I missed the sale.....

The retail store I work in just finished it's biggest sale of the season. Our clients were sent invitations three weeks in advance of the event. All sales associates called their clients a week before the sale to remind them of the sale and, seven days in advance, they could "pre-order" anything they might need. The sale itself was five days.

And yet, nearly two weeks after the sale I had a customer walk in and requested we honor the sale price and the additional 20% for the event. Really?

"I am so sorry, I know the sale is over, but could you, would you please honor the sale pricing?" she asked.

"No, I'm sorry. Those prices are no longer in effect. But we have a sale coming up next week and I can help you with that." I replied.

"No, I don't want to wait until next week's sale. Please? My car ran out of gas and I couldn't get out here in time for the sale." she continued.

"I really am very sorry, but in the future please know that you can always call us and order anything you need over the phone, and we can pre-sell up to seven days in advance."

"But you don't understand," she whimpered, "my cell phone died and we didn't have any electricity because a tree blew over and shorted the entire neighborhood! And to top it off we contracted some kind of bacterial disease that required the CDC to quarantine the entire house hold. So you see, an exception should really be made in my case."

"I'm really very sorry, but there is nothing I can do."

At this point she started flexing her shopping muscles, I saw the twinkle in her eye and knew what was coming next.

"Would you please call a manager?" she asked.

UGH! "Just one moment please and I will have a manager here for you."

The manager arrived and the customer went through the same explaination she did with me. I was standing there, waiting for the vindication I knew was mine. I would be waiting a long time.

"Certainly" she stated, "I would be happy to honor those prices for you."

That evening I went into the grocery store to purchase crab legs. Approaching the seafood counter I noticed that they were no longer on sale.

"Please Mr. Seafood Worker, I missed the sale because of fallen trees, no electric, CDC diseases, no gas, no cell phone, no life....please would you honor yesterdays pricing?"

Considering he was doubled over in laughter at the explanation I thought I would get away with it.

"Nope! Sale was over yesterday!" he hooted. 

"Okay, I'll take three pounds."