Don't throw that at me

[daleduke17]

aka, "If you don't like my answer, leave"

Ok, so while I was still at Kroger before I was able to leave retail, I was the CAO Clerk/Grocery Clerk person for the store. One Sunday they had me working 830a-500p. Not a good thing as that store is a heavy Sunday business store and my work needs to be done early in the day (I would work 4a-1230p usually). Well, the day was one giant piece of suck from the get-go. First, it took me three hours to stock bread and do the markdowns. Second, I kept getting called up front to assist the cashiers. Third, a milk delivery came (I hated unloading trucks). Then, the manager said he was leaving for the day since he had to come in at 9pm to help overnights work on a project. He put me in charge. Goody. Well, about 130pm I had enough and went on lunch (no breaks yet). I come back from lunch and am talking to the closing office people outside. We all go inside and a cashier meets us at the door saying "Um, guys, can you help me with an angry customer?" I volunteer as I am closest to going on the clock and I had a feeling it was going to get bad. I go over and we have this exchange:

Me: Hi, I'm the manager in charge today, how may I help you? (contrary to the look I had that day of a worn-out Red Sox hat, scruffy beard, sunglasses hooked on my shirt and dirty shirt from stocking)
SC: I want this stuff on WIC. She *pointing at cashier* won't ring it up.
Me: Well, it is because the state of Illinois doesn't allow those items on WIC.
SC: But I buy it here all the time. Why the f--- won't you do it now?
Me: Well, if it did get rang up last time, it shouldn't have. I know we have been training some new cashiers within the last month and some errors might have happened, but, it says right on this list *points to WIC list* that we cannot do it.
SC: I f------ want it rang up. Why the f--- won't you ring it up?
Me: Because it is not allowed. And please, stop swearing.
SC: I will f------ swear if I want. Ring my s--- up now.
Me: No, I will not. And you will calm down, or you will leave right now.
SC: I ain't leaving until you f------ ring my f------ s--- up. F---!
Me: Ok, leave. We're done.
SC: We're not done, right my f------ stuff up.
Me: No. Please leave.
SC: Fine, I'll go to Jewel.
Me: Ok, have a nice day (while maintaining my composure)
SC: You know what, I'm not leaving. Ring the f------ stuff up, now.
Me: Ma'am, you will either leave by your own will, or one of the ladies at the service desk WILL call the Bloomington Police Department and THEY will help you out of here.
SC: Fine. I'll f------ leave. *sets an ink pen down on the counter*
Me: Ok, have a nice day *picks up the pen*
SC: *grabs pen and throws it at me, it bounces off my chest*
ME: Get out. *walks around the end of the checkstand towards the lady to point the way to the door and to make sure she doesn't damage anything on the way out(

Let's just say there were a bunch of wide-eyed people in the store that day as they got to see a "manager" not take no for an answer and throw a person out of the store. The day got better though, when I walked back downstairs from the main office after calming down, one of the office clerks said "Who's the MOD, the district manager is here for a store walk" Wonderful, the store is torn up and I'm ready to highjack the liquor department.

Let's just say, also, that was the last Sunday I worked 830a-5p. The manager who put me in temporary command came in while I was still there and I informed him of the situation that occured in a profanity-laden venting of the day (and I NEVER swore in front of that manager).

[draggar]

SC: *grabs pen and throws it at me, it bounces off my chest*

That's assault and battery and I'm willing to bet that people wouldn't throw this crap (no pun intended) if they were held accountable for their actions. In other words, the police were called and she was escorted out.

[daleduke17]

That's assault and battery and I'm willing to bet that people wouldn't throw this crap (no pun intended) if they were held accountable for their actions. In other words, the police were called and she was escorted out.

Yeah, I should have had the police called, but, by the time they would have gotten there, the lady would have been gone (it was right at shift change for them, so they would have been coming from downtown, about five to six minutes away).

[draggar]

Still, you could have filed the paperwork and requested that she not come to the store again, if she was she would be charged with criminal tresspass.

