"Mister Smart Aleck!" Who is at fault here? (long)

[ShinyGreenApple]

This has caused me to have even less faith in the human race than I had before. A little background:

Recently, the grocery store where I work hired on a new cashier that we affectionately dubbed "Shorty". Shorty, I kid you not, does not look a day older than 12 years old, at most, however, he is 16. At least every other customer he waits on will ask him the question "How old are you?!" with their eyes bugging out. After about three weeks or so of this, Shorty started to answer them with a straight-faced "I'm 25." Most people would laugh and then keep pestering him for how old he really is, and it's all in fun; customers love him and most are impressed that not only does he work regularly at 16, but he does his job quite well.

Now we'll talk about last night.

AC= Asshole customer
Me:

Front end manager told me while we weren't busy, to shut my light off and start cleaning registers; great, since I'm closing and if I can get it done now, it means I won't be stuck staying so late after close. I'm at the register behind where Shorty is working; he too has decided to grab a roll of paper towels and spray and clean, but keeps an eye on his register where the light is still on. "Customer" with two young sons attempts to try and come through the lane that I am cleaning, and I tell him that it is not open.

AC: "Well, where is there one open, then?!"

Me: *refraining from saying "Follow the lights, follow the lights!"* "This one right here, sir." and I show him to Shorty's lane, after giving the kid an apologetic eye roll.

AC: "How old are you?"

Shorty: "I'm 25."

AC is not amused.

AC: "Yeah, right! No, How. Old. Are. You?"

Shorty: "I'm 25!"

He however notices that AC is going into suckage mode and says that no, he's really only sixteen.

AC: "Well, it's at least nice to see that you're working, Mr. sixteen year old. What, are you trying to be some kinda smart Aleck with me or something?"

Shorty: "No . . ."

AC: "You don't think you were just getting smart with me?!"

Shorty: "No." *nervous laugh*

AC: "See your manager over there, J? My daughter grew up with her." (How this has any bearing on ANYTHING, I have no idea)

Shorty: . . .

AC: "Don't you care that you were being a smart Aleck? What if I complain, doesn't that bother you?"

Shorty: "No, sir." (Mind you, he has not copped a snarky attitude or anything, and was being very civil and polite)

AC: "Well, you obviously don't care about your job then! What if I decide I'm not gonna shop at WD anymore, huh? Tell you what, forget it, I don't want any of this. Forget it."

He proceeded to leave his order behind, half-rung up, and walk out the door, but not before doubling back, and putting on the Disgruntled Customer act and telling J she has a serious problem with her Smart Aleck cashier over there on 7. I was sorely tempted to tell this guy not to let the door hit the stick up his arse on the way out ><

While Shorty has a reputation for being snarky (he has nearly convinced some customers that they need to be carded to buy vegetable oil), it's never been a problem before, and like I said, most people will go out of their way to get in his line and have a laugh, and in all honesty, I'd probably get really tired of people asking me how old I am all day. Is it just me, or did this guy overreact?

[solemnwarning]

But he's "just a kid" like I am, therefor inferior to all "adults"! >_>

[Bright_Star]

Sounds like he was in a bad mood when he walked in the store & decided to take it on "shorty". What difference does it make if a cashier is 16? as long as they know what they're doing then don't hassle it!

[Becks]

I figure that if someone is working someplace, they are obviously old enough to work there. No reason for ANYONE to ask their age.

[Crazeyal]

They were both wrong. Shorty needs to have an attitude adjustment. There are problems dealing with the general public, and he has to suck it up and DEAL. People are GOING to react to his youth and size. If he wants to difuse it with humor, no problem. SOME people seem to think that flippancy is the height of disrespect, Shorty either doesn't know this, or forgot.

One joke + laugh = happy work enviornment.

One joke + humorless customer = STOP $@#ING AROUND!!

Now the customer needs a visit from the Clue-bat fairy.

[Boozy]

The only rude person in this story is the customer asking Shorty how old he is.

Its none of his damned business. If he wants to ask cheeky questions, he should expect a cheeky answer.

[Shengirl]

Where one should generally stop messing with a customer when the customer's foul mood becomes apparent, the cashier has no obligation to put up with personal questions at all. Asking once is understandable, but when it becomes apparent that the poor cashier doesn't care to answer the personal question, leave the poor kid alone. The customer doesn't have a right to that information, after all.

As a note, I still get people asking my age sometimes. I'm 21. I don't mind answering, but if I hear the phrase, "You don't appreciate it now, but you will when your older!" ONE more time, I may come across the register. Which is why I try to cut people off before they say it.

