There’s almost nothing more frustrating than doing what you’re supposed to do, only to have someone with less knowledge – but more power – come in and pull rank.

When you work in retail, though, it happens.

In this case, an employee gave a correct answer about taking equipment out of the store.

When an owner said they could do it without considering the consequences, though, all he could do was follow orders.

Check it out.

You should let me take this expensive piece of unregistered, unpaid equipment home!

That moment when you fantasize punching a customer and your boss in the face.

I had a real pain in the arse customer come in today.

We are installing his tv system this Friday and for months, especially since he signed up last week, he has been coming in 3 times a week to ask me more questions.

That alone is annoying, but whatever.

Today he came in and said that he wanted to build a custom shelf for one of his receivers and wanted to look at the exact receiver we would be installing.

I showed him the store display and explained that it would look exactly like that one.

Did he expect him to be actually sorry?

Customer: Can you give me the unit now so I can build the shelf?

Me: I am sorry, but that isn’t possible. The product has not been purchased, is not registered to an account, and is not activated.

Customer: “You don’t LOOK very sorry!”

Sigh.

I explained that I cannot allow unpurchased, unactivated, unattached equipment out of the store. I just can’t.

He told me he would give me $100.

No.

The owner butted in.

One of the owners was a few feet away helping another customer and butted in. He said that we would be happy to give him a receiver.

It wasn’t a big deal.

I pasted a small smile on my face, shot daggers out of my eyes, folded my hands primly in front of me, and walked silently to the back room.

But of course, the employee had to do the work.

I walked back to the showroom and asked the customer to have a seat while I write down the receiver numbers, serial numbers, etc.

Customer: “Oh, I didn’t realize you were going to have to write down any information.”

Me: “Look, I’ll be really straight with you. The main reason why I said no to giving this to you besides it being unpaid and unregistered, is that your equipment is still on order and I don’t have any more stock currently. I stole this off of another customer’s order and now I will have to rewrite their paperwork as well.”

The customer shrugged and said, “Eh, that’s not a big deal.”

The owner finally realized his mistake.

He took his prize and walked out of the store without a care in the world.

My boss came back over to me after finishing with his customer and apologized for butting in.

I told him it was fine, his name is on the building and it’s within his right to make that decision, BUT we didn’t have a receiver to give that customer and I had to take it off of someone else’s order.

The blood drained from his face and he was suddenly very, very contrite and started to apologize profusely.

Too late.

The co-owner walked in shortly afterwards and we updated him on what happened earlier.

He. Was. Mad.

However, he recognizes that his partner had the right to make the decision.

Serenity now!

This would be so frustrating!

I bet Reddit is feeling it secondhand.

Any minute now.

They should really trust their employee.

Buh-bye!

No one said it would be easy.

It’s how you lose good help.

Why are some managers like this?

Everyone should have to follow the rules.

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.