This is my first ever post/rant but I'm doing it with the hatred of the situation fresh in my mind.

          I work as shop manager in a small, independant retail outlet. One of the things I hate most about working in this place is customers spending next to nothing and then having the cheek to ask for discount!

          As a small, independant retail outlet you are striving to keep the business going all the time. There is always a bigger shop offering cheaper prices then you right around the corner. You pride yourself on being able to offer the best competative prices and a more personal service then the cooperate drones nearby, but the average joe-public seems not only to be totally unimpressed with your service but he tries to push you into giving him discount for nothing.

          For example- a customer puts two £1 items and one £2 item onto the counter. "That's only £4 please" you say to him, and so it is. It's not £868.93 or £60, it's a petty 400p. The customer hands me £3 in change. "Hang on!" I say, "that's only £3, the total is £4 please". The customer pulls a smug grin; "How much for cash?" he says. There is a pause for a couple of seconds whilst I give him a chance to consider that he just asked me to discount three items adding to a grand total of £4.00. "It's still £4.00" I point out in a dead serious tone. "Are you sure?" he says. "Yes" I say. "Sure?" he tries once more. "Yes I am" I say. The smug git turns to his wife next to him and says "Didn't go to the same school as us did he". "No I didn't" I say with a smile, whilst thinking "no mate, in the school I went to they taught us how to add up to 4"...

         This happens more and more frequently all the time. I can see why in our outward spiraling economy you might be tempted to ask for a discount- we would all like to get things for a little less. We are actually happy to offer discount, as long as the customer is after enough of the same item from our shop to get a discount from our suppliers. We are not happy to offer discount to annoying cheapskates who are trying to get the price of fish reduced for nothing whatsoever. Do you barter with your local supermarket over the price of a tin of beans? No? Why not? They not only have a much larger profit margin then our small independants but they probably make several billion pounds more then we do every year. If they don't offer discount why would we?

          My point? Don't ask for discount unless you definately think you might deserve it. Less then 10 items of less then £3.00 each- not worth discount. We have customers spend £200 and expect no discount at all, what makes you so bloody different?