Tweet
Oooh I had a doozy of a customer yesterday.
So the store was closing, all but one of the tills had been cashed up. Our policy is strict. When the store clock hits closing time, every customer must head for either the till or the door. Once that queue is formed, there is no joining it. To make sure that everyone knows about it, for the last ten minutes I stand near the door and tell people about this policy. This woman came in at ten to close, I told her about the policy and she nodded in understanding. Naturally you get those who believe themselves above trivialites. This is what happened today.
The Sucky Customer, a play in one act.
Me: Grog (
)
SC: A sucky customer.
SCSC: Sucky customer's small child. (I'm not a great judge of age. Maybe 2 or 3? Old enough to be talking and demanding, but not old enough to be doing it maturely)
Clock: A clock.
CW: Co-worker (the only other worker there)
Clock: *Turns closing time*
Me: We're now closed, if you could all just make your way to the tills or to the door please!
SC: Oh but I'm not done! If I could just have a few more minutes to shop please?
Me: I'm sorry, but I did tell you about the policy. There's another shop on campus that's open all evening.
SC: That's a terrible policy anyway! I just want a few minutes.
SCSC: *Starts to scream at his mother for sweets* (He had been using that low-level pestering that kids love for the entire time he'd been there, only now did he break out the big guns)
Me: I'm really sorry, Ma'am, but that's the store policy. If the till hasn't been cashed up within a few minutes my managers are going to be asking questions tomorrow. (that's actually a lie, but I wasn't gonna tell her the real reason, which was that I desperately needed to get away. I'll just say gastronomic problems and leave the rest to your imaginations, k?
)
SC: *voice raising* I'm your customer here, doesn't that mean that I'm right?
Me: Ma'am, you'll either have to leave, or join the queue.
I was really hoping that I could settle this without fireworks, but it shortly took a turn for the worse when I dared to criticise her perfect little prince. At this point, the child started to pull random items off the shelf, and throw them onto the floor, which he continues throughout the following discussion. He's also screaming and demanding sweets.
Me: *To child, hoping that he'll listen* Excuse me, but could you please stop that? I'll need to tidy those up now.
SC: *Screaming* Don't tell my son what to do!
Me: Well then could you please?
SC: How dare you talk to me that way? I demand to see your supervisor!
Me: I am the only supervisor here.
SC: Well then I want to see your manager!
Me: He's not in.
SC: Well this is disgraceful. Firstly this store abuses my rights and tells me that I can't shop here, and then I'm treated like this by the people who are supposed to be helping me? You can be sure that I'll be in first thing monday to talk to your people about this. *turns to look around the shop some more. CW has, by this point, cleared the queue.*
Me: Ma'am, I have to ask you to either go to the till now, or leave.
SC: Don't talk to me like that! *Turns to the shelf next to her, which happened to be crisps and chocolate, and sweeps her arm across it, knocking everything onto the floor*
Me: *speechless*
SC: There, now that you have to clear this up anyway, I can stay a bit longer right?
Me: *speechless*
SC: Good.
Me: Please leave the store now or I'll call University security. You can leave your basket right there.
SC: I'm not leaving until I've bought everything I need.
Me: *Gets out radio, all supervisors have these while they're supervising* Jim, could you come down please, there's a problem at the store.
SC: I can't believe you just did that! Fine, I'll pay for my things.
Me: I'm afraid not. I'll have to ask you to leave please.
SC: That's bullshit! You can't treat me like this!
Me: I'm afraid I can. As shift supervisor, I have the right to ask any unruly customer to leave the premises. Now are you going to leave, or are security going to have to escort you out?
SC: *Throws her basket at me. I managed to dodge, but a couple of things were broken. She storms out with her kid before I can stop her. The kid is screaming all the while*
A protracted silence.
CW: What was her problem?
I ended up staying an extra half-hour to clear up the mess she made. Luckily I called my manager (who is for the most part a good guy) and he said I could claim wages for it. The security guy (who is, of course, not called Jim) was fine with me calling him in. He's in a lot, and knows us quite well. This still wasn't fun though. I let my CW go on time (she needed to be elsewhere, uni-work or something).
I really hate it when people are prepared to make your life hell over something so small. Fortunately, her picture is now slap-bang in the middle of the 'not allowed in the store' poster. Security footage showed exactly what had happened and management agreed that I'd done the best I could in the circumstances.
On a side-note: does anyone else really hate it when customers claim that you're violating their 'rights' by not allowing them to break store rules or policy?
