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So, been a reader of the site for a while now (sometimes, a bad day can be made all the better by reading someone else’s rant on how stupid blasted customers can be, as I'm sure everyone on these boards knows), and decided to put together a list of a few of the highlights - the ones I can remember, at least - of my time in various forms of customer service.
Of course, I'll be leaving out the whole "How much is this/do you have any copies of such-and-such" stories, because, well, Kevin Smith put it better than I can.
First full time job I had, I worked at a large Irish supermarket chain. Starting off at 14, I worked as a grunt in the butchers (yay, cleaning blood off the floor is super fun), moved my way up to the grunt in the bakery. Little interaction with customers, and this wasn't even my local store. So when, one day, they needed someone to sweep up the floor, I get sent out, still in full bakers garb (doughy knees and all). I'm by the potatoes (yes, get all your "Irish and potato jokes out of your system now, please
. Done? Let's continue) when I'm approached by an older fella with a very snooty attitude.
SC: What types of potatoes are best for making chips (fries, for the Americans not in the know)?
Me (remember, 14. I can make a pretty mean batch of scrambled eggs, and not much else): I'm sorry sir, I'm not sure. If you'd wait a minute, I'll see if I can fi-
SC: No, it's too late now.
... and he walked off.
What? Why is it too late now? The 30 seconds it would have taken to find someone to answer your question would ruin your party plans? Not getting a question answered in 5 seconds will cause your head to explode? Did the fate of humanity rest on your getting an answer from me? Oh crap, have I doomed humanity now?
The only thing that makes this somewhat confusing encounter at least a little satisfying is that I'm fairly certain neither of us know which potatoes are best for frying til this very day. I've actively avoided finding out, and I have a hard time believing he's found someone who can answer the question in under 5 seconds, even 13 years later.
Of course, I'll be leaving out the whole "How much is this/do you have any copies of such-and-such" stories, because, well, Kevin Smith put it better than I can.
First full time job I had, I worked at a large Irish supermarket chain. Starting off at 14, I worked as a grunt in the butchers (yay, cleaning blood off the floor is super fun), moved my way up to the grunt in the bakery. Little interaction with customers, and this wasn't even my local store. So when, one day, they needed someone to sweep up the floor, I get sent out, still in full bakers garb (doughy knees and all). I'm by the potatoes (yes, get all your "Irish and potato jokes out of your system now, please
. Done? Let's continue) when I'm approached by an older fella with a very snooty attitude.SC: What types of potatoes are best for making chips (fries, for the Americans not in the know)?
Me (remember, 14. I can make a pretty mean batch of scrambled eggs, and not much else): I'm sorry sir, I'm not sure. If you'd wait a minute, I'll see if I can fi-
SC: No, it's too late now.
... and he walked off.
What? Why is it too late now? The 30 seconds it would have taken to find someone to answer your question would ruin your party plans? Not getting a question answered in 5 seconds will cause your head to explode? Did the fate of humanity rest on your getting an answer from me? Oh crap, have I doomed humanity now?
The only thing that makes this somewhat confusing encounter at least a little satisfying is that I'm fairly certain neither of us know which potatoes are best for frying til this very day. I've actively avoided finding out, and I have a hard time believing he's found someone who can answer the question in under 5 seconds, even 13 years later.
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