Behind the Counter = Automatically Employee

[pbmods]

Way back when I was a service clerk at a well-known drug store, I had a rather... interesting experience.

At the store I worked at, we allowed customers behind the counter at certain spots to look at products like lighters, DVDs, etc. It was OK because the expensive stuff was locked up, and there was a pretty big selection, and with the lines we got, it was much more efficient to just let them behind the counter rather than play the game of "Right there. No, to the left. One up. You're not getting it. Next one. It's right *there*!".

But that's not what this is about. You'll see.

So a customer is waiting patiently in line, and when her turn comes up, she asks about a certain product, and so I ask her if she'd like to step behind the counter and take a look. Ok, sounds good. So she steps back and decides to buy something (it's been awhile; I forget exactly what it was).

Anyway, I start ringing her up, and when I get to the total, I explain to her that now that it's time for cash handling, I need her in front of the counter. She's totally cool, goes back around front, and we complete the transaction.

As she walks out, the next customer in line goes over to my coworker at the next register. As he's being rung up he says to my coworker (NB - not to me.... chicken****):

"You should talk to your friend about not serving employees before customers. I don't really care, but it's extremely rude, and somebody might be offended."

My coworker just gives him a funny look; I don't think he had any idea what the SC was talking about.

The SC walks out and the cashier asks me WTF. I tell him what happened and he asks if she was an employee. Nope.

Ok, so first off, you got something to say? You say it to my face. You don't talk **** about me to my coworker RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. Who do you think he's gonna side with anyway? You? Pfaugh!

Second off, so what even if she *was* an employee? She waited her turn in line, and when you're buying something, you're a customer. On-the-clock, off-the-clock, it doesn't matter.

And finally, I don't know what this "I don't care, but somebody else might" attitude. First of all, of course you effing care. You wouldn't be such a ***** about it if you didn't. And second off, notice how NOBODY ELSE NOTICES, LET ALONE CARES. In fact, I'm pretty sure that everyone else was pretty quick to figure out that the woman was a *customer* anyway.

Okies. Vent over. Thanks for your time.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oh, MAN, what a tiny, teeny, gnat sized pecker that guy must have. Not only was he too much of a coward to say anything to your face, but he's too much of a p to even admit he's annoyed to a third party.

Think about this...that guy has to look at the biggest cowardly loser he knows every morning shaving.

I spit from great height on people like him.

[Lace Neil Singer]

What a cowardly fool. I fart in his general direction.

[Tria]

Oh, MAN, what a tiny, teeny, gnat sized pecker that guy must have.

They gnats say theirs are bigger and want to know why you are looking to compare.

[chainedbarista]

I spit from great height on people like him.

that's spit abuse, wasting it on such a loser!

seriously, have the cajones to, first, admit you were the one with the problem, and second, make sure you KNOW what you're talking about, before you do something that could possibly make you look like a TOTAL ass.

at least he didn't refer to himself in the third person directly...

[purplecat41877]

Where I work, customers aren't allowed behind the service counter. Same thing goes for employees who don't work back there.

[Broomjockey]

Co-irker and door stand

At my old theatre, we had a coffee area, ice cream area, and hot food area in addition to the normal concession. Managers made a rule that employees are not to serve their own food for breaks, and an employee waiting in line is equal to a customer (they loved to use the term "internal customer"). I had this one co-irker I'll refer to as B, as in *****.
B was supposed to be working in the hot foods area, but was over in the coffee area talking with that person. I waited for 5 min. before I finally go over there and say "Can you help me now?" B says "Do it yourself." I remind her we aren't supposed to serve ourselves, and she just says "So what?" I just went and got my own food.

A seperate incident. I was trying to order my food from B, when someone in to see a movie comes up, she takes his order AND serves him his food before looking at me. I complain about the waste of my break. B tries to tell me one of the managers said to serve customers before employees. I called BS on her and reminded her about the internal customer employee, and pointed out that I've only got 15 min for a break, customers just need to get to the theatre and then they've got 1 hr + to eat.

Last one. By this time B and I really dislike each other, other incidences escalating the hatred. I've told her she is not to talk to me unless it is to ask a question or answer one. I'm in on my day off to see a movie. I want to order some chicken fingers, and they take 5 min to cook. I order, B puts them in the fryer. With about 1.5 min left to go on my order, someone else comes up, orders chicken fingers, and she puts another order down. When my order finishes, she puts it in the container, and GIVES IT TO THE SECOND GUY. I almost lost it on her.


A bit more on topic, we also had two door stands there, set about 6 feet apart that customers had to walk between before they got into the theatre proper. The door person would stand at one, and the other would be unoccupied, as noone was really needed at the second one most of the time. Customers waiting for friends would routinely come back from concession, set their stuff on the stand, and wait there, in street clothes, sometimes coat slung over an arm, etc. And just as routinely, people would try and hand the customer the ticket instead of the fully uniformed door person 6ft. away. The person waiting for their friend would give the most interesting reactions sometimes, strangely, noone ever pretended to be an employee though. . .

[Sandy]

What a cowardly fool. I fart in his general direction.

That's hilarious!

[Mixed Bag]

"You should talk to your friend about not serving employees before customers. I don't really care, but it's extremely rude, and somebody might be offended."

I wasn't there to witness tone and body language, and the comment that it was rude was unnecessary. One might even add that it's probably better to be silent than speak about something one doesn't understand.

Still, just because we think a suggestion might be silly doesn't mean the customer isn't sincere when they say they're feeling for those who might care more and that it's not a big deal to them. Even if they were offended, they could be trying to be polite about it. I speak as someone who's done this.