Hate Your Job and the Stupid Customers? A Little Something to Keep in Mind...

[Ozanne]

At the grocery store on Wednesday night, I approached the deli counter and asked a young woman for her to radio/call for someone to meet me at the floral department. I wasn’t happy – but I wasn’t rude either. I added, “I was waiting there for nearly ten minutes, and there also wasn’t anyone at customer service.”

I was spent, not looking my best, not feeling my best, and the look on my face showed it. To her, I was just one of these miserable customers who asked her to do something in a tone that indicated I wasn’t pleased. She’d probably had her fill for the day, she was cleaning up, chatting with her co-worker, looking forward to being off-shift.

It was 8pm, and the deli was closed and they were cleaning up. In fact, when she saw me coming, a heavy-footed walk toward her, she deliberately ignored me at first – being closed and all – which added to my discontentment.

“We’re new here,” she said with a cheeky tone. “We haven’t been trained on such things.”

Such things? I thought. It was absurd. She didn’t know how to use the phone or even walk to an employees-only section to see who was there? The look on my face must have said it all. I pursed my lips, flashed my eyes, and refused to waste time on such slack. I turned my back and walked away.

I heard her call out to me, “But you have a beautiful evening!” It was facetious, sarcastic, and she meant to make me feel like a schmuck. The classic customer-service kiss-off to a customer they hate. The universal way people say 'F-you' by saying something kind, in a tone that is meant to sound anything but.

I ignored it.

But she bellowed out, louder this time as I was further away, “Uh.. ma’ammm?! I said.. you have a beautiful evening!!”

You presumptuous, cocksure little brat, I thought. I ignored and heard her laughing at me. She and her co-worker likely amused each other for a moment making fun of me.

But here’s what she didn’t know:

1. My arrival out of town was set back a few hours due to a personal appointment.

2. Upon arrival, I ate dinner late with some family.

3. Our dinner was late due to summer tourism season in a packed restaurant.

4. I was to see a relative on her birthday and wanted to pick up flowers.

5. I didn’t get flowers earlier as they would have choked in my hot car.

6. Floral seemed to have no customer service rep on hand. So I waited.

7. Customer service also had no one there, so I waited again.

8. The cashiers were too busy to interrupt. So I left, looking for someone, anyone.

9. The deli had two workers cleaning up after closing their department.

10. Perfect – I’ll ask them to call someone to help me get someone in floral.

11. My relative, living day-by-day with a terminal illness is likely not going to see another birthday.

12. My flowers to her will likely be the last.

I admit. I cried after leaving the store with a single rose wrapped in paper, as no one could help me in the floral department. I felt so bad that this was going to be part of the memory of how I last saw my sick relative.

A smart-aleck girl in a deli department sure showed me, didn’t she?

Sometimes when someone needs help in the floral department, the flowers are for sad reasons too. But even if a customer seems perturbed, in a rush, or out of sorts – there might be something going on that isn’t pleasant.

I know working in customer service sucks. I try so hard each time to put my best forward as I too, used to work in the industry. This time I forgot. I was upset. It happens.

When I complained to the store manager the next morning, I told him, “I hope this girl doesn’t go through something similar in years to come, where a bad moment has her being mocked and feeling kicked as she was down. Don’t get her in trouble. She just needs to be reminded that you never know who you’re talking to, or what they’re going through. So please, just be nice. It could very well be the case that someone is dealing with a sad time in their life… such as finding some flowers for a relative they might not see again.”

[Streamhopper]

I work in a grocery store. We pride ourselves on service; I guarantee it would never happen to you in our store. But that doesn't really matter; what happened, happened. The girl in deli was totally in the wrong; all of our people are connected by headsets; it's very easy to reach a store director, even if floral is gone. I work in fresh cut produce, but one time, a lady came in who'd just lost a loved relative and wanted a bouquet; I'm not a florist, but I did my very best to put together something for her, and she liked it. There are stores out there who still care. We sell service, not just groceries. Yes, we're more expensive than Walmart, or other local chains. But you get that personal touch with us.

[Ozanne]

Your response just made me smile. I know that you might not have realized it but every day someone who walks in has a secret story that they just simply don't let on and what you do at work might have just made things so much better for them. :)

Just when someone seems like a crusty customer who wants something that seems frivolous - think again.