My stores have been though the same before, the results were effective.

[Becks]

Me: No. Please leave.
SC: Fine, I'll go to Jewel.
Me: Ok, have a nice day (while maintaining my composure)
SC: You know what, I'm not leaving.

How come SCs always lie and get our hopes up like that?

[Anakah]

I had a guy so pissed off that he threw his slot card at me because I wouldn't give him money. I could've sworn that childhood tantrums weren't allowed as adults...

What is wrong with people???

[dalejrfan71]

Don't you know, the customer is always right.....NOT!!!!! Some people are so immature.

[greensinestro]

Nothing personal against those that are on special assistance like this, but why is it these normally are the ones who act like this, complete with that wonderful "F" word? I not once have ever cursed out a manager or a cashier because, well, I have never had a reason to. I've had my share of issues on how I was treated at a store, but upon complaining, I never cursed anyone out.

My brother's ex-girlfriend, whom they both have a child with (and thankfully, he has full custody of), is an expert on government assistance. When she goes grocery shopping and tries to buy stuff her WIC/Food stamps/Medicaid benefits that are not allowed, she goes ballistic when they refuse to do it. He's told me that the stores and other places of business all know her, and some groan about her the moment they see her coming. How does he know this? He's friends with the manager of the local Publix, so he shares the weekly horror stories with him.

[blas]

Green, that's exactly how I felt about customers at the gas station.

I'd never experienced rich SCs before, only ones on assistance who acted entitled and jerkoff-like, just like the lady in this story. That's why I started calling them all "entitled poor customers".

[allniter]

You can make a citizen's arrest. If she assaulted you and you have witnesses to it, you can detain her till the cops get there. If she tries to leave, she can be charged with attempting to flee the scene of a crime. People just gotta grow some balls in standing up to people more. But for something like that I can also see how it'd barely be worth the effort.

On a funny note, when you started your rant, I could've sworn it was a guy yelling at you. haha imagine my surprise when you said ma'am later in your conversation. It's certainly taught me not to assume too much too early, and I thank you for that.

[uknz76]

This has reminded me of a SC a few years ago. His debit card declined so he threw it at me.

I picked it up and cut it in half.

The SC went ballistic but my manager backed me on it, I knew he would 'cos I'd seen him do the same thing before.

Apparently if someone throws something, that would not be thrown in the normal course of using that item, they are deemed to have discarded the item. Our policy was to detroy all debit/credit cards left in our store for more than 48 hours. We just bought the timtable forward a bit for the SC's.

One of the SC's (I don't remember if it was min or the managers) complained to the police. They backed us, and called to let us know.

But this was a loooong time ago, I don't know if I'd feel so confident doing it now.

[Marxfan]

This has reminded me of a SC a few years ago. His debit card declined so he threw it at me.

I picked it up and cut it in half.

Bravo! Hope that taught the miserable shit some manners!

[wagegoth]

I think that with rich people the money doesn't really seem like money to them, more like Monopoly game money, combined with having so many people bow and scrape to them, that they feel entitled to what they want when they want it, which is usually "NOW."

With public assistance people, it's also not real money. They are given the money, almost as a reward for screwing up,* so it doesn't really mean anything to them either.

It's just us middle and lower middle class working slobs who live on budgets and count on only ourselves to get by that see the realness of money.

A friend, who is a divorce lawyer, used to represent poor women pro bono. "Used to" because she got fed up with the same women showing up for free help over and over again, although she had agreed only to help them with one matter. She was physically threatened when she told them she wouldn't keep representing them. So now she doesn't do it. She'll help out friends with advice and referrals, occasionally writing letters, but only for friends. The abusers ruined it for the people who would have been happy with the one-time help.




* I'm not against public assistance, bad things happen out of the blue, mistakes are made, sometimes you just need a little help, but I'm so frickin' tired watching the cheats and the liars and the users (not the majority of recipients) spending the money I paid in taxes from a legitimate job.