Uncomfortable conversations

[bean]

I had a somewhat uncomfortable conversation with a customer today.

We were making small talk while I heated up his food. He asked me what I was getting my girlfriend for Valentine's Day - I tried to tell him I didn't have a gf, he started asking why, how could I be single at my age, etc.

I should point out I have BRIGHT pink 00 gauge plugs in my ears, a rainbow chain on my wallet, and a rainbow necklace. And he wouldn't take "I don't have a girlfriend" for an answer. He's a regular customer, probably in his 50s, and I really don't need a customer complaint.

Oh yeah, btw, I'm gay, and very open about it with friends, family, and coworkers. I'm told I "don't act gay", I tell people I just act like me. *shrug* I won't flat out tell a customer unless they ask, but you'd think they'd, I don't know, catch the visual cues. And even then, you'd think they'd pick up on how uncomfortable they were making me?

So what are some of your uncomfortable conversations, coworker or customer?

[Enigma]

Surprisingly, even though I work on the phones, I don' t get a lot of perverts calling in. Every now and then the lonely porn addict asks for 'my suggestion', but usually nothing to bad. But I will never forget the first call like that I got.

It was my second day out on the floor, meaning I was all by me lonesome self, and it was nearing the end of my shift (yay!). At first the call was weird, but not creepy. I remember he called in saying something like "Everything on my guide says it's in eastern time, whats that mean?". And we can never refuse a customer any sort of help, so I went on to explain timezones how they all work, which led to several other odd questions.

And then out of nowhere he informed me I was a naughty girl, and I should be spanked.

XD I Stood up and screamed to my supervisor exactly what he told me (which had my entire team cracking up) and had to get him on the phone to take over the call.

Ah...priceless.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

It used to really fry me when people would ask "How come you don't have kids?"

I told one persistant customer at Kinko's "That's my personal business and I am not going to discuss it with you." He backed off after that. But really, if someone is giving you clipped, non-commital answers, shut up and back off!

[PuckishOne]

Like RK...anything to do with my residence in the Child-Free State seems to provoke the most inappropriate level of curiosity from co-workers and assorted others.

Last year during our enrollment meetings a guy approached me after the meeting and asked if I was a stutterer/stammerer (which I am). I was uncomfortable for about 5 seconds until he shared that he is, too, and complimented me on my speaking during the meeting. In sharp contrast to this is the "joke" my boss cracked at me the other day - reviewing a hastily cut-and-pasted mock-up of our newsletter (with big gaps between columns, and sometimes between letters in words), he commented that I apparently typed like I spoke. So surely there will be more uncomfortable conversations in my future - lucky me!

[Dreamstalker]

I told one persistant customer at Kinko's "That's my personal business and I am not going to discuss it with you." He backed off after that. But really, if someone is giving you clipped, non-commital answers, shut up and back off!

Oy, yes. I have a friend who does that to me on the phone...he's too curious for his own good about various things, but smart enough to know that when I start getting short with someone they should back off immediately.

In person I can just give people The Look. Over the phone is a bit harder (I can claim that I didn't hear them due to bad reception, but that sometimes backfires as they keep asking).

[nekoro]

I had a guy on a tech support call asking me for relationship advice. His GF had cheated, then dumped him. He wanted to know if I, as a girl, thought that she felt guilty and would come back.

I don't remember exactly what I said, but it was noncommital.

[myswtghst]

My coworkers, at least in my old call center, and some of my customers like to pull the boyfriend/husband/kids questions on me. I tend to laugh it off, and just say I'm too young. Granted, I am younger than a lot of the people I deal with daily, but still. I've noticed that a "high standards" comment also tends to get people off my back.

[Kiwi]

I have to admit, that was one of the only times I ever lied to customers (well except the whole checking for stock out the mythical back line) was when I was asked about my love life.

As far as customers knew I had a boyfriend. End of story. It made things ALOT easyier sometimes.

[Discourtesy Clerk]

Oh yeah, just a couple days ago, actually, I had a customer come through and start ranting about the Super Bowl Snickers commercial. You know, with the mechanics and the mutual eating of the candy bar and the chest hair ripping? Yeah, apparently it had "disgusted" him so much that he was boycotting Snickers now, and felt the need to announce this every time he saw a Snickers bar. The direction he took the conversation in made my blood boil, and he used every slur in the book. Stupid old redneck. I said absolutely nothing the whole time, just bit my tongue to keep from ripping him three new ones.

What's worse, though, is my co-worker agreeing...the guy left, I said, "I can't stand it when people talk like that," and she replied, "Well, I have gay people in my family, and I don't have a problem with it, but that's terrible. You have to think about the children." That is, I think, the single most hypocritical sentence I've ever heard spoken.

"The children." She really said that. I swear, I've got my own little pocket of Deep South right here in California. I hear conversations like this so painfully often around here, I've actually jumped back IN the closet since I moved to this city. It's a shame.

[bean]

Whenever people say "you have to think about the children" my response is usually one of the below:

Ultra creepy response reserved for people who I KNOW understand my twisted sense of humor: "Yeah, I like to watch the children get on/off the school bus every day!"*

Almost as creepy: "I think about them all day"

What I usually say if it's a coworker: "You can't shelter them forever - some day they're going to see two guys/girls holding hands and ask you why they're doing that."

A customer: (I just stay silent)

Personally, I was a very sheltered child until I moved out of my parents house 10 years ago. These days it takes a lot to shock me for some reason (but I enjoy doing the shocking).

* disclaimer: I personally can't stand kids and don't think about them at all unless I'm trying to avoid tripping over one when I'm carrying something through the store. I'm also very blunt and a bit of an asshole.

[powerboy]

I have no problem, with people that are gay. I few friends that are gay.

[Gurndigarn]

I had a guy on a tech support call asking me for relationship advice. His GF had cheated, then dumped him. He wanted to know if I, as a girl, thought that she felt guilty and would come back.

I don't remember exactly what I said, but it was noncommital.

"No, and if she cheated on you then came back, she would probably cheat on you again."

[Lace Neil Singer]

I always, when I hear "Think of the children" want to scream a la Helen Lovejoy out of the Simpsons, "Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!!!"

[protege]

I had a similar situation at work. We had a vendor, who, would come in to hit on/harass some of the female employees. He wasn't overly rude, just annoying as hell. After picking up some equipment from him one afternoon, he *really* crossed the line--he kept going on about how one in particular ("Rhonda") was "hot" and he wanted to um, "do things to her" Keep in mind that this fool was in his 50s, fat, balding, and still thought he was "all that." After hearing that, I made sure to warn her when he was scheduled to deliver, so she could avoid him.

[tollbaby]

Whenever people say "you have to think about the children" my response is usually one of the below:

I usually just use my Mrs Lovejoy whine and reply "Won't someone PLEASE think of the *children*!!!!!!"

DAMN. LNS beat me to it. That's what I get for not reading the second page of posts.