My night job is at a specialty pet food and treats store, and we also offer grooming and a self-wash grooming station where you can come in and wash your pet. Had a couple come in with their (human) son who was about 9 y/o to wash their dog. The couple went in with the dog and left their son to wander around the store. As I'm by myself, I didn't notice he was unsupervised until they had already gone in and started washing their dog.
I spent 15 minutes finishing my baking, taking care of customers, and following this kid around to clean up after him. He was grabbing random toys and playing with them then setting them down wherever, bouncing all the tennis balls, grabbing leashes off the shelf and pretending they were lassos. He was also bothering my customers, asking them random questions as they tried to shop. After I asked him 3 times to stop messing with things and other people, he went over to our baked treats table. I knocked on the self wash door and asked the parents to please bring their son into the wash with them or to let him sit in the car while they finish, and they told me that they were almost done, and that their son was never a problem. I explained that he was disturbing other customers and playing with random items that I was having to clean up, and the woman looked me right in the eyes and said, 'Yeah..that's your job.' I told her my job was to run the store, not to babysit customers' children, and she rolled her eyes at me and said they were almost done.
I come back to the sales floor and the kid had crumbled 3 cakes and a whole bunch of treats, as well as snapped a bunch of bully sticks and other dried treats. He smiles and bounces off, and I start to gather and ring up the items. The parents come out of the self wash and I add that to the transaction, and tell them their total is $149.76.
Both their mouths drop and the guy says, '$150 to wash my fucking dog?!' I say, 'No sir, the self wash was $16; the rest is to cover what your son destroyed.' The mom says her son didn't destroy anything, and I gesture to the pile of broken cakes and treats. 'Actually ma'am, he did; he broke all of this after I asked you to please supervise him.' She started arguing and saying that I must have broke them all because I didn't like having her son in the store. Yes, because I love baking a bunch of stuff just to destroy it; uh huh, yep, you got me! 🙄😂
I had a feeling this was going to be the reaction, so I already had the video from our cameras ready to go on my phone to show her. 'This isn't your son walking over to our table and smashing those cakes and treats? This isn't your son going to the bully bar and snapping them in half?' She didn't say anything for a second, and then told me she didn't think they should have to pay for them. I told her that her child broke them after I asked them to watch him or let him sit in the car, so it was their responsibility to cover our losses. She asked to speak to the manager and was very disappointed when I pointed to my name tag that has 'Manager' under my name. 'You are speaking to a manager, ma'am. Anything else I can help you with today? If not, your total is $149.76.' She glared at me, but put her card in and paid and they left, looking like they were screaming at the kid the whole way to the car.
Anyone else have fun work stories like this!?