True story of mine, again with a floral department:
I learned that one of the cashiers in the store had suddenly died in a car accident. There was a little shrine set up at customer service for her. I walked in one day, went to floral, and tried to get a flower. I didn't say what it was for. At floral, the girl working there was crusty with me. When I finally got what I wanted, I handed her the flower back to her and said, "Please add this to the shrine at the front for Cathy." Her whole faced dropped and she told me she was so sorry, then told me there was no need to pay for it. :)

[Streamhopper]

Oh, we know. We pride ourselves on service and making personal connections with guests. We'll call you by your name, if we know you; we'll do our best to help you fix that recipe you saw on Pintrist. We really do care about our guests; it doesn't matter what department you're talking about. I work in Fresh Cut produce. I make the salads, the chopped onions, the colored peppers, the strawberry platters and the shortcakes. Lol. I'm a worker bee. But I'll always greet you with a smile, and a "Hi". Not just because I'm paid to, because I want to. It's just the right thing to do.

[RealandGenuine1991]

That is why even when a customer is somewhat rude I try to still be nice. we all are going through something. I use to work in customer service and had my share of rude and a mixture of kind people. i now work in a pharmacy and I try not to judge how some act. I'm sorry for what you're going through. i also had rude customer service myself. some people don't understand what is going on with us until it's themselves in a similar situation.

[OlderAndWiser]

The most consistent failing with employees in a service-oriented industry is that they forget a simple truth: if you aren't taking care of the customers, your employer doesn't need to have you on the payroll.

My condolences on your family situation.

[Ozanne]

... as is obvious from some of the responses I've seen here. Unfortunately, lack of experience with anything else prevents them from doing other work, and they forget that actually doing a better job helps get them moving onward and hopefully outward to new and better prospects. Meanwhile, the ones who think they're entitled will likely have to get used to customer service for a long time until they figure it out.

When I was young I tremendously disliked customer service, but understood that in order to find a better job, I needed good references - therefore - shape up and give it my best so I could reach other goals. My goal in life wasn't to wear an apron in a deli, but it seems for some people, unwittingly, it is. :/

Thanks for your condolences, too. It made me feel better to know a few people on GaG even noticed that enough to be nicer in their responses. That, and the manager gave me some confidence that he would take care of things.

[Waffles731]

' The most consistent failing with employees in a service-oriented industry is that they forget a simple truth: if you aren't taking care of the customers, your employer doesn't need to have you on the payroll.'
Yeah cause being a professional chew toy (which is what retail workers are) is something that inspires people to go above and beyond,
a person pays you minimum wage to be a professional chew toy, you do minimum effort, these days its what everyone in retail bosses included do. Everyone will do the minimum effort a job requires, because they don't get paid enough as is

[Ozanne]

And to Waffles, having an unmanned counter could have easily been explained if that was true. More proof that some much-needed training was in order to convey that properly.

[OlderAndWiser]

@Waffles731 An employer offers you a job. You know what the job requires and you know the pay rate. If you are not willing to do the job for that pay rate, don't accept the job.

Complaining about the pay and using that as an excuse to not do the job does not get you a raise or a promotion. @Ozanne is talking about entry-level jobs. The pay is not suppose to be something on which you can sustain a family for the next 20-30 years. Entry-level means show us that you are a good employee and you can get a promotion when one comes available. Entry-level does not mean sit on your behind, don't do your job, and your employer will give you a promotion because you are entitled.

How would you feel in your mother's primary care physician did a half-assed job taking care of her because he thinks that his employer doesn't pay him enough?

[meatballs21]

"You wouldn't believe the day I had...

1. The truck came in late.

2. One of the chiller cabinets broke.

3. I woke up with a headache after staying late last night trying to help out to make a good impression.

4. I am trying to make a good impression because I need this job, I am still new, and we're so understaffed I haven't even been trained properly - we can't even spare staff to cover customer service.

