15 Retail Moments That Prove Working With People Is Completely Unforgettable

A store is a place where you can meet a stern man dreaming of a rug with kittens, and a young gentleman counting change for a chocolate bar for his first love, just on the same day. We’ve put together stories from people who stand behind the counter and know for certain: the customer is not always right, but is almost always incredibly interesting.

• I work in a children’s clothing store. One regular customer has always been buying tutu skirts for a girl. The same size every time. I became curious — why?
  I had a lot of ideas in my head. I found her on social media and was amazed. It turned out she was buying children’s clothes for a dog! Well, now at least I can sleep peacefully. © mommdarinka / Instagram
• I worked at a ridiculously upscale boutique retailer. We had a few billionaires who would book the store to shop privately.
  I offered one of them water or tea. No response. Repeated it louder, thinking she couldn’t hear me because she was elderly. And her husband said, “Oh, she doesn’t speak to the help.”
  Years later when I was managing it, we had great conversations. Always kind of respected the conviction. © GrantRae / Reddit
• Back in my student days, I worked in a store. We sold classic suits, priced from $2,500 to $3,000. A young couple came in — as it turned out, bride and groom. They were looking for a wedding suit.
  The price was steep, but they really liked it. I helped out. The bride really liked it, and so did the groom. The final amount came to $5,600 — for the suit, shirt, tie, and shoes.
  But it was clear that they couldn’t afford it and were embarrassed about the situation: I’d spent time on them, and they couldn’t buy the item. They thought about it for a long time, called someone — I realized they were borrowing from friends.
  Side note: twice a year, the store held a sale, and the sales staff found out the promotional prices about 2 days in advance. Hearing them borrowing money, I pulled the girl aside and quietly told her that a sale starts tomorrow and she needs to come exactly at 10 a.m. before anyone else buys their outfit. The price would be cut by half. She was delighted, told her future husband, and they left.
  The next morning they came promptly at 10, tried everything again, and successfully bought everything. About 15 minutes after the purchase, I stepped outside, and they were waiting for me near the store and handed me an invitation to the wedding.
  I thought for a long time whether to go or not, but in the end, I went. Now I’m the godfather of their children. Something like that. © lokomnaz94 / Pikabu

• I work in the bathroom accessories department. A guy came in today — tough-looking, muscular, obviously an athlete. He asks me to help him pick accessories for a shower in a fight club. We’ve selected everything except bath mats.
  That’s where it gets interesting — nothing seems to please him. After 40 minutes, I catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye that he’s eyeing a huge mat with kittens. Just a cute rug covered in little cat noses.
  Another 30 minutes go by, and we can’t settle on anything. Jokingly, I suggest those kittens to him. “Oh, miss, come on, the guys won’t understand!”
  I remind you — this guy is no less than 6 feet 10 inches tall. Bearded. After another 20 minutes, he leaves, looking dejected, without a rug. I head to another aisle to help other customers.
  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I notice someone sneaking around, clearly trying to hide from me. I turn around the corner and there’s this mountain of muscles with a happy grin, clutching an armful of kitten rugs, sprinting toward the checkout. It took me a long time to explain to my boss why I was crying with laughter. © DeanaDan / Pikabu

• I work in a large construction materials supermarket:
  "Excuse me, how much is that carpet over there?"
  "Which one?"
  "That one, for $650."
  "$650."
  "Thank you." © dpetr5 / Pikabu
• I sell paints, and something interesting happens here every day. Recently a person came and asked to tint his paint that was intended for indoor walls. I asked him what he was planning to paint.
  "What do you mean? The walls outside." I said that the paint is only suitable for indoor use and won't withstand temperature changes. "I wasn't asking you, just tint it, that's all," he replies.
  And sure enough, later he came back to complain that the paint was junk and that the sellers don't know anything. © ihappyrubka / Pikabu
• Once, we had computer mice "for women" in the store. They were beautiful, with patterns. A great thing, it's a pity they disappeared.
  A customer came specifically for one of these. She spent no less than an hour choosing and agonizing so much that I was exhausted myself. In the end, she says:
  "Well, I don't know! Which one is the best?"
  "Miss, they are all absolutely identical."
  "I mean — by color!" © Unknown author / Pikabu

