittens of the store cat so we're practically family! :)
There's the woman who keeps coming back to ask for book recommendations because she's loved the ones I've suggested so far.
Not all of my favourite customers bring me 'bribes'. There's T and R and K and the rest of the alphabet who just make me smile simply because they're nice people.
I'm lucky to have a job that I like.
TL;DR
I love my job even when I have to deal with jerks who want BIG discounts.