An Odd Situation

I found it odd when I heard one of our managers -who was cashiering at the time- call up our Head Manager to help out with a customer return over the radio. 

But I didn't think much more about it. 
I kinda figured that it was more than likely that the cashier needed help looking up a receipt or something. 
As the usual reason of "we need a manager to approve returning this amount of money to you before we can give you the money" shouldn't have been applicable considering the cashier was a manager...

In any case. 
A few minutes later the cashier commented that they were getting a headache because of the cigarette smoke coming off of the customer -after the customer had stepped away-
To which I commented to sympathize, as I too can get headaches if I'm confronted with a scent that doesn't agree with my senses. 

And then the Head Manager commented stating simply: "Funny that this Harness doesn't smell of cigarette smoke." 

Which....basically the missing clue to the puzzle. 
A customer return. A Head Manager Needed. A Harness not smelling of smoke even though the customer did....

....This was possibly a customer trying to scam us. Claiming that they had bought the items when they'd really stolen them and were just trying to get money out of us. 

And for all appearances. 
That's exactly what seems to have happened....though I'm not positive as my shift ended before the issue was fully resolved.

But the cashiering manager -who was freed from being cashier when our next scheduled cashier showed up. 
Dropped by my department so I was able to ask a bit more details about the situation as I could still see Head Manager talking off and on with the customer.

And apparently the story goes as follow.
Customer claims that they'd been in the hospital for the past six months, so they've been unable to come into the store before now because they haven't been able to. And apparently somewhere in those six months the customer also claimed that they were delusional for 2 months and didn't know what in the world they were doing and all the customer wanted was to return some items they'd bought so that hey could get the money for it.

However...the products that the customer was trying to return?
High priced items. An Expensive Harness and Leash and a couple other unspecified items.

But....the main issue was....
The customer didn't have a receipt.

Which makes it difficult to return items....especially when they're like 4 months over our guaranteed return policy. *shakes head*

But we try to help out where we can. Be sympathetic and such.
So Head Manager headed back to try and look up the receipt on our computer.
Didn't find anything.
And so to try and narrow it down, looked up when we had last sold the items in question...
And discovered that the products the customer claimed that they had bought 6 months ago....
We hadn't even been selling 6 months ago.
They were newer products.
Therefore....the story wasn't matching up.

So we couldn't help the customer....
They ended up storming out of the store.....
But didn't leave.

They stood outside the doors apparently, smoking another cigarette, and well...acting suspicious enough and possibly threatening enough with their actions outside the store....

That the Head Manager ended up calling the cops to come over and talk to the customer.
You know....to ensure that things would end peacefully. 

Like I said....
I left before I could see the full resolution to the story. 

All I know is that as I was walking out the door I could see the Manager, Customer, and an Officer talking inside the store....
But what came out of it...I'll have to try and find out tomorrow. ^^;; 

Still...kinda crazy.... we don't usually call the cops....I mean I see them in the store from time to time, but usually for their own reasons, not because we called them to come to us....

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi