Working in retail means dealing with all kinds of customers, some more demanding than others.

When one couple pushed for a physical manual for a camera that didn’t come with one, one electronics store employee gave them an unforgettably slow solution that made them regret ever asking.

Read on for the full story!

You want the manual physically, Okay

Five years ago, I used to work for a large electronics store in Scandinavia. We sold everything from TVs to dishwashers.

Being a physical store, we had many display items and often sold them at a lower price when the product was discontinued. Please note that we rarely had the original packaging or manuals lying around—this will be important.

This story takes place on a late afternoon, about 30 minutes before closing.

I worked this shift in the computer department and was asked to help at the camera section of the store since I was the go-to person for cameras.

As they talked to the customers, it seemed like business as usual.

I was greeted by a couple, who I would guess were in their late 50s, and they were looking at one of the display models.

I walked them through the camera’s specs, let them test it out, and explained that while we had all the necessary accessories, the original manual and packaging were thrown away.

They seemed perfectly fine with this, especially after I offered them a fantastic deal on the camera.

But it turns out, they weren’t fine with it.

We headed to the checkout, where they paid, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. That is until the husband turned to me and asked, “Where’s the manual?”

I thought, Oh shoot, maybe I didn’t explain it well enough.

I started to explain again, reiterating that we didn’t have the original manual but that it was easily accessible online. I had even included a link to the manual on their receipt.

So then the husband flew off the handle.

This was not taken well by the husband, who started raising his voice at me and said, “Online? I bought this product, and I want the manual physically so I can read through it at home.”

The customer tried to be nice, and explained their limitations.

I understood his frustration and tried explaining that I normally would print the manual.

However, the manual for this particular camera was about 650 pages.

Please note that they were both more than capable of looking up the manual, as I saw them browsing the web, looking at reviews for the camera.

But of course, the customer wasn’t really listening.

The husband angrily berated me for about five minutes, complaining about how this wasn’t a way to run a business and how he wouldn’t leave without the manual.

I tried explaining that the manual was 650 pages and how long that would take to print, especially since we were closing in about 10 minutes.

But he was having none of it and insisted he wouldn’t leave without it.

So the employee decided, since reason wasn’t working, he might as well give the customer what he asked for.

Now, I am normally a kind and respectful person and would do everything to fix a problem. But he was being disrespectful, and I was paid by the hour anyway.

So with my best customer service voice, I told him, “Sorry, sir, of course, the customer is always right,” and started printing the 650 pages.

The husband looked smug, probably feeling like he had won over the “big man.”

But little did the customer know, he was in for quite an experience.

However, the printers at the sales desk were only meant for printing receipts.

They couldn’t print double-sided, and though relatively fast, they were not 650-pages fast. Plus, they only held around 300 sheets of paper at a time.

The customers slowly started to realize their grave error.

As the minutes ticked by, with each sheet of paper that emerged from the printer, the man’s smug expression disappeared. His wife, who had initially seemed passive, began to look annoyed and a bit embarrassed.

Then the printer ran out of paper, and you could see the relief in their eyes as they thought the printing was finally done. That relief quickly vanished when they saw me coming with a huge stack of paper to refill it.

As the minutes ticked by, their discomfort only grew.

Twenty minutes and 400 pages in, the wife started to look even more desperate, realizing they were the only customers in a store that had closed ten minutes ago.

The husband was beginning to realize his mistake and nervously asked when it would be done printing.

I just smiled with my best customer service smile. “We’re about two-thirds of the way,” I told him.

He sighed and continued to watch the mountain of paper slowly grow.

Another refill and 200 pages later, the husband’s defeat was evident. He finally asked if he could just take what had already been printed and leave.

But the employee wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easy.

But by then, only about 50 pages remained. So I told him, “We’re almost done, and I would hate for you to leave without the last pages, in case you miss something important.”

When the printer finally stopped, I handed him the entire 650-page manual, still smiling, and said, “Here you go. I hope you have a great day and enjoy the camera.”

They quickly left the store, silent and defeated. I never saw them again.

Maybe this demanding customer will think twice next time before pressing his luck.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter is personally hoping for the most frustrating scenario possible for this difficult customer.

Let’s hope the customer is footing the printing bill too!

This user imagines how to do the customer even dirtier.

The customer started it, so now the employee is intent on finishing it!

This couple may have gotten their way, but it came at the cost of their time and sanity.

Be careful what you wish for!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.