NationStates Jolt Archive

That many people feel the need to be assholes to store clerks.

Seriously, I work at a grocery store and this lady comes in with her husband and her baby and she stares at the sandwiches, asks questions about them, takes 10 mins of staring, deceides she wants a pizza, takes forever to deceide on drinks for the pizza... by this time she has been taking up a significant amount of my time and i had put a pizza in the oven prior to her arrival at the department so I turn to look at it to make sure it isn't burnt (she was still deceiding on drinks at the time...) and she goes off! She yells at me claiming I was rolling my eyes at her and then said that she would not be rewarding my crappy service (apparantly) with her business, asked who my manager was (she's on vacation) and then stormed off. Another customer witnessed this unreasonable outburst and said "some people" I was still in shock from this whole thing (I usually get nothing but good reviews from customers) and just gave her a polite smile and the lady comes back and yells at me for laughing at her with another customer.

Tsk. What an ***. But you're lucky that for every 0.1 bad person there are out there, there are 9.9 good people.

* shrug * Sometimes people forget to take their pills.

Some people are just assholes. I wouldn't sweat it too much.

I worked as a waiter, so I know 100%.

I couldn't tell you, but I think it has to do with the conception that the customer is always right and so they can treat you like shit because you can't do anything.

It doesn't matter, though. Your service record is excellent and proven with other customers, and hopefully you got a laugh out of it with the polite and level headed customers.

Remember my favorite phrase for those people: Fuck them, they're worthless assholes who aren't worth your time. A little rough, but quite comforting thought when you're pissed off.

Tsk. What an ***. But you're lucky that for every 0.1 bad person there are out there, there are 9.9 good people.
Yeah, every other customer I've had has been nice, actually one customer I've never seen in the store before complimented me on my excellent service.

I was just shocked because no one has ever gone off on me like that before.

That many people feel the need to be assholes to store clerks.

People are often rude to those they feel are in a servantile position. It makes them feel like a big man.

She probably sees you, a lowly grocery clerk, as below her, and thus a legitimate target for her misplaced anger. Blech.

That many people feel the need to be assholes to store clerks.

Seriously, I work at a grocery store and this lady comes in with her husband and her baby and she stares at the sandwiches, asks questions about them, takes 10 mins of staring, deceides she wants a pizza, takes forever to deceide on drinks for the pizza... by this time she has been taking up a significant amount of my time and i had put a pizza in the oven prior to her arrival at the department so I turn to look at it to make sure it isn't burnt (she was still deceiding on drinks at the time...) and she goes off! She yells at me claiming I was rolling my eyes at her and then said that she would not be rewarding my crappy service (apparantly) with her business, asked who my manager was (she's on vacation) and then stormed off. Another customer witnessed this unreasonable outburst and said "some people" I was still in shock from this whole thing (I usually get nothing but good reviews from customers) and just gave her a polite smile and the lady comes back and yells at me for laughing at her with another customer.probably wants some freebies... had customers like that. I used to work in a book store... one customer came with a slightly damaged book (some of the pages were bent, not folded, but bent.) and wanted a discount on it.
I went into a lengthy (and true) discription of how damaged books get rated for discount. and gave him the gestimate that he might get a 5% discount on the book... after an evaluation period of about 6 months... (there are times living on an Island in the middle of the Pacific is a good thing. :D ) He wisely decided to buy the book at full price.

<snip>
lol, that reminds me of another anecdote from my work. I work at a camping gear store and this guy calls asking if we have "any shoes in clearance in size 8.5." So I go there and look, and say "yeah we got two of these so and so shoes." Then he goes off on how he can only pick them up the next day at 3:00 because he broke his leg or something. He rants about having me hold three pairs of shoes for him while customers around me are laughing because I've been staring at the clearance section for over 7 minutes and been saying the same things over and over. So the next day the guy goes in to get his shoes--I didn't work that day, but the next day I heard the story from coworkers who were there--Apparently I got women's shoes. It was an honest mistake. Word has it, that this guy got incredibly mad and threatened to take us to court. Then he got even madder because the costomers around him started laughing as well as some other emploees. Then somehow he knew the CEO was coming the next day and has was going to show up to get us all fired. It's now two weeks later, and no word from "Angry Guy."

The moral: I guess some people just get pissed off really easy over the smallest things.

I occasionally deal with customers like that, but... I work in a corporate store.

I can handle these customers most of the time, but sometimes - there's nothing I can do.

My managers want to back me up - because they know that I'm looking out for the store, and I'm trying to HELP the customer, not piss 'em off... but, Corporate ALWAYS sides with the customers.

