Better than You

[I'm really bad at updating this thing, just throwing that out there... like you don't already know]

Over my time working I can recall twice where I've had cashiers come up to me and tell me that they just had a customer, both times a mother and her child, who said to their kid, "See, now this is why you have to go to school so you don't end up here." I'm sure this happens a lot but these two times I remember because not only were these girls FURIOUS, they were also very young. It's obvious that they haven't made a career of working in a grocery store and that they're just working while they're in school.

     I wonder why it is these mothers decided to say this in front of their young children? If they thought they were trying to teach them a good lesson, I'd say they're doing a better job of teaching them to be judgmental and ignorant.

On another note, some guy came and wanted to return a chicken meal with no receipt, no packaging, no anything to prove that he had actually ever bought one. He even said he lived in the States so we couldn't put his address in. The store manager gave him the refund...um, hello? You just gave a guy money he never spent...he got money for nothing. 

These are the people I work with.

Old Ladies

So I was really busy and then my internet broke, but here I am with a story of yet another older person acting like a baby.

It all started with potatoes, yes, potatoes. For those of you who don't know, there is a produce code for each yellow, white and red potatoes...I'm sure you could have guessed that though. This lady was using the self-checkout, she was old but not so old that I felt bad for her. I was helping her do her produce and I put in the code for her white potatoes and she's like, "Well that's not the right code!" And I was like, "Yup it is, there's only one code for each colour of potatoes and on the screen it says 'potatoes white' so it is." "No! You're trying to screw me over!" She yells. So now I know where this is going. I shook my head, frowning, "I'm not sure how you think that but that's the right code. It's my job to know the codes so I wouldn't screw you over."

"Oh don't give me that shit! You people don't know how to do anything, I can't even believe the types of people who work in these places!"

So I walked away. Obviously, why would I stand there and put up with that when she's clearly just being a rude idiot now. She yells at me to call the manager, so I do and he asks me what's going on before he comes down. All I hear beside me from this woman is, "Oh yeah you tell him everything. I bet you're telling him your whole life story aren't you? I bet he really cares. You don't even belong here, you should be out back with the rest of the garbage." I hang up and turn to her.

"Please get away from me and my work area. If anyone does not belong here it's you. You're rude and you're acting like a child."

Anyway, the manager ended up coming down and telling her not to swear at me while she called me a know-it-all and rude and ignorant and how I told her to get out of the store. Manager defended me, told her it's good I'm a know-it-all because it's my job and to not talk to me while she leaves the store.


Most of my customers from hell are middle-aged and older...shouldn't they know better? Just because they've got a wrinkle or a few doesn't mean they've earned the right to treat everyone else like crap.

Morning People

Do you love the morning? Or do you hate it? I believe some people think that they love it but, really, they hate it with a burning passion. Who doesn't like the idea of getting up and having your whole day ahead of you to do anything you please? But when that alarm sounds, let's face it, you're about ready to kill someone and laugh at yourself for having such a crazy thought.

I hate working in the mornings, I mean I love it because I have my whole day ahead of me ;) but oh boy do I dislike the customers. They're in a rush because they have to go to work (I know, I don't get it either), or they've been up for hours waiting for the store to open. Anyway, in the mornings there are lots of things to be done, as you can imagine, and frankly, customers just get in the way with their annoying 'morning person' persona's.

I had a customer, while I was opening up the self-checkouts, who came through and was doing a bunch of groceries and about half of them were 50% off items (for those of you who don't know, items like these must be processed by the attendant, in others words, me). I'm trying to open six of these bad boys and so of course, I'm not just standing there waiting for her to hand me these discount items.

At the end of her transaction, when she was leaving, she looked at me like I had just slapped her and said, "What's your problem?" Now, I may not be an expert on fighting but when you ask someone this you had better not be expecting a smile and warm, cheery answer.

"Um...nothing? Just opening up these machines?"

"You have an attitude problem." Now I'm really confused, and irritated as you can imagine.

"Uh...sorry. I don't really think I do though," I even looked confused, not angry.

"Oh please. Be thankful you have a job," she rolled her eyes and stalked out of the store.

Proving me right yet again: People who think they like the morning (getting up early to do groceries) but they hate it with a passion (what's your problem?).

What is my problem? It's people like you, lady.

Middle-Aged Baby

Is it really necessary to rip up your receipt and throw it in my face? You're the one who wanted your money back, it's not my fault I have to ask you to sign for it.

The only message it sends is: "I'm a spoiled, middle-aged brat who throws temper tantrums like a child." In fact, you should probably just wear a sign around your next letting everyone know to stay out of your way.

Do you have friends? I'll bet you do. You probably have lots and lots of friends, just like you! You probably all agree that customer service is going down the drain everywhere and you should be treated better.

In case you're wondering why I yelled at you and called you a child, it's because you ripped up your receipt AND THREW IT IN MY FACE.

Oh, I don't think so!

Following my post about the Top 10 Reasons a Customer Will Yell At You I just wanted to share a little story about a customer who came into the store.

Here's a little word visual for you: There are two cashes and six self-checkouts available at this time, as it's quite early I guess they didn't think they'd need too many cashiers (and of course I don't need to mention the hour cuts the lovely store manager bestowed upon us). There was a line at the express checkout, for some reason people are terrified of the self-checkout - I guess that whole, "Please scan your first item and place it in the bag. Please place the item in the bag....please place the item in the bag...PLEASE PLACE THE ITEM IN THE BAG!!!" (At which point people usually freak out and run off, but that's a story for another day my friends) it's just not very appealing, but still. I mean there are SIX cashes you could be using that the attendant could be helping you and you'd be out of the store faster. Anyway.

There's a lady, a young lady, around twenty-five years old I guess. She's just screaming and freaking out in line; remember that whole part in the Top 10 about people screaming about why are there not enough cashiers? Yeah. "This is ridiculous!! I didn't come here to stand in such a long line!! Why are there only two cashes open?!" So, the self-checkout attendant offers to help her go through there so it would be faster for her. Well, no, that would be ridiculous I guess, because she screams, "I'm not going through one of those things!! It's a cashier's job and I am NOT doing it by myself!!!"

Whatever.

This is getting long, so basically she just goes through the cash SCREAMING at the cashier, and would you believe that a  man who didn't even know her just joined in screaming?! The cashier started to cry. A supervisor had to come off the only other cash open and tell this woman to get out of line and go pay somewhere else because she's holding up the line even more and she's being rude. So she went to customer service and screamed at that girl too.

Now, I'm a supervisor also and I understand my job is to help people and solve their grocery problems but had I not been busy with something else this story would have a different ending. The whole you're a rude person, you should be ashamed, get out of the store thing would have been thrown in her face followed by a nice swift kick in the bum crack, if you know what I mean.

The weirdest part is, I don't think she thinks she was being rude. I think she left the store and complained to everyone all day about what a terrible store it is, with awful customer service. I mean...just try and wrap your head around that and I bet you can't. I sure haven't been able to.