Some customers think throwing a tantrum will get them what they want, but usually, all they really do is embarrass themselves.

What would you do if a customer refused to accept a clearly stated return policy, threw a fit at the register, and stormed out, only to realize they left something important behind? Would you hand it back with a smile? Or would you take the opportunity to make a point?

In the following story, one former Party City manager finds herself dealing with this very scenario. Here’s how she handled it.

Be kind to retail workers

I saw a post about Spirit Halloween on a different sub and remembered this story from years ago. I was a manager at Party City, and Halloween was….wild.

I could write a novel about the stories I’ve accumulated from that time.

The week leading up to Halloween was the “red zone” for employees, meaning all sales are final (I can’t remember the exact date leading up). This was to prevent people from buying and wearing a costume to a party and then returning it.

We were located near two colleges, so there were tons of events leading up to the holiday.

A coworker needed help.

We wore walkie-talkies, and one day, in the middle of a chaotic shift, I heard one of my cashiers tearfully whisper in my earpiece, “I need a manager at the front.”

Keep in mind that most of the cashiers were seasonal high schoolers, and I was maybe 20-21 years old.

A customer thought she was above the rules.

I go up to see what the issue is, and it’s a girl that looks my age. She wants to return her costume, but the cashier said she can’t.

I explained the policy and even showed her the CIRCLED note on her receipt.

Nope, she was demanding I do it with her hand on her hip, getting louder and louder.

I continued to smile and said there was nothing I could do.

The angry customer forgot something.

She hollered she was going to call corporate, then swiped her hand across the counter, knocking all the fliers off, and stormed out.

I comforted my distraught cashier, and then we noticed that she had left her jacket behind on the counter!

I was delighted, lol.

I took it to the back for our Lost and Found box.

When the customer came back, she was prepared.

She eventually comes back, and I get the question in my earpiece about a blue jacket.

Another associate offered to bring it up, but I said no, no, I insist.

I also brought a store card and wrote my name/position on it. It was quite satisfying seeing her sheepish face when she saw it was me.

She didn’t say thank you when I handed it to her, and I offered her the card with a cheerful “Here’s my information for when you call corporate.”

I never heard anything about it, so I don’t think she called!

Sheesh! Customers like this are hard to deal with.

Let’s take a look at what the people over at Reddit have to say.

Some people don’t think things through very well.

It probably does.

Here’s someone who would’ve left it in Lost and Found.

This would’ve been stooping to her level.

She handled this great!