Weird things happen when you work in a record store, especially if you are dealing with Joe Public.
Comedy writer @fairycakes has been tweeting about her time working for the music chain HMV. Other retail workers joined in the conversation, revealing some interesting happenings…
A colleague called in one day to say his mum had died. Rightfully so, they gave him time off with pay so he could grieve. Except one day an angry woman came in demanding to see the manager – it was this guy’s very alive mum asking why they weren’t scheduling her son on the rota
— Laura (@fairycakes) August 30, 2019
A man threatened legal action when he discovered that instead of a staff member ordering him in Candyman: the horror film, they ordered in the CD single of Candy Man by Christina Aguilera
— Laura (@fairycakes) August 30, 2019
I used to work in an independent record shop. There was a bloke who used to come in and want to talk about Kate Bush. He never bought anything. Another bloke used to ask for obscure releases he knew we didn't have and then bore me to death with obscure bands he knew.
— Sav (@Sav9659) August 31, 2019
Bizarrely, we had staff member who claimed his mother had died to get time off, at Our Price, as well!!!
— Walter Kovacs (@Rorschach_2000) August 31, 2019
I worked in Virgin Megastores for 2 years and can relate to every single story. We had a man come in claiming to be David Bowie’s brother who wanted Lost Boxsets for free. A woman fake a heart attack when we were closing at 6 on X Mas Eve then tried to buy a wii game ?
— Nick (@ColossusNick) August 30, 2019
As a HMV veteran I can vouch for all this.
Highlight for me was a member of staff kicking a toilet cubicle door in whilst doing an impression of an ape. The manager was on the toilet.
— future pharaoh (@DirtDawg69) August 30, 2019
I worked in a US HMV in 1997, and thankfully had fewer violent experiences. Macauley Culkin came in once when he had his long pink hair, no one could find the WALL of Rolling Stones CD's, and I heard Tubthumping 5 times per shift minimum.
— eric pavlacka (@JustExister) August 31, 2019
Another guy came in every week to buy all the new singles in the UK top 40. He was about 85 years old and had been a travelling DJ since the 60s. He hadn’t had any work in years but wanted to purchase all the latest chart hits “just in case”
— Laura (@fairycakes) August 30, 2019
