Some customers will say just about anything to get a better deal.

This store manager had heard plenty of wild stories before, but none quite as creative as the ones involving a coworker who didn’t even exist.

Read on for the full story!

My Non-Existent Coworkers told you what?

I am the manager (and the main employee) of a small independent video game store.

I seem to have recently had a slew of people and potential customers attempting to abuse our quoting policy on video games.

This manager has a very specific policy when it comes to quotes.

We never give a quote unless we can see the physical object so there is no confusion over the price.

Once we do give a quote, it’s usually good for that business week in case the customer needs time to think it over (or, more likely, have a chain video game store give them a quote).

This doesn’t prevent customers from trying everything in their power to exploit it.

But lately, it seems as though people are somehow getting quotes from our shop and swearing on their “momma’s grave,” “God,” or any other oath you can imagine that it was “the other guy who works here.”

Even though he knows they’re lying, sometimes he tries to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I always try to be courteous and ask, “Are you sure it was [My Store] and not [Chain Video Game Retailer] that gave you that quote, Sir/Ma’am?”

The chain retailer is literally a seven-minute walk at a slow pace from my store’s door, and I always figure, Hey, our names are vaguely similar—who knows?

A common tactic customers use is to try and blame everything on a fake employee.

I’ve had my nonexistent coworker described as everything from “Tall, skinny, Black guy” to (and this one caused me to seriously laugh in the customer’s face) “That tall Asian-Mexican dude with the odd face.”

Me and the owner of the store are the epitome of white guys—blondish hair, blue eyes, and both over six feet tall.

We are also the only people who ever work in the store.

Even when caught, these people refuse to back down.

Once I catch them in these lies, the potential customers swear up and down that it was this mystery coworker of mine and, usually, that he quoted them some outrageous price on a cheap game.

One customer swore that a game with a retail value new of $15 was quoted at $45 in cash for the game.

There are other tricks they try and use too.

The funnier ones are the ones who say that [Chain Video Game Retailer] just offered them that same outrageous price.

And the manager has various ways of dealing with them.

Depending on my mood, I’ll either tell them that I cannot offer that price and suggest they try to get their money’s worth at [Chain Video Game Retailer], or I’ll call the local [Chain Video Game Retailer]—the whole store knows me and even refers customers to me if they think I can help better—on speakerphone and ask whichever associate I get what price I’d get in cash or store credit for the game.

One way or another, the customers are always forced to give up the act.

Once the customer realizes I’m not falling for their lame lies, they usually cave to my prices or just storm off.

I will never understand why people do this—or why it seems to be on the rise recently.

Sounds like this store needs to start over with a whole new clientele!

What did Reddit have to say?

This commenter plays devil’s advocate.

If customers can mess with employees, why not reverse the roles?

A 7-minute walk looks different for everyone.

Every week brought a new story, a new face, and the same old lie.

This employee couldn’t decide what was funnier — the fake quotes or the fact that customers thought he’d fall for them.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.