5. Someone flipped out at me because I am not trained to operate the slicer yet and I was covering my coworker's break

6. I am terrified that one mistake will cost me my job.

7. It's 8pm and I need to get home to my family.

And then this woman came in just as we'd finished our shift, we were done, just getting everything put away for tomorrow. She needed help in floral and I don't know how to do that. I don't want to do a bad job or give her the wrong item so I told her the truth. I don't know how to work that department and I sure don't know how to use the PA - my coworker always does that for me when I've needed it. She didn't seem happy when she left. I did the only thing I've been taught about the company so far, and wished her the best. I was so freaked out I said it twice. When my colleague asked why I just laughed nervously because I was petrified I'd screwed up by being unable to help a customer and they were going to tell my manager. I didn't know what else to do, I just froze.

I hope I'm not I trouble."

[Ozanne]

I knew an answer like yours was coming. So I need to let you know that when *you* are on the job, it's *you* on your company's time to make sure your representation of the company you work for is lived up to. When a snarky "have a beautiful night" is said in the tone it was said in.. it's not nervousness.

When people are on, it's sort of like an acting job. If Kevin Spacey went in to work one day on set and was loaded with problems and it showed in his acting, you think the film-goers are going to let him get away with it? Movie critic: "Kevin Spacey's performance in his latest film was lack-lustre and unbelievable... oh well, he probably had a flat that day, we should give the guy a break." Uh, no. People are paid to perform a job, and in customer service it's that: CUSTOMER SERVICE. If customers are not something you know how to work with, customer service should not be the job you are doing. Sometimes it requires faking it, or let the water roll off your back.

[meatballs21]

You are mad at her for not knowing what day you had but at the same time can read her mind to know she was not sincere.

[Ozanne]

It's not *my job* to read her mind. It's *her job* to give customer service. Customer service that wasn't given in the first place, and secondly yeah I'm a pretty good judge of hearing snotshit tones of voices when they're given. So I know you're playing devil's advocate with the situation, but I thought I was pretty clear that on a horrible day that I was experiencing I normally am sensitive to people who work in the industry (not sure if you read that part). So thanks for contributing to this conversation, but you and I have nothing further to discuss about it.

[SaintRichie23]

As someone who has recently taken work in customer service, the first thing I learned about being an employee in that department is that the disposition you are held at by managers and customers is that you are an incompetent idiot.

I'm usually a very patient and calm person, but man, the way a lot of customers talk to you just gets me boiling. Not of what they say, but because your job description includes being a spineless punching bag. You can't talk back, you can't defend yourself against someone being disrespectful to you because they are too full of themselves to let their issues become a reason for everyone's day to become miserable.

When you see a customer approach you with a pissed off expression, its natural to think that that person is going to take their anger out on you. The pursed lips and flashed eyes was the same, "you're useless" remark that I hate so much, so the "kind sarcasm" is the only way they can tell someone that you shouldn't treat everyone like shit cause you're having a bad day.

It sucks that a relative of yours is dying, but the girl doesn't know or see that. She just saw some unkempt lady with a bad look on her face and thought, "Great, I have to deal with her right before getting off tonight." She didn't like the look you gave her. I wouldn't have either. I would have explained my frustration of needing flowers for a loved one. Once she sees the situation on why you're angry, she'd probably have empathized and helped you.

[Ozanne]

Why do I have to go in to something personal with an incompetent idiot? I mean - I get what you're saying, but that shouldn't have to be said. In fact, that was the point of my complaint to the manager, was to spare a customer from having to explain touchy details or reasons - if you can go through a shift and know that your customers aren't being difficult for no reason, just assume that there is a reason - because there almost always is - and it might make you think twice about being snitty with them. I suppose my analogy can apply to just about anything such as driving alongside bad drivers on the road, or whatever. I try and give the workers the benefit of the doubt, but I saw very quickly how one little snot behaves when I hadn't even said much, I just was rushed an unhappy - it made me think what she would have been like had I actually told her to go fuck herself. LOL

[SaintRichie23]

I'm going to tell you right now, the manager grilled that employee. They don't "spare" them. If a customer complained, its cut and dry.

Why does the employee have to deal with your negative attitude due to something personal you're going through? If you are not willing to share it, then you are just taking your anger out on them for no real reason to them. You see the double standard there?

You didn't give her the benefit of the doubt, you gave her a look when she told you she wasn't trained to contact floral. I would have followed up with, "Is there a way I can see a manager to find someone who can help me?"

"I saw very quickly how one little snot behaves when I hadn't even said much, I just was rushed an unhappy - it made me think what she would have been like had I actually told her to go fuck herself" You're a hypocrite. So she should respect your attitude, but you can't do the same? Pathetic.

