Hey guys, new here and I work at a small family owned dry cleaner. Most of the customers that walk in are usually nice and even the ones that are rude usually don't give us any problems. It's really a lack of manners for the most part. Either way, I stay respectful to everyone. I always just smile and tell them to have a nice day. However, there finally came a time where I had to do something about a rude customer.
Few days ago I see a car parked right in front of our store where there's a huge No Parking Fire Zone sign. We are located in a shopping center. An elderly man walks out with a handful of clothes and comes into the store. He's never been to the store before since I have to get his information onto the computer. He walks in and smiles. I greet him with a "hello! how can I help y-" He cuts me off.
Customer: No, listen to what I have to say.
He throws his clothes on the counter and demands that I make sure to put heavy starch on his dry clean only shirts. I tell him that unfortunately those type of shirts we cannot. Long story short, those particular shirts would have been ruined if we tried and I explain the details to him
Customer: WHY NOT?! (rolls eyes)
(After giving him the details)
Customer: FINE! I'll do it myself once I pick them up. Useless...
Me: May I have your telephone number and if you are new here, your name?
Customer: WHAT? Oh! Yeah...try this. xxxx (gives me four digits)
Me: Pardon?
Customer: I SAID XXX-XXXX. Damn.....Name's (gives me his name)
Me: Thank y-
Customer: You'll put starch on this shirt aight?
Me: I am sorry sir but this shirt is like the other one. We cannot put starch in thi-
Customer: WHAT!? That some bulls***! I'm bout to lee (?) yo a**!! (I assume he's saying "leave your a**") I'm tellin you. You best put starch on these damn shirts aight!! (he slams his hand on his clothes on the counter)
Now at this point I knew I had to politely tell him that we would have to refuse service. The manager from the beginning when I first started working here has informed me to refuse customers that hostile. If a customer is rude, just be respectful. If a customer uses profanity and any type of physical responses like slamming his hand on the table like he did, do not give him service.
Me: I'm sorry sir but we cannot accept your clothes now. There's a cleaners across the street that may be able to fulfill your needs but we cannot
Customer: WHAT!? Fuck is this? No..I want starch on my damn shirts!
Me: Okay sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave
Customer: NO! I want STARCH..on my damn shirts!
Me: You are being very disrespectful (I don't know if that was the right thing to say, if any of you guys believe it wasn't, feel free to let me know)
Customer: hell I ain't! Do my shirts!
Worker comes from the back to see what's going on.
Customer: I ain't leavin til you put starch on my shirts!
Me: No sir, as I said, I am asking you to please leave.
Customer: NO!
Me: Sir, I am asking you to leave now. We will not accept your clothes
Customer: I AIN'T LEAVIN!
Me: *sighs* If you do not leave, I will have to call the police
Customer:...Go call the fu-
He stops and stands there for a second or two and then quickly grabs his clothes and goes
Customer: F*** this place. You just lost MY business. I ain't comin back to this s***hole!
(He then just stands there)
Me: Sir, I have to ask you to leave right now
Customer: well F*** YOU!...aight? F*** you! C***suckah! F*** you!
Me: I'm sorry you feel that way but I'm asking you to leave
Customer: Motherf***er! F***in f****t! s***face! F*** You!
(two insults I couldn't make out. Sounded like a racial slur against Asians but I can't confirm it)
Co-worker: Please don't speak like tha-
Customer: I speak anyway the F*** I want. Fahhuck him!
At this point, he yanks the door hard as he could and storms out.
Never in my entire life have I seen act the way he did. Let alone an elderly man. I was more surprised than angry or upset with what just happened. Our co-workers and I had a laugh afterward.
You guys may have more experience than I do with this type of situations so if I anyone feels I didn't handle it the right way, I am definitely okay with hearing criticisms. I would like to learn and how to be better on dealing with these situations.
