Foot in mouth disease

[Eireann]

Hi all,

I've been a member here before - MadMike and Ace may remember me - but I dropped out after so many site hacks. But now... I'm BACK!

Fortunately, I no longer work in a field where I have to deal with customers. I still have some stories from my retail days, though.

Example:

I once worked in a photo lab. Digital was only beginning to make its presence felt, so we went through a large number of rolls per week. Sometimes, I had to come in early to get through it all (while keeping myself hidden from the view of those customers who thought that if someone was inside, the lab MUST be open, so come unlock these doors RIGHT NOW!!).

Sometimes, though, it was slow. As in this one day I remember, when I was chatting with my coworker. The counter guy had gone to lunch. My coworker was printing. I was alternating between sorting orders and working the counter. Slow day, as I said.

We had a candy machine near the door. I was talking to my coworker about the little kids who would whine ENDLESSLY when their parent(s) wouldn't buy them candy. "Wantdatwantdatwantdat...." The mantra was repeated ad nauseum while the parents transacted their business.

I saw a woman approach the counter. "Can I help you?"

The woman, giving me the evil eye, told me, biting off her words, that she was here to pick up an order.

What'd I do? I went to the counter as soon as she arrived at it, I was friendly, polite.... Huh?

I got her order, rang it up, and all the while, she's giving me a look of hatred.

Then I realized what was wrong. There was a small child standing next to her.

"Wantdatwantdatwantdat...."

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

If there was ever a more poignant example of why they need to allow parents to make Benedryl Milkshakes I've yet to see it.

Mongo

[MadMike]

I've been a member here before - MadMike and Ace may remember me - but I dropped out after so many site hacks. But now... I'm BACK!

Yep, I remember you. You may or may not have noticed we're under new management now. Mr. S. was finding less and less time to spend on CS, and when we got hacked yet once again around last Christmas, it was the final straw, and he chose not to bring CS back. I don't know if Rapscallion was a member last time you were here, but he bought the rights to the site and took it over. Not sure when you were here last, but undoubtedly several mods have come and gone, and I myself was promoted to administrator when Raps took over.

That being said, I have my own story that's relevant to this thread. Not with a customer, but a pain in the ass coworker named Ruth.

She was extremely lazy, and there were rumors about certain activities involving her and the truck drivers, but both of those are topics for other threads.

The topic of this post is her not bothering to really look for the prices on items when she was on register, and then dragging one of us off the floor for an unnecessary price check. Sometimes one digit of the price would be partially obscured, but still legible by anyone with half a brain (which she didn't have, obviously.) Sometimes the price wouldn't be in plain sight, but could be found if you'd only take a second or two to actually look for it. And a few times, it was even in plain sight, but yet she couldn't find it.

We all dreaded having to cover the bell when she was on register, especially on days when our orders came in, because we could never get anything done. We were in a constant state of coming up front, getting the price, and returning to our aisle. If the bell rang, 99.9%, it was her. She used it more than all the other cashiers put together. It got to the point where some of the guys started ignoring the bell, which I'm sure really sucked for the other cashiers on those rare occasions when they needed a legitimate check.

One day I came in, and the assistant manager was in the office, which was basically a raised platform with a half wall around it, and around that, at floor-level, was the cigarette counter. As soon as he saw me, he told me I needed to cover the bell.

I looked all around, and didn't see Ruth on any register, so I assumed she was in her aisle or in the back somewhere. I told him, "OK, fine. But please get rid of Ruth, or at least disconnect her bell. I have a huge order to work, and I'll never get it done if she's leaning on that damn bell like she always is!"

He didn't answer, but got this "Oh shit!" look on his face, and then cast his eyes downward. I got up on my toes, and saw Ruth crouched down behind the cigarette counter, stocking cigarettes. I quickly and quietly shuffled away.

[chainedbarista]

hey, truth is truth, after all!

as for the woman, if that shoe fits, wear it, if you don't want to fit that shoe, then DISCIPLINE THAT CHILD or simply tell them, "NO," and give them the glare of death, instead of the cashier.

wahh, someone called me on my lack of parenting skillz, wahh, oh noes!

[wagegoth]

If there was ever a more poignant example of why they need to allow parents to make Benedryl Milkshakes I've yet to see it.

Mongo

My husband has suggested a new product: Children's Chewable Valium.

[Tria]

My husband has suggested a new product: Children's Chewable Valium.

Or start them on herbal tea young.... *Hides my chamomile* MINE!

[friendofjimmyk]

My husband has suggested a new product: Children's Chewable Valium.

YEAH!!! You can put them in the shape of their favorite cartoon characters!

[chainedbarista]

you can expand that into valium gummies...just think of the possibilities!

[Jester]

Let's not overlook the obvious marketing possibilities here, kids. I mean, not only could you have them in the shape of cartoon characters, you can use certain cartoon characters that would, just by their nature, lend themselves rather well to Children's Chewable Valium. Off the top of my head:

Droopy Dog
Sleepy the Dwarf
Eeyore
Elmer Fudd ("Be vewy vewy quiet....")
Sleeping Beauty
The Three (Napping) Bears
(Napping) Garfield
Cleveland from Family Guy

I am sure there are others I haven't thought of, too. Ironically because at the moment, I am very very tired.

[Rapscallion]

Heh - I remember your name, but it's from many moons past.

We're still here. While there are SCs, we will always be here.

Rapscallion

[Eireann]

Hi, Rapscallion! I've been keeping up on the site - I've visited it often - but there have just been so damned many hacks. Once, the site was hacked while I was on it. I thought, "What the hell's wrong?" Found out later.

I'm just glad this woman didn't ream me out for talking about whiny kids when her kid was doing the same - mind you, I had no idea until I was ringing up the order that she even HAD a child with her, let alone one who was chanting that particular mantra.

Om.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

The funniest example of "foot in mouth" I have ever seen was in a lab I used to work in. The minilab guy was a loudmouthed redneck who would say anything to anyone. This woman came in, and I missed what happened, but apparently, she was an extreme example of a sucky customer (I dont' know what it is about film labs, but they are like magnets for people who suck.)

Anyway, when she was gone, minilab guy started. "Oh, that bitch just needs a good fing. That's all she needs. A good fing." The front counter guy was going "Ssshhh. Hey, shut up! Ssssh!"

On and on minilab goes. Very loudly. "Ah, I know what SHE needs. She just needs a good fing. Good fing. would fix her RIGHT up."...and on and on and on.

Well, front counter was all freaked out because the customer had NOT left. She was standing less than 10 feet away, just inside the open door to where the graphic designers were sitting, talking to them.

Fortunately, either she somehow did not hear what he was saying, or she didn't think he was talking about her (I mean, nobody would say that with her standing right there, I guess would be the thinking.). And if it offended her, she didn't let on.

Talk about getting lucky.

I might be interesting to note this is the same lab where I was interviewed by the boss asking me "So,does a lot of cussin' bother you?"