Many businesses offer discounts for certain people to try to attract or retain their business, but of course, some customers try to take advantage even when they don’t deserve it.

What would you do if you were a cashier at a local business an a wealthy person came in demanding a ‘neighborhood discount’ that she didn’t deserve?

That is what happened to the cashier in this story, and after a lot of back and forth, the cashier finally gave it to her, which only ended up saving her $.30.

Nightmare customer with too much money nickel and dimes me into a coma </3

For background, I work at a specialty store in a pretty wealthy neighborhood of a major metro city in the US.

Yesterday a woman yelled at me because I didn’t know the exact polyphenol content of every olive oil in our store (she was looking for a number, which does exist, but even the professional tasters usually only say “high” or “low”).

Then this morning I had to lift a 160 lb. pallet up a flight of stairs by myself because the owners forgot a shipment was coming today.

ANYWAY, that brings us to our first customer of the day:

Ok, this is weird, but whatever.

A lady comes in from the rain and it’s clear she’s had some plastic surgery done. I know it’s extremely problematic, but I really judge people for plastic surgery.

I know, I know, but I’m currently uninsured and can barely afford to survive while she gets monthly Botox. Whatever.

Clarity is important with these things.

She asks for something by the wrong name and I – not correcting her, just confirming – use the right name.

She goes over to inspect it and says “um ya, that I guess.”

As she walks away, she mumbles something I can’t catch. This is how the exchange went, “L” for lady, “M” for me:

M: “I’m sorry?”

L: “What?”

M: “Sorry, I just didn’t hear what you said.”

She wanted a discount.

L: “The neighborhood discount.”

M: “Oh! Yeah, I know the bakery offers one.”

L: “No, I mean I would like the neighborhood discount here.”

Sorry lady, you’re not getting a discount.

M: “Oh, I’m sorry, we don’t offer a neighborhood discount here.”

This whole time she’s been looking at her phone. She sets the phone down and looks directly at me.

L: “Every store in this neighborhood offers a neighborhood discount.”

M: “Okay, well, the only stores I know that offer the neighborhood discount are the cigar shop and the bakery, and that’s only for-“

This woman is rude.

L: “The what?”

M: “The bakery?”

L: “Which bakery?”

So, she is likely lying about being a local too.

M: “Uhh, [inserts bakery name] French bakery? It’s two doors down from here” (this is a very well known bakery that has a line out the door every Friday and Saturday morning. I go there once a week and routinely have conversations with customers and locals about it – if she doesn’t know about it, it’s highly unlikely that she lives or works in the neighborhood).

L: “I don’t know that one, but I do know the cigar shop and every other local business on this block offers a neighborhood discount.”

M: “Well, I’m really sorry, but no one here has informed me that we offer a neighborhood discount.”

Just because some businesses offer a local discount doesn’t mean they all do.

L: “This is unbelievable. Totally unbelievable. You local businesses beg all of us to support you and promise discounts for locals, but when we do you don’t honor them. I can’t believe this.”

M: “Ok, well, I’m really sorry. I could probably give you 5% off today?”

Honestly, it is more than she deserves.

L: “THAT’S THE NEIGHBORHOOD DISCOUNT!”

M: “Right, that’s the neighborhood discount at the bakery and the cigar shop. I don’t know what other stores may offer.”

L: “Unbelievable. Fine, yes, 5%.”

M: “Ok, great.” I start to ring her up. I try to defuse the situation by just making some casual conversation. “So what business do you own or work at?”

So, she doesn’t even deserve the discount.

L: “No, I live here.”

M: “Oh, ok. Well, I know the bakery’s discount is really only for other local business owners or employees. I don’t think they offer it to people that just live in the neighborhood.”

L: “This is totally ridiculous. I told you already I don’t know what bakery you’re talking about. I can leave my name and you can look it up later, I live here and I get the neighborhood discount.”

M: “That’s not necessary, I believe you [I don’t], it’s just the owners are extremely strict on giving out discounts they haven’t told us about beforehand. I’m sorry for being difficult, but it’s my job on the line here.”

Sorry, lady. You don’t get a discount just for living in the area.

L: “You should know that locals get the neighborhood discount. It’s totally unbelievable that you wouldn’t honor it.”

She pays and starts to head out the door.

I say, “have a great day, try to stay dry out there.”

She says, “yep.”

I’m sure she is right.

First and foremost, I don’t believe she lives here at all. I think she lives in a notoriously wealthy suburb nearby and probably heard about the neighborhood discount from the cigar shop owner and assumed every business offered it.

Second, I basically gave her the discount to shut her up, but it only saved her 30 cents.

I doubt the owners will even spot it, but we did just get grilled about giving out too many discounts a few weeks ago.

I make minimum wage and my job is on the line because a wealthy snob wanted to save 30 cents.

She shouldn’t have given her a discount at all. People like this behave poorly because it often gets them what they want. More people need to stand up to them.

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

Yeah, just tell her no and don’t elaborate.

This person likes how she handled it.

Well, I don’t think this is entirely accurate.

Yup, it is a mistake, but this is what happened.

Why would you ever give in to someone like this?

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.