v
I am ashamed to say that I lost my temper with a punter this week. Our customers are not always the easiest to deal with but over time I have built up an armour.
Once in a while someone comes out with a line that you haven’t heard before, you do your best to keep it under control and ready a response for the next time it happens.
The last time I lost it was when a guy said: “I could have nicked this but I didn’t so you have to give me it cheaper”. I chased him off of the stall shouting words that my lady customers really shouldn’t hear.
I was on Queens on Thursday when a guy interrupted me serving two ladies demanding money back on some pants he bought.
Now I give money back on everything but not pants since I once got back a three pair pack of mama briefs and one of the garments was decidedly not white.
I explained that I was sorry but I don’t take pants back and I explained why but he was having none of it.
In the end I decided that I wasn’t worth the effort so I gave him his two pound back and told him to go.
Only I didn’t exactly say go.
He told me I couldn’t talk to him like that. I told him that he had got his money back and that I would talk to him exactly how I liked. Then I told him, in not so many words again, to go. Then as he walked off the stall he called me that word that you’re really not supposed to use.
That’s when it started to get ugly. I nearly hit the guy.
Fortunately, I managed to come to my senses in time and defuse the situation. It was the first time I had lost my temper with a customer for two years and now I have to start from scratch.
I suppose that’s why they’re called boxer shorts.
That’s this week’s report from Pete the Market Trader. The man on the street. Literally.
