Sunday, April 28, 2013

Dread Full

Why stores sometimes dread selling stuff to young people:

A. Their wives and/or husbands and/or parents come back to the store with the 'we don't really need this' face, and some of them try to say the item is defective, when it's not. It's okay, folks, the customer service people understand. Trust them. They don't judge. They just want to know if it's okay to put the item back on the shelf or not. Your domestic financial issues are of no concern to them (although if you out yourself, the customer service rep sometimes can't help but find your story hilarious and/or pitiful, so if you don't want that in their heads, just don't say anything beyond 'I don't want it.' That's good enough for them.)
B. They take it back an hour later because their friends are going to play (fill in the blank) and they want to play too, but can't unless they have the cash to buy (something else, fill in the blank.) And, of course, they have no receipt and no packaging and no instructions even if they bought it only an hour before because they're young and that stuff is all useless (until they need it, and they're not willing to dig in the trash for it. Which, in some cases, depending on what's in the trash, may be merciful.)
C. They break it within five seconds of toying with it and try to take it back with the claim that it broke because it's defective. (sigh)

There are lots of responsible young people out there, and most don't cause problems. But, generally speaking, if they're throwing footballs down the aisles, trying on makeup and perfume, chasing each other around the store, and are too busy on the phone to talk to the cashier to check out (especially if they give attitude when the cashier tells them the balance and they have to stop texting/talking/whatever to ask 'what?') then the dread tends to set in. And all too often, it's justified.

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