How does your garden grow?

Like I've said before - if you want to make a statement - make a statement. Don't just complain to a manager, hit them in the pocketbook. I had a man do just that Saturday. Good for him - although it created a major suck for me.

So Nature Golf Daddy has one of those green carts from the Garden Center loaded down with plants. He's also wearing plaid pants and a newsboy cap. Maybe he's buying the plants for the clubhouse. I dunno. He's got ugly trousers and major attitude.

Turns out that eight of his 70-plus individual plants were mis-marked and rang up $0.29 cents over what they were supposed to be. He noticed and told the cashier. She was apparently either new or didn't speak English - and couldn't figure out how to do a price override. So she rang him out and told him to come up to Customer Service.

Great. So now I'm talking to him. Cue one very hacked of customer.

He's got every right to be mad. I'll never dispute that. Our girls make rocks look smart. He's telling me his story:

"I stood in line out there forever. I understand but it still took too long. And then I get charged the wrong price. What kind of store are you running here? And then she tells me I have to come stand in ANOTHER LINE? Is this any way to run a business?" Well, no. It isn't.

I apologize and ask to see his receipt. I can tell from her operator number that she's new. I apologize again and tell the customer that the cashier is new and that I can fix the price on the plants for him.

His response? "No. You know what? Return them all. I shouldn't have to deal with this." Inwardly I was cheering and wanted to say 'Good for you.'

Underneath THAT I was thinking - "Frell me. I gotta return 70-something flowers off this long-*** receipt."

I smile and put on my best customer-satisfaction face. "Certainly sir."

I motion to the cart of flowers and start to say "If you could just ..." What I'm trying to do is get him to roll the cart of flowers close enough so I can scan the barcodes to return them, instead of typing the UPC numbers in by hand off the receipt.

He interrupts me and starts ranting again. "Don't they train the people before they get them helping customers?" Really, no. I think of the "training" I had and shudder to think of my poor customers during the first few months I was there. Nearly everything I learned I had to learn on my own or in bits and pieces via trial and error.

"Yes sir. But I can tell my supervisor and they can give this person some more training. If you could let me see the cart of plants ..."

"I'm never coming here again." Good for you. Now shut up and wait, because I'm going to punish you like you're punishing me. Right now, you're about as welcome as LiLo at a Straight Edge meeting.

And I have to stand there and type about 37 12-digit UPC numbers in by hand because he won't shut up and listen to me. He finally clues in to what I'm doing and starts shifting from side to side, foot to foot and making impatient noises. I keep working.

I can tell he's about to blow again when I go "All done. That's going to go back on your American Express card. I'm so sorry that happened to you sir. Here's your receipt and your credit slip. Sign this one for me. I hope your morning gets better."

All this over a grand total of $2.32, plus tax.

I UNDERSTAND. It is the principal of the thing. And yes, you're doing EXACTLY what I said to do. If you don't like it, don't spend your money there. Just please don't be a tool to someone else in the process. Your negative energy is going somewhere.