[SaintRichie23]

Would have really made you feel good about yourself if she maybe cried after that, too.

What if her parents were going through a divorce, and she was frustrated. Maybe she is having a rough time in school and gets bullied, and didn't want another bully bothering her before her shift ended.

Everyone has their shit to deal with, its sickening that, at your age, you seem to think you're the only one living a rough life.

[COCOCHANEL]

some people working in the service industry are so rude and/or lazy.

one time i went to this fancy restaurant with my mother and the assistant manager switched our bill while i was in the restroom (which i had just seen at our table) thinking she could fool my mother?

the lady was getting irritated demanding we push the button on the credit card machine and i was saying in a polite tone, but this isn't how much our bill is. she angrily told us some random excuse like ”that's the exchange rate” that didn't explain the amount (turns out she didn't know how to use the machine but didn't want to admit it) it was obvious that it was wrong but she was yelling at us in broken English embarrassing us in front of other customers who were lined up behind us.

5 minutes later they ”realized” that it was the bill of a party of 4 who had just paid and left and quietly told us (so that the other customers would continue to think that we were crazy and causing a fuss)... no apology at all. i was staring at her as she, still irritated, refunded my mother's card. it was extremely stressful.

after getting us out of the way, she apologized profusely to the next customer LOL

[Ozanne]

What a dirty move.

[COCOCHANEL]

that's japanese customer service

[COCOCHANEL]

*towards people who they assume are foreigners and easy targets

[Anonymous]

As someone who's worked in a super store, the only people who had radios were managers. No one else. Whether or not she had one, I don't know but from experience dealing with complaining customers was a turn off for me. No one was at garden? Yeah, garden closes at 6, it's 8. No one was at customer service? Maybe they were on a much needed break as it was their 6 hour mark and if they not take it, they'd have gotten into trouble and there was no one to cover them, being under staffed or a scheduling mistake, call out, etc. Her attitude I'll admit wasn't the best, she seems like a teenager as I'd hope no one older would talk to a customer like that. Although also given her job is the deli, at my store service areas couldn't just leave station unless they were going on break/lunch or off the clock. I'm not sure if that store had the same rules as mine, and I'm sorry for your troubles that day. But as a note for future help, cashier's most likely won't know anything about the sales floor, so finding an employee stocking, etc out on the aisles would be more help. More than customer service too. But also, some stores provide better customer service and hopefully that one was only that girl that lacked and not the remainder of the store.

[MarkRet]

I work part time at a grocery store rounding up carts outside. I don't spend much time in the store, but if I am inside, and somebody asks me something, I'll do my best to help them. I certainly don't give them the "That's not my job" routine. I'm also very careful not to bump or scratch anybody's car with the carts either.

[MarkRet]

Post note: I was working that job today, and a woman in the parking lot asked if I could open the hood of her car and help her put some oil in the engine. Again, it's not really my job, but I helped her anyway.

[Sunflower19]

Gosh I'm sorry you experienced that.. :/ a lot of times people don't stop and think that everyone is going through something.

I work in a call center & I get yelled at or have some rude comments made to me 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's draining and I get frustrated but I always remember that everyone is going through something. So I do my best and do all I can for them.

[Ozanne]

I had worked in a call centre too at one time. Once a woman was frantic on the phone trying to cut her services off. She told me that each representative up to that point had made fun of her or hung up on her because she was so frantic. She told me, "I've got cancer, I'm dying, and all I'm trying to do is sort out my affairs and cancel my services." Wow. To think that no one stopped for a second to simply know that the person they were giving a rough time to was in such a state. I felt horrible for her. Some people are simply monsters when they work with customers not knowing who they are talking to and what they are going through.

[404filenotfound]

For everything that she doesn't know about you, I'm sure there's something going on in her life as well.

I've worked in a grocery store before and people always used to assume that I know how to do everything job in a store just because I work in one department. As far as working the intercom goes, I worked there for over a year and I neither knew how to operate it, nor was I allowed to. Nor did we have the button that just magically left us summon a manager that everyone just assumed we had. A store doesn't just work the way that people assume it does, there are different roles that people have and there's generally a process involved for something that you'd figure would just be simple.

