Just Another Working Class Rant

It's been difficult lately. I'm inching closer and closer to a reasonable conclusion. If it were up to me, I'd be more prejudice as to who I let in the store. Last night, in walked the loonies. I'd say about 9:00 post-meridiem, "Right on time," I say, checking my watch. I turn the corner and a young guy walks up to me. He's a little odd looking. Very well dressed, dockers, plaid button-up, a nice pair of dress shoes. He's got this real choir boy look about him that doesn't belong on a Tuesday night. The guy comes up to me and gives me this look like he knows me from before. He's holding a pair of head phones in his hands when he says,

Hey, remember me? They didn't work, can I get an exchange?

What am I stupid? I don't know you. I didn't say this. I could've been wrong after all. I can't be responsible for remembering every customer. So I ask him for his receipt. He doesn't have it.

Aw, no. Can't I just get an exchange?

This is where I call bullshit on the guy. I tell him I'm not taking anything back without a receipt. I offer to look the receipt up but he tells me he paid in cash. So no deal.

That's fine, I'll just buy another pair.

So I take the guy around the corner to show him the other headsets. I pick a pair up off the wrong shelf. Somebody must have placed them on the wrong hook. I tell him these are made specifically for his phone (Blackberry headphones for a Blackberry phone). He's looking at them, when he mother (or what I assume to be a mother, you never really know with these nut jobs,) walks up to us. She asks me how much and I tell her $24.99. She noticed that I picked it off a sign that said $19.99and starts to argue that because it's on the wrong shelf, I should give it to her for $19.99. I tell her that she can't be seriously holding me responsible for someone picking up a product and placing it in the wrong spot.

Do I sense a little stress in your tone?

You're goddamn right you do. I can't do this much longer. Dealing with these people. Somebody needs to say something. Somebody needs to say,

You're fuckin' wrong. And you're not getting your way, because you are a grown woman and you can pay five bucks.

We can't keep silent in the face of blatant idiocy. This is not how the world works. You aren't entitled to anything. You are a small, insignificant being. But with hard work, and humility, you can have those headphones at a discounted price, you can get your book published, you can pay off your loans. It isn't a ruse. There's no ancient Chinese secret. It's just hard work.