Had to choose between keeping my cool or losing my job over a $2 coupon yesterday

So this lady comes in with a coupon that expired three days ago, right? She's insisting I honor it and I'm standing there thinking do I break policy and take the hit myself or do I stand firm and risk her screaming at me for 10 minutes. I chose to let her have it (my manager was out and I didn't want the scene) and then I had to explain to my boss why the register was short $2 at the end of my shift. Boss wasn't thrilled but said next time just call her even if she's at lunch. Now I'm stuck wondering if I should have just told the customer no and dealt with the tantrum. Has anyone else had to pick between following the rule and keeping the peace over something this small?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencerm4624d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, I've been there. It's such a lose-lose when you have to choose between an angry customer and your boss's rules. Honestly, I think you made the right call just to avoid a huge scene, especially with your manager out.

betty_palmer24d ago

Exactly. Sometimes doing the "wrong" thing by the book is the only way to keep the peace, especially when you're the one on the floor dealing with the fallout. It's not like your boss would have been there to witness the customer complaining or yelling anyway, so you're stuck handling it either way. A full page refund or a freebie might be against policy, but it keeps the customer from making a bigger fuss and dragging it out for everyone in line. Plus, that shop owner who complains five times louder than the others? You just saved yourself an hour of explaining yourself to the district manager later on. Nothing wrong with knowing when to bend the rules a little to avoid a total meltdown.

bens8122d ago

Three bucks for a flat white is wild, I paid that much for a pint of cheap beer once and it ached worse than any refund I've ever given. I had this one guy at the bar last month who was ready to flip a table because his card got declined, so I just comped his next round and the whole vibe shifted. Sometimes you gotta break a rule to keep the place from turning into a zoo, you know?