You took a problem that was customer service's responsibility to someone that legitimately probably had no way of knowing what to do or how to help you.

[Ozanne]

This is what I find is troubling about people who are young and working these types of jobs - you don't realize that it's you on your employer's time, not me on your time. Even if someone snaps because they think you know everything about your department, you can go back to the original reason of my Take to take in to consideration what is going on. The customer is the guest, the staff is not the customer's guest. The customer puts money into the business, the staff doesn't put money in to the customer - and at the point of conflict - adds no value to customer's experience. You can leave your job - the customer still requires the service from the company. I get that employees have shitty jobs and shitty lives too - the difference I'm trying to make is that they're on the clock, not me.

[404filenotfound]

I do realize all of that, what you don't realize is that it's not always as easy to make things happen for you as you think it is. You gave a lot of assumptions for things that she should be able to do but, as you've stated, she's on the employer's time, and she has to do her job and you're just assuming that she'd have some way to radio or call someone over to the floral department for you when you have no way of being sure that she's even able to do that.

I dealt with a lot of entitled customers and a lot of customers that were wrong when I worked there. I remember one lady when I was working in the bakery who came in wanting me to make her a cake. I told her that I had no idea how to make a cake, that it was the responsibility of the people on day shift and that I couldn't help her. I told her that she could go try to find a manager, or that I could (even though I could get in trouble for leaving my station because my shift ended soon and I still had a lot of work to do)

[Ozanne]

She has the ability to walk in to an employees-only door to see if someone is there. I don't. Asking her to call someone, usually it means using your brain to figure out if you don't know how to do that much, you certainly know how to get someone else. She was standing there with one other person, it's not like she was leaving her department unmanned.

[404filenotfound]

Rather than making a decision or letting me help her, her choice was to keep stubbornly repeating her request until I finally told her that one of us could go look for a manager or we could keep standing there all night because I couldn't help her. She got pissed off and left and tried to complain about me to management.

I told them what happened and they were understanding.

The thing that entitled customers don't understand is that they're not always right and that the company doesn't give a shit about them. They care about their money and one entitled person getting pissed off and not shopping there isn't going to hurt their profits at all.

[404filenotfound]

And if you want someone to walk into an employee's only door for you, use your brain and find someone that works in grocery, not someone that probably doesn't even go into the back area or know where things back there tend to be

[Ozanne]

Not sure if you actually read the Take, but the problem was that no one was on the floor. But thanks for all of your contribution within this topic.

[Waffles731]

@Ozanne
No one on the floor, doesn't mean she can actually leave the deli counter, she had probably been instructed to not leave the deli counter unattended

[linds34]

I'm sorry about your relative. But it's totally possible that the store hired someone and didn't give them any training, stores do that all the time.

[Ozanne]

Yes, I found out after talking to the manager that she had been there a short time and was very aware she needed "training". He was going to have a staff meeting about it so she wasn't totally singled out so he could focus on what to do with certain situations like what had happened. He also asked me how to make it better for me, if I wanted a gift card or something. I said no, I just wanted a few fresh cuts like what I originally had wanted. They arranged it for free, which I didn't expect because I said I was willing to pay for it had an employee been there. So there was some closure after all.

[HeatNation1]

It's always wise to keep in mind that people are fighting their own battles within. Nobody walking on this planet is free of stress and sometimes despair. I'm not saying that people should allow themselves to be walked on like a welcome mat, but instead of being quick to temper, give people the benefit of the doubt that maybe they are going through something unpleasant. Good take 🤙

[Ephemera1]

I've been dealing with people for about 2-3 years. Sure it's not as much experience as some but I help out and have fun doing it. My old boss noticed this, liked it, and made me the store manager.

Currently just your standard sales rep but i haven't changed. I joke around with customers, help them, and have fun with it.

Point is, you have to enjoy doing what you do, otherwise you won't be doing it right.

[Ozanne]

That's pretty much how I used to be when I worked in customer service. I had to have fun and have some laughs with people to make it through my day because in the end - the job isn't so exciting, really. But I also could pick up on co-workers and customers who might not have been in the mood. There are some cues to look for, and I remember thinking that if I poke the bear then it will just ruin my day, so what's the point.

