Imagine working at a store where there’s a certain product you have trouble keeping in stock. It sells out just as quickly as it comes in. How would you handle customers who were upset that the product was never in stock when they came to the store?

In this story, one employee is in this situation. An older customer with a raincheck for the out of stock product comes in the store, and she has to break the news to him that the product is out of stock again.

Let’s see how the story plays out.

“How was I supposed to come in if I was on vacation?”

Here came in another poor soul with a raincheck for an item (anti-inflammatory drug) that we didn’t have in stock.

Now this is an item we had trouble getting in stock for the past two months. Soon as we get it it’s sold out due to dozens of customers holding rainchecks for that item.

Why the flyer had no limit on it, I don’t know…

They were sold out again.

“Do you got this?” (holds out raincheck)

“Sorry no, all sold out.”

“I have come in multiple times and you haven’t got it. You know it’s the law that you have to have the advertised item in stock.”

“We had shipments throughout the past month but they sold out quickly due to a lot of people asking for rainchecks. Plus your raincheck expired on June 14. Rainchecks are only good for a month.”

The customer seems confused.

“…Huh?”

“Umm…rainchecks are only good for a month.”

“Why?”

“That’s how…rainchecks…work.”

“How was I supposed to come in if I was on vacation?”

“…”

Actually, credit cards do have expiration dates.

“Let me guess, does this expire too?” (holds out our store credit card)

“Uhh…no.”

(The look on his face was priceless.)

The employee had a good suggestion.

“Do you want our phone number to check if we have it so you don’t have to come in?”

“Nah I’ll find it. For an old guy I’m not that illiterate.”

The best part? Shows up immediately the next day to see if we had it.

This old guy doesn’t seem all that sharp.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This isn’t a good excuse.

Here’s a sarcastic response to the vacation excuse.

Exactly!

Not all rain checks expire.

It’s always a good idea to check for an expiration date.

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.