So the store was closing, all but one of the tills had been cashed up. Our policy is strict. When the store clock hits closing time, every customer must head for either the till or the door. Once that queue is formed, there is no joining it. To make sure that everyone knows about it, for the last ten minutes I stand near the door and tell people about this policy. This woman came in at ten to close, I told her about the policy and she nodded in understanding. Naturally you get those who believe themselves above trivialites. This is what happened today.
The Sucky Customer, a play in one act.
Me: Grog (
)SC: A sucky customer.
SCSC: Sucky customer's small child. (I'm not a great judge of age. Maybe 2 or 3? Old enough to be talking and demanding, but not old enough to be doing it maturely)
Clock: A clock.
CW: Co-worker (the only other worker there)
Clock: *Turns closing time*
Me: We're now closed, if you could all just make your way to the tills or to the door please!
SC: Oh but I'm not done! If I could just have a few more minutes to shop please?
Me: I'm sorry, but I did tell you about the policy. There's another shop on campus that's open all evening.
SC: That's a terrible policy anyway! I just want a few minutes.
SCSC: *Starts to scream at his mother for sweets* (He had been using that low-level pestering that kids love for the entire time he'd been there, only now did he break out the big guns)
Me: I'm really sorry, Ma'am, but that's the store policy. If the till hasn't been cashed up within a few minutes my managers are going to be asking questions tomorrow. (that's actually a lie, but I wasn't gonna tell her the real reason, which was that I desperately needed to get away. I'll just say gastronomic problems and leave the rest to your imaginations, k?
)SC: *voice raising* I'm your customer here, doesn't that mean that I'm right?
Me: Ma'am, you'll either have to leave, or join the queue.
I was really hoping that I could settle this without fireworks, but it shortly took a turn for the worse when I dared to criticise her perfect little prince. At this point, the child started to pull random items off the shelf, and throw them onto the floor, which he continues throughout the following discussion. He's also screaming and demanding sweets.
Me: *To child, hoping that he'll listen* Excuse me, but could you please stop that? I'll need to tidy those up now.
SC: *Screaming* Don't tell my son what to do!
Me: Well then could you please?
SC: How dare you talk to me that way? I demand to see your supervisor!
Me: I am the only supervisor here.
SC: Well then I want to see your manager!
Me: He's not in.
SC: Well this is disgraceful. Firstly this store abuses my rights and tells me that I can't shop here, and then I'm treated like this by the people who are supposed to be helping me? You can be sure that I'll be in first thing monday to talk to your people about this. *turns to look around the shop some more. CW has, by this point, cleared the queue.*
Me: Ma'am, I have to ask you to either go to the till now, or leave.
SC: Don't talk to me like that! *Turns to the shelf next to her, which happened to be crisps and chocolate, and sweeps her arm across it, knocking everything onto the floor*
Me: *speechless*
SC: There, now that you have to clear this up anyway, I can stay a bit longer right?
Me: *speechless*
SC: Good.
Me: Please leave the store now or I'll call University security. You can leave your basket right there.
SC: I'm not leaving until I've bought everything I need.
Me: *Gets out radio, all supervisors have these while they're supervising* Jim, could you come down please, there's a problem at the store.
SC: I can't believe you just did that! Fine, I'll pay for my things.
Me: I'm afraid not. I'll have to ask you to leave please.
SC: That's bullshit! You can't treat me like this!
Me: I'm afraid I can. As shift supervisor, I have the right to ask any unruly customer to leave the premises. Now are you going to leave, or are security going to have to escort you out?
SC: *Throws her basket at me. I managed to dodge, but a couple of things were broken. She storms out with her kid before I can stop her. The kid is screaming all the while*
A protracted silence.
CW: What was her problem?
I ended up staying an extra half-hour to clear up the mess she made. Luckily I called my manager (who is for the most part a good guy) and he said I could claim wages for it. The security guy (who is, of course, not called Jim) was fine with me calling him in. He's in a lot, and knows us quite well. This still wasn't fun though. I let my CW go on time (she needed to be elsewhere, uni-work or something).
I really hate it when people are prepared to make your life hell over something so small. Fortunately, her picture is now slap-bang in the middle of the 'not allowed in the store' poster. Security footage showed exactly what had happened and management agreed that I'd done the best I could in the circumstances.
On a side-note: does anyone else really hate it when customers claim that you're violating their 'rights' by not allowing them to break store rules or policy?
Comment