Is my sister an SC??? (Long)

[downforit2008]

Years of working in Retail has touched me to the point of where I happen to be one of the best customers you could imagine at other retail stores and fast food joints and restaurants. I greet them with a warm smile, actually thank the cooks for their service, and at the restaurants, I've always tipped no lower than 30 percent. On my last restaurant visit, I told my friendly waitress who handed me the check to take the pen and write what SHE wants on the line where the tip is written. She was delighted, and put down 5 bucks on a $18 meal even though I hoped she would go higher. I guess she didn't want to take advantage of me!

My sister is pretty much the opposite. When she shops at my store, she'll take out items and leave them on the wrong shelves of each department, justifying her excuse by saying, "But I'm providing JOB SECURITY for the employees!" As a cart-pusher myself, I'm furious to see her leave her shopping cart in some empty parking space or another stupid place instead of putting it in the cart corral. I'll be off-duty at the time, but will always correct her mistake even though she says, "Let the other cart-pushers get it!" OTHER cart-pushers? Those guys are fellow coworkers!

Just this last Sunday, I decided to go to the local Arby's just three blocks from my house and had a coupon that said I could order 2 Arby's sandwiches, 2 drinks, 2 fries, and an order of mozzarella sticks for just $8.99. Good deal, right? So I asked my sister if she wanted me to buy her dinner from there. She eagerly agreed, and I walked out to the Arby's. When I got there, I realized I forgot to ask what drink she wanted and called her to inquire about it. She said she wanted a Mountain Dew, so I said "See you in a few." and hung up. The female cashier was already at the counter, waiting to take my order at this time.
I said, "Sorry about that. I consider it rude to be on the phone when an employee is trying to take your order, so I had to finish this call." The cashier's face lit up and she said happily, "That's very kind of you! Most people don't even do that." I grinned at her, said that I work in Retail, so I fully understand how some customers can be so inconsiderate. Then I handed her the coupon and gave her my order. The food was ready in less than 2 minutes, so I took the food and drinks, complimented the cashier and the cook on their great and speedy service, and wished them a great evening.

When I got home, I gave my sister her share of the food, and then began rummaging around in the bag for the order of cheese sticks. There weren't any. I shrugged this off and said to myself, "Hey, some people make mistakes." I wasn't upset because even though I had an $8.99 coupon, they barely even charged me $7 for the order, and now I knew why, so it wasn't like I paid more money for food I didn't get. It just simply wasn't rung up.

My sister began immediately making a stink about it. "They didn't make the CHEESE STICKS?" she demanded. "That's bad customer service!"

"It's no big deal." I replied. "I wasn't charged for the cheese sticks, so I ended up paying less anyway."

"You should go back there and complain!" she snapped. "If you complain about it enough, they'll give you the cheese sticks for FREE."

I was stunned. It's just a stupid lousy order of cheese sticks!!! How many of them are made in a single order, four at most? She would have only gotten two of them anyway since the order was for two people. So here she is insisting that I go back there and be a snotty, idiot, whiny customer just to get free food...so she could have her TWO cheese sticks.
I reminded her that she just got a free dinner out of the offer--curly fries, a roast beef sandwich, AND a cup of Mountain Dew! I'm the one who paid for this food and that I see no reason to complain over a lousy couple of cheese sticks, so maybe she should just enjoy it. She retorted that I got the wrong kind of sauce and that they should have given me the sauce she wanted. I said, "Hey, I'm the one who PICKED the sauce, so it's not THEIR fault!"

My sister sounds like an ungrateful, complaining SC who puts up such a whining argument over food that she got for FREE at my expense. I didn't really care that the cheese sticks weren't added to my order. It was a simple mistake and I didn't feel the need to go over there and be an SC to them JUST so I could get them for free.

[Treasure]

yes - your sister is a major SC.

specifically, she's an EW.....

[Desk clerk knows all]

I've always thought that every one should be required to work in customer service for a couple years, then maybe the world would be a better place

[raudf]

I've always thought that every one should be required to work in customer service for a couple years, then maybe the world would be a better place

Unfortunately, this sometimes backfires. It gives the EW a way to work the system while still catering to their egos. But it might reduce the amount of careless SC behaviors.

