"You’re going to go bankrupt one day because you don’t know how to treat your customers"

“You’re never going to be successful!” the woman screamed, her fists clenched. She was standing at the cash register of D-RAMA with two crumpled dresses tumbled on the desk in front of her. She’d bought the dresses three months before, on final sale, and now wanted to return them.

“I’m so sorry,” I told her and pointed to the note on the receipt. “The items were on final sale so we can’t take them back.”

She didn’t like the answer.

“You’re a young schnook trying to run a business.” Her face was red and her voice rising. “You think you know what you’re doing? You don’t! Not at all! You’re going to go bankrupt one day because you don’t know how to treat your customers.”

She took a deep breath.

I took one too and repeated, “I’m so sorry you’re not satisfied with your purchase. You bought them on final sale and our store policy is no returns.”

The yelling started again. I closed my eyes and tuned it out. I wanted her — and everyone — to like me. It tore at my nerves that she didn’t. But you can’t run a business on everyone else’s approval, I reminded myself. This is business, not personal, and I need to take myself out of it. So I did, and instead of bursting into tears or answering back, I repeated the store policy — for the third time. There were no returns and there was nothing to argue about.

I love my business and I love my work, but after three years here I know that, even if you love what you’re doing, some days are hard. This woman is far from the first unreasonable person I’ve encountered. And as D-RAMA continues to grow, I doubt she’ll be the last.