• I work in a building materials store. There are 2 girls:
  “We want to buy this linoleum.”
  “What are the dimensions?”
  “98.5 cm by 145 cm.”
  “Is it for the pantry?”
  “Nooo! For the bedroom.”
  “Do you live in a box?”
  “It’s a normal room! We measured it ourselves!”
  I show a meter with a tape measure.
  “Your centimeters are kind of small. Ours are longer!”
  “Can I take a look?”
  They pull out a tape measure with inch markings.
  “See? You have short centimeters!” © dpetr5 / Pikabu
• It’s ridiculous the lengths that people go to to demand a discount. Someone was once buying some stupid reindeer antlers that were on clearance that were marked down to around 90%, so they were like 16 cents. Still wasn’t enough for this guy.
  Pitched a fit, said he spent X amount of money, so he deserves to have them for less. Walked out grumbling that our prices were “ridiculous.” © lost__wages / Reddit
• I work as a sales consultant in the children’s wooden toys and construction sets department. A dad with a baby in a stroller comes over, taking a long time to choose what he wants while I comment on the products. No matter what the father shows, the baby looks at me attentively, without blinking.
  After a long explanation and presentation of the toys to the boy, the dad sighs and says, “Sorry, Max, but I can’t buy you the lady.” He sighs sadly and leaves. © DarkDuchess / Pikabu

• A customer was with her family and was buying a huge basket of clothes and in amongst them were a pair of shoes with no bar code on them. In instances like these they usually have a back up number printed somewhere on them just in case.
  Whilst I was looking for it, she was like, “Oh, we should get those for free because we’re spending so much!” My reply (the same as it has been for a while now) was just, “I’m afraid not, though I can always double the price!” That always gets a deer in headlights look until they realize I’m playing. © TRFKTA / Reddit
• A guy came in, asked for help choosing some flooring. I gave him a “tour,” and explained the pros and cons of different types of flooring. He made his choice, handed me a paper with a list clearly detailing what and how much he needed, and asked me to arrange delivery. After a few minutes fiddling with the computer, I printed the invoice and gave him the delivery documents:
  “And then what do I do next?”
  “You go and arrange the delivery over there.”
  “And then what do I do next?”
  “You go home, have some tea with jam, and wait for your delivery.”
  “And then what do I do next?”
  That’s when I paused:
  “I don’t know, maybe just keep on living somehow.”
  He left, and I stood there thinking, “And what do I do next?” © dpetr5 / Pikabu
• Long ago, I worked as a sales representative, selling confectionery. In the store I visited for work, a customer was interrogating the seller for half an hour, asking, is it tasty? What’s in it? And other questions. She left satisfied afterward.
  The seller sighed and said, “Geez, am I supposed to try everything here?!” And then she started asking me the same questions, “Is this tasty? How about that one?” © OttudaGde.G / Pikabu

• I work in a store. I was checking the fitting rooms as usual, and found an earring on the floor. I decided to take it to the cash register, and at that moment a woman with one earring in her ear was checking out. I said, “I think this is yours.” I returned the earring and left.
  A few minutes later, she found me and said that the earrings were very valuable to her, thanked me many times, and handed me $50. Unexpected, but certainly nice. © askarkyzy_23 / Threads
• I work in a store. Today, a boy about 5–6 years old came in, carrying some change he had collected over a long time. He said, “Excuse me, I want to buy this chocolate, can I pay like this?” Without hesitation, I agreed. As I was counting, I asked him:
  “Where did you get all this change? It seems like you’ve been collecting it for a while. Did you really want this chocolate that much?”
  “No, it’s not for me, I just want to give it to someone.”
  At that moment, I understood everything. When I finished counting, I realized there wasn’t enough. But I didn’t let it show, as I understood this was important to him. He thanked me, went over to a girl, and through the window, I saw this beautiful scene: they started eating the chocolate together and walked away.
  At that moment, I realized that if a man truly wants something, he’ll make it happen. Even if that man is only 5–6 years old. © sima_d110 / Threads

And here are stories about retail workers who have superhuman patience.