Sister is definitely an EW. Now, I could understand being put out if you'd paid for the cheese sticks and not gotten them. I could understand being disappointed that you didn't get them when you really wanted them. I do not understand throwing a fit to get them free when you didn't pay for them in the first place. In this case, "principle of the matter" is just bull to scream about.

If you factor in walk time/gas, it's not worth it to complain, because the cost of the cheese sticks isn't worth it! And now I want Arby's and there isn't any close to me!

[thatcrazyredhead]

Ditto to what Treasure said. But look on the bright side. You have a rare opportunity to pick the brain of an SC and find out what thought processes go on in there to make them act the way they do. I've always wanted to find out what exactly goes on in their brains that makes behaving like an EW seem acceptable.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

If I were you I would've taken her meal back and tossed it into the trash. If she complained I would've responded, "I paid for it. That makes it my food that I was going to allow you to eat. But you're being a twat, therefore, NO FOOD FOR YOU!"

It's so strange how siblings can be so very different!

[csquared]

Good to see that one of you turned out right.

Your sister needs to experience life on the other end of her tirades.

[Merriweather]

Sorry, but yep, she is an SC.

In her other behaviours concerning carts, misplaced items, etc - yes. In the roast beef episode, yes.

Now, if you had paid for the cheese sticks, and not gotten them, then a call to let them know, and a note for an order free (well, already-paid-for to be exact) cheese sticks on your next visit would be expected (I'm not a fan of using gas to drive back to get non-essential items at the time, I'd rather wait & get them when I'm there next time). A mistake is made, you politely point it out, you get it corrected. End of story.

Your sister's idea of yelling about a mistake that did not cost you anything, did not deprive you of anything essential, in order to get a freebie? That's SC.

Tell your sister when it's on your dime, you call the shots and decide what to complain about and how to do so. When she's buying, it's her call, even if she is an SC.

PS, I'm sure your sister has other good qualities and is a nice person in other ways. My mom was a good person, I loved her, but sadly, in many ways, she was an SC - and yep, she had worked for years in retail, so no idea why.

[Pizzacommando]

Now I'm craving Arby's and there isn't one in town

[Pagan]

If I were you I would've taken her meal back and tossed it into the trash. If she complained I would've responded, "I paid for it. That makes it my food that I was going to allow you to eat. But you're being a twat, therefore, NO FOOD FOR YOU!"

It's so strange how siblings can be so very different!

Hey! No need to throw perfectly good food out!

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Hey! No need to throw perfectly good food out!

Ok fine, I'd give it to my dog, Ranger. He likes roast beef. A lot. He'd appreciate it way more than SC-Sister-Carlotta-demi-crazy-evil-beeeetch did.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

My sister sounds like an ungrateful, complaining SC who puts up such a whining argument over food that she got for FREE at my expense.

This probably is because your sister is, in fact, an ungrateful, complaining SC.

Given the current levels of staffing, competence, and diligence of my co-workers at the swamp, there's enough for me to do that I don't need people like your sister abandoning their unwanted crap wherever they please and calling it "job security."

And leaving carts for the "other" cart pusher to bring in? That would be me. At the swamp nobody responds when the service desk people page for somebody to bring in carts, so they have to page a few times, and then there's a good chance the manager on duty will, like the voice of God, page me to bring in the damn carts.

[PepperElf]

"Let the other cart-pushers get it!"

Does she not understand? Being lazy with carts isn't about the workers only. It's about the $600+* repair bills when those fucking pieces of shit fly off in the wind. And the stores do NOT pay for the damage.

It's about the OTHER PAYING CUSTOMERS who will suffer because of people who do that.


* I didn't pull that one out of my ass either. It happened to Mom & Dad a couple of years ago. age.

[Desk clerk knows all]

I always grab a cart out of the corral and bring it into the store, figure that makes one less cart the employees have to bring in.

[manybellsdown]

People who do not return their shopping carts are the lowest form of life.