Few minutes after he stormed out, a customer came in to pick up his clothes. He asked how I was doing and we joked for a few seconds. He handed me the cash and quickly walked out telling me to have a good night. I found out he quickly walked out because he gave me more than the cost of his clothes and didn't want me to refuse. He left me a nice tip so it got better during the day!
Few days ago I see a car parked right in front of our store where there's a huge No Parking Fire Zone sign. We are located in a shopping center. An elderly man walks out with a handful of clothes and comes into the store. He's never been to the store before since I have to get his information onto the computer. He walks in and smiles. I greet him with a "hello! how can I help y-" He cuts me off.
Customer: No, listen to what I have to say.
He throws his clothes on the counter and demands that I make sure to put heavy starch on his dry clean only shirts. I tell him that unfortunately those type of shirts we cannot. Long story short, those particular shirts would have been ruined if we tried and I explain the details to him
Customer: WHY NOT?! (rolls eyes)
(After giving him the details)
Customer: FINE! I'll do it myself once I pick them up. Useless...
Me: May I have your telephone number and if you are new here, your name?
Customer: WHAT? Oh! Yeah...try this. xxxx (gives me four digits)
Me: Pardon?
Customer: I SAID XXX-XXXX. Damn.....Name's (gives me his name)
Me: Thank y-
Customer: You'll put starch on this shirt aight?
Me: I am sorry sir but this shirt is like the other one. We cannot put starch in thi-
Customer: WHAT!? That some bulls***! I'm bout to lee (?) yo a**!! (I assume he's saying "leave your a**") I'm tellin you. You best put starch on these damn shirts aight!! (he slams his hand on his clothes on the counter)
Now at this point I knew I had to politely tell him that we would have to refuse service. The manager from the beginning when I first started working here has informed me to refuse customers that hostile. If a customer is rude, just be respectful. If a customer uses profanity and any type of physical responses like slamming his hand on the table like he did, do not give him service.
Me: I'm sorry sir but we cannot accept your clothes now. There's a cleaners across the street that may be able to fulfill your needs but we cannot
Customer: WHAT!? Fuck is this? No..I want starch on my damn shirts!
Me: Okay sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave
Customer: NO! I want STARCH..on my damn shirts!
Me: You are being very disrespectful (I don't know if that was the right thing to say, if any of you guys believe it wasn't, feel free to let me know)
Customer: hell I ain't! Do my shirts!
Worker comes from the back to see what's going on.
Customer: I ain't leavin til you put starch on my shirts!
Me: No sir, as I said, I am asking you to please leave.
Customer: NO!
Me: Sir, I am asking you to leave now. We will not accept your clothes
Customer: I AIN'T LEAVIN!
Me: *sighs* If you do not leave, I will have to call the police
Customer:...Go call the fu-
He stops and stands there for a second or two and then quickly grabs his clothes and goes
Customer: F*** this place. You just lost MY business. I ain't comin back to this s***hole!
(He then just stands there)
Me: Sir, I have to ask you to leave right now
Customer: well F*** YOU!...aight? F*** you! C***suckah! F*** you!
Me: I'm sorry you feel that way but I'm asking you to leave
Customer: Motherf***er! F***in f****t! s***face! F*** You!
(two insults I couldn't make out. Sounded like a racial slur against Asians but I can't confirm it)
Co-worker: Please don't speak like tha-
Customer: I speak anyway the F*** I want. Fahhuck him!
At this point, he yanks the door hard as he could and storms out.
Never in my entire life have I seen act the way he did. Let alone an elderly man. I was more surprised than angry or upset with what just happened. Our co-workers and I had a laugh afterward.
You guys may have more experience than I do with this type of situations so if I anyone feels I didn't handle it the right way, I am definitely okay with hearing criticisms. I would like to learn and how to be better on dealing with these situations.
Few minutes after he stormed out, a customer came in to pick up his clothes. He asked how I was doing and we joked for a few seconds. He handed me the cash and quickly walked out telling me to have a good night. I found out he quickly walked out because he gave me more than the cost of his clothes and didn't want me to refuse. He left me a nice tip so it got better during the day!
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