Alot of it is arrogant stupidity on the part of the customer. Another part of it is the state of the employee vs the state of the customer. I know that I treat people like assholes when I'm tired, hungry, off-duty and just worked a full shift. My exuse is hypoglycemia >.>;

She probably sees you, a lowly grocery clerk, as below her, and thus a legitimate target for her misplaced anger. Blech.
Hell, if anything I feel sorry for her. I've got my whole life ahead of me and she married a guy who seems to lack a spine around her and feels the need to make herself feel superior by yelling at minimum wage employees.

That was my mom...

low blood sugar.

its why she couldnt make her mind up about what she wanted to eat and why she was so unreasonably cranky.

Some jobs would rule if it wasn't for customers...

An earlier poster is probably right, it's that "Costumer is always right" bullshit line that someone fed them at sometime. I hate when the customer quotes it. I always want to say, "Look, we don't abide by 'Have it your way' or 'Just do it' or any other slogan used to promote other companies, either..."

Sure the lady could confront her own inadiquecies (just like I could check my spelling) but she won't (like me and the spelling)-instead she'll lash out at others to cover for the pathetic sham that her life has become.

Now note, this might not actually be true-but that doesn't matter. It's what we believe to be true about her. Cause she was a fuckface to you for no reason. I've worked in that area (with %(*$%)# customers) for yyyyyeeeeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrrsssssss and I'm ill-suited for it, because sometimes I will roll my eyes and I will laugh at a her with another customer. Because this shit happens whether you do it or not, so...

Chin up. If you're good at what you do and your boss isn't a fucktard you'll find an insulation against asswipes. What's extra quality is when you get a customer who likes you defend you against one of these bastards. I love when that happens.

Customer service is pergatory, do your time and get out as soon as you can-the public sucks.

Man its people like this that make me glad I dont work as a cashier any more. I remember one day my brother was on his break and a guy comes up asking about some sort of food display. He asks my brother a question and he says that customer service would be able to help him out and the guy just fires back with a "well thats shitty customer service" remark because he wouldnt help him. I just dont understand why people feel they can vent all their frustration on people who are just doing a job.

I really wish we had a sign that read "We have the right to refuse service"

I think people would stop being such assholes all the time if they thought we could do something about it.


Also, if the upper managment gives me a warning over this, I'm quitting. We get 3 warnings before getting fired, but I've been there for 8 months and given them nothing but exemplary service (hell, I had a number of customers today tell me I'm doing a great job, my manager and the full time lady seem to view me and one other girl in my department as the two most capable, despite the fact that I'm lower in terms of seniority than others et c) and if they're going to give me a warning because one customer was being unreasonable, then how do I know another customer won't do the same and get away with it too? I would rather quit than risk getting fired and/or havign to work in fear of getting an irate customer who feels the need to complain to managers...

I'm going to give you some advice. Some adults act like children. That meaning they're both bastards.

I really wish we had a sign that read "We have the right to refuse service"

I think people would stop being such assholes all the time if they thought we could do something about it.


Also, if the upper managment gives me a warning over this, I'm quitting. We get 3 warnings before getting fired, but I've been there for 8 months and given them nothing but exemplary service (hell, I had a number of customers today tell me I'm doing a great job, my manager and the full time lady seem to view me and one other girl in my department as the two most capable, despite the fact that I'm lower in terms of seniority than others et c) and if they're going to give me a warning because one customer was being unreasonable, then how do I know another customer won't do the same and get away with it too? I would rather quit than risk getting fired and/or havign to work in fear of getting an irate customer who feels the need to complain to managers...

dont cross that bridge until you come to it. chances are that if she complained about you she was as unreasonable with whatever manager she talked to as she was with you. its unlikely that if she didnt do it at the time that she will do it later (when her blood sugar is normal)

unless your managers are assholes, they have been observing your work for 8 months and they know what kind of person you are and how hard it woud be to replace you with someone as good.

at least wait until you get 2 warnings before you quit.

meh, i thought shops did have the right to refuse service to a customer, they don't even have to give a reason, and ask people that are becoming insulting and a disturbance to leave



corect me if i am wrong though

dont cross that bridge until you come to it. chances are that if she complained about you she was as unreasonable with whatever manager she talked to as she was with you. its unlikely that if she didnt do it at the time that she will do it later (when her blood sugar is normal)

unless your managers are assholes, they have been observing your work for 8 months and they know what kind of person you are and how hard it woud be to replace you with someone as good.

at least wait until you get 2 warnings before you quit.
She already complained. They spoke to me and were reviewing the security tapes.

They treat us like shit anyways, I've already wanted to quit for a while.

hmmm... always seemed like a bad idea to be rude/mean/an ass to people who handle your food.

i thought that was common knowledge, but i guess not?

meh, i thought shops did have the right to refuse service to a customer, they don't even have to give a reason, and ask people that are becoming insulting and a disturbance to leave



corect me if i am wrong though
I work at a big supermarket. They don't care about us.