That’s 18 … With Two Zeros

A man walked in nearly shaking with fear and asked to return the earrings he had bought for his wife. He had a printed credit card statement and explained that the earrings he thought he had purchased for $18 he was charged $1,800 for. “I thought they were just costume jewelry,” he said. I nicely asked him how he thought we would sell a pair of $18 earrings. He said he just assumed when the “girl” told him the price was “eighteen,” she meant “18 dollars”. My heart sunk: Our new college intern was way too casual and didn’t educate him on his purchase. She also didn’t send him a receipt because he waved it o , thinking it was a minimal purchase. “My wife is freaking out,” he said. He apologized for insulting me by assuming they were $18. This kind of broke my heart, so I conceded and gave him a refund (we’re typically store exchange only). I felt bad because it was my fault: I should have stepped in to help when she made the super quick sale. She wasn’t ready to be on her own. Lesson learned. — Laura Kitsos, Gem Jewelry Boutique, Oak Park, IL