Most stores have a variety of discount programs built into their system to try to keep customers coming back.

In addition, cashiers can often provide discounts at their own discretion, but they aren’t going to do that for a customer who is being rude.

The cashier in this story could have provided her customer with a number of discounts, but the lady had a bad attitude, so she got nothing.

Lady wants a discount. Why can’t she just get a discount?!

I work in a sort of high-end pet supply store that gets super busy around the holidays, like most retail.

Before I tell the story, some background:

This sounds like a great loyalty program.

1.we have a rewards program that gives you a point for every dollar you spend. Once you earn 200 points, you get a $5 off coupon to use on a future purchase. At 300, if you save your points, it increases to $10 off. At 1000 points, you get $50 off. You get the picture. When someone is checking out, we ask them if they are part of the rewards program. If they have a coupon they can use, we are able to see this coupon and ask if they want to use it or keep saving points. This is one of two discounts we can apply based on what we see on the account.

2. The second kind of discount we can apply- we have 10-15% off for people who meet certain criteria – first responders get 15%, dog walkers get 10%, and – this is the relevant one – people who live in certain buildings that surround the store get 10% off certain items. We don’t verify any of this; anyone could come in and, for example, tell us they live in a nearby condo building and we’d be like “ok cool!” and make a note on their account that they get this specific discount. The notes we make are very obvious and impossible to miss. I especially tend to be pretty generous with discounts because it’s not MY money, lol.

These texts can be annoying, but they can also save you lots of money.

3. Our rewards program sends out text messages periodically. They’ll say something like “$10% off (specific product), today only, in-store and online!” or “Earn double points this weekend, in-store only!” They discount ones ALWAYS have a promo code attached that you have to provide. The messages NEVER say, like, “here’s a code for 10% off your whole order, whenever you want!” They’re always for specific days. The retail associates/anyone working in the stores have no control over/input on these texts. We just enter promo codes and apply discounts accordingly.

4. Not super relevant, but to live in this area, you have to be wealthy. Like extremely well-off. It’s in the downtown area of a busy American city. All the residential development has occurred in the last 5-10 years; it used to be very industrial. Cost of living and gentrification are through the roof. All the buildings around us are brand new luxury high-rises. I will never in my life be able to afford living here. None of these people actually NEED a discount.

I bet Christmas time in this store is very busy.

Ok, the story. It’s super busy, the Sunday before Christmas, and I’m at the register checking out a lady who is with what I assume is her mother. The Lady was young, in her mid-20s probably, and as you read this please give the least charitable reading possible; she was very annoyed and condescending. I get her account brought up and I ring everything up. She has 146 points, so no discount yet. It comes to about $89.

Lady: “Are their any discount on my account?”

Me: “Not yet! You don’t have enough points right now, but next time you come in you’ll have $5 off.”

Lady: “What? I’m positive I have a coupon on my account. You guys send me text messages all the time.”

Simple enough, she’ll get a discount next time.

Me (ignoring the text message comment because I can tell she doesn’t have any idea what she’s asking for): “So, you need 200 points to get the first coupon. Right now, you have 146 points.” (I turn the screen around so she can see exactly what I’m referring to) “You need 54 more points to get a discount, so next time you’ll have one.”

Lady (again): “But isn’t there a discount? You guys send me text messages ALL the time.”

Me: “There will usually be a code for a discount- do you have the text messages with you?” (knowing very well there are no specific discounts for today or this weekend)

If you deleted it, you don’t get the discount.

Lady: (halfheartedly thumbs her phone screen) “I don’t know, I probably deleted them.”

Me: “So the text messages will usually be for a specific kind of item on a specific day, and will have a promo code attached. I don’t know of any promos going on today, and I can’t give a discount without a promo code.” (Technically I can, but….I’m not rewarding this kind of behavior for no reason)

Lady: (to her mother but loudly) “This sucks. It’s almost $100 and I don’t have a discount. I thought I had a discount.”

Me: “I’m sorry about that. If you’d still like to buy this, the total is $89.”

Lady: “I can’t believe this. This sucks. I don’t have ANY discounts”

Some people have a strong sense of entitlement.

Pause; I can only assume she’s waiting for me to just give her a discount to make her happy. I’ve been in retail/food service my whole life, and a younger me would have absolutely panicked. I didn’t budge, I just gave her an apologetic smile and a shrug. She eventually pulls out her card and pays. The transaction is complete and I ask if she wants a receipt.

Lady: “But I’m a resident in (specific building). Don’t I get a discount?! Isn’t it on my account?!”

Me: “I….I’m sorry, but I don’t see that anywhere on your account. I can add it right now so you get the discount next time, but the only way I can apply it to this transaction is if I void it and then ring everything up all over again.”

Lady: (You can tell she’s furious because now she can actually blame something on US) “It wasn’t on my account?! Fine. No. That’s ok.”

She is obsessed with the idea of getting a discount.

As she’s leaving she’s still saying, LOUDLY, “This sucks. I can’t believe it. I spent all that money and didn’t even get a discount. This sucks.”

I finally kind of snapped and called after her, “Do you not want me to fix it?” which wasn’t the best call on my part, but she didn’t even turn around as she left, and the store was very busy so there’s a chance she didn’t hear me or didn’t know it was directed at her.

Best part is, I went through her previous transaction to see where we dropped the ball/didn’t give her a resident discount. She hadn’t even been in the store since April, and she had never, not once, gotten the discount she claimed was on her account.

Anyway, I hope she had a merry Christmas. I gave the next people in line a bag of free dog treats to thank them for their patience.

It seems like the people who can afford to pay the most are often demanding discounts. Maybe that is how they became wealthy.

Read on to see what the people in the comments have to say about it.

 

This commenter is exactly right.

Easy there big spender.

It would literally be illegal not to charge sales tax.

Those commercial accounts can be huge.

People act like a cashier should care that you spend a lot of money at this store. Come on, its not like they are getting any of it.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.