A customer in my Bristol store came in like clockwork, once a week, every Friday.
He was a really old guy, probably younger than he looked, but still old.
Each time he came in, he asked for something we didn't stock. The first few times, I didn't confirm an order, but mentally agreed it was a good idea to stock the item, purchased it from the wholesaler, and had it on the shelf within a few days.
When he came back in, he never purchased the items he had asked for, even though I pointed out they were now in stock, but instead asked for a different item.
Frustrated, I stopped ordering things he asked for. He still came in.
After several months of this behaviour, even my staff were getting tired of him, and we're beginning to change our rule of "Smile and Greet" to "Frown and Grunt".
One sunny summers day, I was at the end of my tether. It was one of those days where the only people we had seen were the type who thought they were our friends, so virtually lived in the store, and the crazy people who de-hangered clothes with ease, leaving cotton heaps wherever they trod. A few other things had been broken by visitors, and I was well aware our turnover for the day was £1.12, with 2p of that being scooped up from the floor by eagle eyed me.
Add several unexpected bills into the equation, a few cold calls trying to convince me to invest in all kinds of nonsense, and the requirement to release one of our co-workers because they wouldn't stop stealing stuff, I was far from delighted to see the old guy shuffle in.
He uttered the fatal words "Do you have...."
I exploded "What the chuffing heck* do you keep asking for stuff for if you're not going to buy it!" I said (* Changed the words slightly in remorse, and in favour of the forum).
He looked up, quite calmly, staring me out in the eyes totally emotionless.
At this point, there was a deathly silence in the store. The one other customer who was fiddling with something in the back of the shop - next to the sign that said 'Do not touch', promptly replaced it on the shelf, and made a mad dash for the exit.
My two staff members behind the counter did the tawny owl impression, gazing, open eyed into the unravelling quagmire I had just created, waiting for the next move on this fatalistic chess board.
I kind of expected this old guy to slam his walking stick into the ground and shout "You Shall Not Pass", before a tonne of Hobbits and Elves and Orks appeared to battle it out in front of me...
But, I'm going to let you down, and humour shall stop, because I learnt a very valuable lesson.
The old guy explained that he once had a shop, just like mine - in fact, he had stocked the very same things I did. He lost his business in the last economic down turn, and the things he asked for weren't requests, but were actually friendly advice. They were the things he had once stocked, and found to be fast movers, high profit margin items, best sellers - and he hadn't seen them in our shop.
Quickly thinking back to the items I had bought from the wholesaler in the belief he'd return and purchase, I realised, they had all sold very quickly, both in store, and online.
I'd like to say, 8 years on he runs the store for me, or he's now a company director, or he still comes in to give us advice, but none of that would be true - no.
I just stood there with my bottom lip wobbling wishing the ground would swallow me up whole.
He was never seen again, but we do stock the items he had once asked for, and our business in retail is a strong one.
