Tis the season, y’all.

It’s that time of year again!!! The time of year when apparently “peace, love, and joy” is over and replaced by people thinking they’re entitled to anything and everything!

I work in a retail store that sells quite a bit of Christmas merchandise. And of course people by these things for gifts as well as buying Christmas bags and paper. Which is fine. With the Christmas gifts such as specifically Christmas shirts (you know, the simply southern or Puppie Love or Life Is Good Christmas shirts), we tell customers that they CAN NOT be returned after Christmas <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glow.android.eve">Eve</a> (closed Christmas Day)!!! It does not matter if the shirt doesn’t fit or if the person receives more than one of these items. The only way we are allowed to return it is if it is DAMAGED. Says so right on the receipt. Same goes for the paper and bags and everything else Christmas related.

Why?

Because the day after Christmas all of that stuff goes 50% off! Therefore our store would be losing money by returning or even exchanging these items.

This also goes for anyone buying these items on sale after Christmas. Sale items can not be returned unless damaged.

This store has had this policy every year since opening 30+ years ago!

Now, I am a college student, as are most of my coworkers and we’re all girls. We’re all part time making minimum wage.

Onto the main part of my story.

I go to work last night and my coworker and I are cleaning and helping customers. Making sure the store looks neat.

Well, this man comes in. He’s probably around 40ish and this is a big man, muscly.

He’s carrying a bag. I didn’t see him come into the store, but I saw him walking up to the register.

I am the “oldest young person” at my job. And I have been working there longer than the coworker I was with that night.

When this guy comes up to the register he asks to return something. And my coworker asks me to come to the register. Okay no big deal, I know our policy and I know how to tell customers no.

So I come up and this guy explains that he bought too many Christmas bags (he had 10) and wanted to return them. I told him that our policy is that we can not return anything Christmas unless they are damaged since they are now half off. He starts getting visibly angry and tells me he just bought them Christmas Day (lol I wanted to tell him we were closed Christmas Day, but I decided that battle wasn’t worth fighting). And that they had never been taken out of the bag.

I again explain the policy, and show him where it says the policy on his receipt as well as the signs posted at the front of the registers that we can not return any merchandise that is now on sale.

He starts YELLING at us! Telling us how stupid we are and how stupid our policy is. He tells us he can’t wait to complain on us and hopes we lose our jobs. He asks for the manager. I told him, very calmly, that our manager was not in. He asks for her phone number and I tell him we are not allowed to give our phone numbers or anyone’s schedule (company policy). And of course he’s even more angry. Again, screaming at us about how we don’t know what good customer service is and that we shouldn’t be working if we can’t make the customer happy. Talking about how the customer is always right and that he deserves a refund PLUS a discount or more money back for the trouble we’ve put him through.

Finally, he slams his fist down on our counter and yells at me to give him his money. At this point, my coworker and I are almost in tears, so I’m just like whatever. And I tell him I can give him store credit which we’re not supposed to do either for returning sale.

Slams his fist down again. Says he wants his money.

So okay. Fine. I tell him okay and that we can put it back on his card since he paid with his card! He rolls his eyes and says that he wants cash. I explain to him that since he paid CREDIT, it HAS to go back on the card. At this point I’ve had enough so I flat out told him he can either have store credit, have it put back on his card, or he can leave without a return.

He doesn’t say anything and just throws his card down on the counter. My coworker starts returning the bags and tells him he’ll have to insert his card. He does and says “thanks for wasting my time”. Then the receipts print and when we do a return the customer has to sign our copy. She tells him and the man wants to know why we need his name and phone number because “we’re too young for him”. My coworker then explains that it’s company policy to make sure someone really did come in with a return.

Finally, the guy signs and leaves.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO FURIOUS! I am 20 and my coworker is 17. HOW DARE HE ACT LIKE THAT! We were just doing our jobs! Just keep the stupid bags for next year! It’s not my policy, it’s the COMPANY’S.

I’m so sick of retail. You can tell who has worked in the service industry and who hasn’t. I can’t wait to have an actual career. I know that people will still be people, but at least I’ll be working in a field I WANT to be in and not working it just because I need the money.

So yeah. I know the holidays are stressful for everyone, but as a retail worker, please be considerate of those working in the service industry. I can assure you that we are just a tad bit more stressed than most people during this time of year. Return policies suck, but honestly, we don’t make the rules! We only enforce them in the best way we can.

The customer is not always right. Please realize that we are humans too and deserve respect.