Had a customer scream at me over a 50 cent coupon yesterday

This lady comes in with a wrinkled coupon from last month, expired by three weeks. I tell her sorry, can't take it, and she starts yelling about how we're scamming her. She blocked my register for 15 minutes while the line built up behind her. My manager eventually caved and gave her the discount just to get rid of her. Has anyone else had a manager undermine you like that over something so small?

2 comments

2 Comments

piperwhite14d ago

Hold on, I gotta push back on something here. You said the coupon was from last month, but expired three weeks ago? That math doesn't really add up unless it was a really short coupon period. Anyway, the real point is your manager totally threw you under the bus, and that's what gets me. By giving in, all they did was teach that customer that screaming works, so now she'll just do it again next time. That's not managing, that's just avoiding a problem for five minutes and creating a bigger one for later.

hollyg5914d ago

Oh I'm going to play devil's advocate here a bit, @piperwhite. Look, I get what you're saying about rewarding bad behavior, but sometimes a manager has to look at the bigger picture. If that customer is a regular who spends $200 a week, giving in on a $5 coupon might actually be the smart business call in the long run. One angry Yelp review from a loyal customer can cost way more than honoring an expired coupon. And sure, she might scream again, but she might also remember that the store worked with her and stay a good customer. Sometimes managing means picking your battles, not winning every single one.