September 19, 2025 at 1:55 am

Customer Showed Up Five Minutes After Closing With A Full Cart, So The Staff Had To Stay Late For A $36 Argument Over Plumbing Parts

by Benjamin Cottrell

hardware store aisles

Unsplash/Reddit

Some customers treat closing time like a suggestion rather than a deadline.

One man wandered the aisles for hours only to show up at the register five minutes past closing with a full cart and even fuller expectations.

And he wasn’t leaving without giving everyone a headache.

Read on for the full story!

That’s not how it works, sir

I work at a hardware store, and tonight a gentleman who had been in the store for hours finally came to the register 5 minutes after close with a cart full of smaller items.

Trying to put aside my annoyance, I started trying to scan the items as quickly as possible since everyone else was waiting on him and on me.

But this customer wasn’t going to make things easy.

The last two items I came across were adapters from the plumbing section. They did not have barcodes or any type of identification on them.

Knowing how our adapters are typically sold, the following conversation occurs:

The cashier tries to get to the bottom of the issue.

Me: “Sir, were these in a package?”

Customer: “Yes.”

Me: “Well, where is the package? I can’t scan them or ring them up without it.”

The customer reveals their bad behavior.

Customer: “It’s in the aisle. I only wanted two of them. They’re in bigger packs, so I took them out.”

Me: “…Sir, that’s not how this works. If they’re in a package, they have to be sold in that package. We can’t take them out, you have to buy them all together.”

Customer: “Well, are there any sold individually in this size? I didn’t see any over there.”

The manager tries to get it straightened out, but the customer is being more stubborn than ever.

One of my managers went over to the aisle to check on the item.

She found the bag he took them out of and came back with it, telling us that we only have the packs of 10 and they are not sold individually at our store.

Customer: “Well, how much is it for the 10-pack? If it’s too much I don’t want it.”

Finally the conversation reaches its infuriating conclusion.

I scan the item to check and let him know it is $36.99 for the pack.

He says it’s too much, and I’m finally able to finish the transaction.

He said no to $36.99 for a 10-pack, but his total still came out to almost $300 exactly just on small items — that was how much he bought right at closing.

Some people really fail to see the irony of their behavior.

Redditors chime in.

This commenter has seen this episode before.

Screenshot 2025 07 30 at 1.39.38 PM Customer Showed Up Five Minutes After Closing With A Full Cart, So The Staff Had To Stay Late For A $36 Argument Over Plumbing Parts

Maybe some customers need it spelled out for them.

Screenshot 2025 07 30 at 1.40.02 PM Customer Showed Up Five Minutes After Closing With A Full Cart, So The Staff Had To Stay Late For A $36 Argument Over Plumbing Parts

It’s time to use some common sense.

Screenshot 2025 07 30 at 1.41.27 PM Customer Showed Up Five Minutes After Closing With A Full Cart, So The Staff Had To Stay Late For A $36 Argument Over Plumbing Parts

Some customers just don’t care about anyone else but themselves.

Screenshot 2025 07 30 at 1.42.01 PM Customer Showed Up Five Minutes After Closing With A Full Cart, So The Staff Had To Stay Late For A $36 Argument Over Plumbing Parts

The store had technically closed, but this shopper wasn’t done testing everyone’s patience.

Never underestimate the power of an entitled customer.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.