[XCashier]

I figure that if someone is working someplace, they are obviously old enough to work there. No reason for ANYONE to ask their age.

That's true, the managers do check things like that before hiring anyone. Who wants to be busted for violating child labor laws?

People are GOING to react to his youth and size. If he wants to difuse it with humor, no problem.

He could take it to an extreme, just for a laugh...
"How old are you, son?"
"I'm 487, why?"

Then again, some folks wouldn't know a joke if it danced naked in front of them.

[kibbles]

The customer was the idiot here, first off he had no business to ask the question in the first place, then he cops an attitude. Definitely a SC.

[Strange Magic]

Shorty needs to have an attitude adjustment. There are problems dealing with the general public, and he has to suck it up and DEAL. People are GOING to react to his youth and size. If he wants to difuse it with humor, no problem.

Now the customer needs a visit from the Clue-bat fairy.

To suggest that someone change the harmless way they are just because somebody MIGHT react negatively is not a good suggestion. Why cower from people who are in the wrong and had no right to adopt that kind of attitude with "Shorty" to begin with

[Crazeyal]

Uh?? Because it's bad business??

These forums are for venting, and for sharing stories of massive idiocy. That doesn't change the basic fact that you should always be polite to customers. The sad fact is, you can't always tell who is having a bad day, has poor social skills, or is generally a bad person to begin with. Reacting in the same manner as someone with poor social skills will almost always get you in trouble while at work.

Knowing when to back off is a basic skill of dealing with the public. There are some places that I've worked that REQUIRE that you not only act polite, but defer completly to the client. No jokes, no remarks, no opinions.

Shorty has it good. Being able to give a little 'tude back to people who don't realize that he's heard something countless times before is a %#$# ing LUXURY! Half the people here would KILL to be able to BLINK back at the customers.

I stand by what I said. When the customer got nasty and repeated the question, shorty should have simply deferred or replied nuetrally, instead of continuing the joke. The customers response was unwarrented and excessive. If I saw that I would have demanded he apologize to the poor kid. But that doesn't change the basic fact that Shorty was WRONG.

[Ree]

I can see both sides here, but I am leaning more towards what Crazeyal is saying.

I completely understand how Shorty felt in that situation, as I am also very short, and when I was younger, got many rude comments about my height, my weight, and questions about my age.

I think it's disgusting that, just because we work in a customer service environment, people feel free to pass comment on us, when they wouldn't just walk up to anybody on the street and make those same comments.

It's best to keep a sense of humor, and I think that's what Shorty was trying to do, but as Crazeyal commented, when it's obvious that humor is falling flat, and that customer is turning SC on you, it's a good idea just to deflect and defuse the situation. Is it fair? No. Life ain't fair, and it's a sad fact that, without the customer, we wouldn't have a job, so it's always better to just take the high road and let it slide.

As for commenting to each other on here, we may not agree with what a member has said, but there are good ways of answering to it, and there are bad ways of answering to it.
When in doubt, is the number one rule!!

[Kiwi]

Just because someone is a customer it does not give them cause to ask personal questions and then take issue with them when they do not like the answer.

Maybe shorty would be better to answer "I dont give out personal information" because of random morons who dont seem to have a sence of humor, what a sad place our world is sometimes.

[Sofar]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, what in Hell is wrong with being smart? What is wrong with having an attitude? What is wrong with talking back? Everyone needs to get over themselves. I've had it with respect, just suck it up people.

[Ree]

Just because someone is a customer it does not give them cause to ask personal questions and then take issue with them when they do not like the answer.

Maybe shorty would be better to answer "I dont give out personal information"

Exactly. They don't have a right to expect an answer to personal questions, but the employee has an obligation to remain calm and polite. Just because the customer is an ignoramus, we shouldn't lower ourselves to that level.

When someone asked me a personal question, I would smile, wink, and say, "A lady never tells all of her secrets," or something like that.
It was usually enough to shut them up or make them realize that it was a rude question they had just asked.

I don't think that customer's question deserved an answer, but obviously, Shorty has a flippant way of answering

While Shorty has a reputation for being snarky...it's never been a problem before

and the way he dealt with the question set the customer off.

He's been very lucky so far that his customers have a sense of humor, but there's always going to be one person who was born with a stick up their butt, and it's just good business sense to learn how to get past these people without too much of a problem.

I've had it with respect, just suck it up people.

Ah, so using that theory, the customer had every right to disrespect Shorty, then, by asking such a rude question, and Shorty needs to just suck it up.
What a lovely world that would be to live in.