[nalaa]

Totally agree.
I get there some terrible customers who are rude for no reason but I worked in retail for years and I never had such customers. I'd say it's a very rare occurrence.
However I have dealt with a lot of unfriendly staff in a lot of places

[luvstoned4him]

A very heartfelt take.

I wish I had a job now and I am nice and pleasant to all customers, bad or good. Infact customer service workers should receive training in how to address customers properly, especially the gnarly ones. I have worked in that field for a number of years but I have myself, received bad customer service.

[Wolframium]

OK. Interesting story. But…information flow. She couldn't know, what's going on in your life. And maybe she had some troubles of her own.
You, yourself kinda realise that: there is more under the hood. Yet, you bashing her here.
Why take such insignificant event so seriously?

[Ozanne]

She was at work. I wasn't.

[Kayla45]

I work as a waitress at a certain dine-in restaurant chain, some customers are jerks but I put up with it because some guys tip me quite well. It's a hit or a miss most days since my pay IS tips for the most part.

[pooper89]

I work at the helpdesk for my company and this lady was straight-up rude to me last week. Came over to me as I was in the middle of helping someone ELSE, kept exclaiming, "what is going on?" So I told her to show me the problem, looked at it, then asked if she had tried closing and re-opening the program. Apparently she didn't like that response because she turned around and left. Like, don't be rude if you want help.

[Anonymous]

Great take. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. My Grandparents used to run a convenient store years ago, and they always told their employees to respect customers, no matter what. I totally understand that working retail is probably a very stressful job, and they probably have to put up with a lot of shit from customers, but they must remember that it is a job; they are lucky to have one.

[Ozanne]

I think that's the key there is that if you can't be nice - don't be anything at all. Just do the job and let the person who is supporting your paycheque get what they need and get out. If the customer is difficult, no need to get challenging - especially with the situation I was in. Chrissakes I wasn't even rude to her, barely spoke a word, and she seemed to become unglued enough to shout her shit at me. It made me think what she must be like if she actually had a very rude and abusive customer. It made me think that she is unable to turn off the way she handles things outside of work compared to being on the job.

When I worked in customer service I remember thinking that if I absolutely could not please someone, and being nice was getting us no where - then to be simply neutral until they left the store was the best way to be. My work was monitored, so no customer could say I was rude back to them, that's why I say it's best to stay neutral, do your job, and let them be.

[red324]

Well at least you didn't lose your cool, which I know I did once or twice when my mom had a terminal illness and was dying a little more each day. It's just one of those things that most people won't understand until it happens to them. It's like the time I was a work and co worker, whom I didn't even know told me to smile it's not that bad when I was walking by her well if only she knew, sometimes it really is.

[OfDeath]

You were simply asking for something she couldn't do.
Her job is to serve deli customers. That's it.

The events of your life which are unrelated to anything other than buying things from the deli don't matter to her at all.

Don't be that guy who takes their problems out on teenagers working at a grocery store lol.

[pretty-kitty]

Maybe she was saying it genuinely and you took it the wrong way and how do you know they were making fun of you and laughing at you?

[BaileyisDarcy]

Because ears exist?

[pretty-kitty]

@BaileyisDarcy So does misinterpretation, especially if you're already in a bad mood it's easier to misconstrue a situation. She didn't hear them make fun of her, she just heard them laughing and assumed it was about her.

[Ozanne]

I could tell from how she was speaking to me at first, then turned the tone to sound facetious when she called out to me as I left. Besides, it doesn't matter now because it was confirmed later on that she was in fact being rude.

[pretty-kitty]

How so?

[Ozanne]

Because I had spoken to the manager and had an update. It's all fine now, and as I said in the Take, I told him I didn't want her in trouble - she just needs to know that some customers are going through a bad time and adding to it unnecessarily is very hurtful - especially on the job.

[pretty-kitty]

You spoke to the manager and they said she was rude to you? Was the manager there? Or did the girl admit she was rude? What update?

[Ozanne]

The manager confirmed that he has had issues with her, and he had an idea of what happened based on what I said she had done.

[pretty-kitty]

Yeah, you didn't mention that in your original post so I don't really believe you.

[Ozanne]

I don't really care what you do or don't believe. You obviously didn't read my last paragraph in the Take, and you were pretty much combative after your original response and each reply afterward. Thanks for participating in this conversation, but you and I are now done on this site.