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Sucky Customers are actually a rarity for me in my current job at the grocery store deli. This is a very small town so most of my customers are "regulars", most I know at least somewhat-personally, and many at least by first name. One old woman in particular...my coworkers and I tend to argue overwho is going to wait on her cuz she is just generally unpleasant and nasty. I got stuck with her yesterday...
It was a gorgeous day here in my little corner of New England. 70 degrees and sunny with a warm breeze...I spent the morning and early afternoon outside, cleaning up the yard and playing with my kids. I got to work at 3 for the closing shift in a great mood.
At 3:01, I took my first customer, and to my chagrin, saw it was L--...this is a mean old woman who just seems to delight in being a pain in the ass at every store she goes to. Ill have to post in Sightings, some of the crap I've witnessed her pulling in other places. Anyway, her typical spiel at my deli goes something like this (* 2-3 times a week)"
L: What's that turkey-meat look like?
me: (knowing she always gets the store brand) -holds it up for her to see-
L: Aah- it looks kinda wet, eh?
me: Nah, it's good, same as always
L: OK, gimme about $1.50's worth, on the thin side, but NOT TOO THIN!
Now, this turkey is $7.99 a pound...$1.50 gets ya about 4 slices, sometimes 5..I slice it, weigh it, put the sticker on and hand it to her.
L: Aah, Christ, that's not much, is it? You sure you weighed that right?
me: sure did *smile* Anything else today?
At this point she usually gives me a snotty dismissive wave and hobbles away grumbling. Not yesterday though...there's another customer in line, but L-- decides to stare into the Heat-n-eat case, poking her grubby old lady fingers all over the glass
.
L: You dont have anything of those chicken things today!
me: What chicken things would that be?
L: You know! You have the pork and shrimp, but not the chicken.
me: Oh, egg rolls? Yeah, the trucks come in on Monday, the chicken ones are the most popular, so we're already out of those.
L--- continues to hem and haw over the food. I smile apologetically at the customer waiting patiently.
L: What are those BROWN things?!?
me: (points to wings) These? They're BBQ chicken wings.
L: They aint HOT are they?
(at this point we get into a quick discussion regarding BBQ vs. Buffalo and I make her understand that the orangy-red ones are the HOT ones)
(finally!)L: Ok, I want some of these plain chicken tenders. How much are they?
Now she is looking through the glass, directly at the platter with the price on it. But no, that is not good enough, I have to reach down (it's on the bottom of three "steps" displaying the food) pluck the price sign out, turn it around and read it TO her "$5.99 per pound"
L: Ok, gimme TWO of them.
Here's where the fun starts. She only wants TWO...but TWO very specific ones, and everyone I touch triggers a screaming fit "NO! NOT THAT ONE I WANT THE ONE TO THE RIGHT OF IT. NO! NOT THAT ONE, I WANT THAT OTHER ONE."
On and on this goes, I get one right, and then her screaming gets louder as I pick out 4, 5 6 different ones .
Finally I'd had enough. Stood up and said "There are about two dozen tenders in here, I have other customers, I cannot go through EACH one and have you yell at me. You do NOT have to yell at me over a chicken tender"
The bitch starts laughing.
I weigh and label her TWO chicken tenders and hand them to her, with my customary "Anything else?"
L: Wait a minute, how much is this?? (she is holding it in her damn hand, she cant look at the label?? No, I read it to her) me: $1.68
L: Aah, Christ, How can it be THAT much? I thought everything was on sale, what kind of sale is this?? Blah blah ranty rant...
I snapped.
me: Look, I just work here. I have NOTHING to do with the pricing, that is set by the vendors and management. I work here to earn money to pay my bills and support my kids, and they dont pay me enough to be yelled at over something that is completely out of my control. Now would you like anything else, today, maaam?
Bitch walks away laughing.
My next customer was super-sweet.
Given that my Sucky Coworker called out on a Saturday night, I was alone for most of the night and had several minor suck-incidents, I'll have to post more later.
It was a gorgeous day here in my little corner of New England. 70 degrees and sunny with a warm breeze...I spent the morning and early afternoon outside, cleaning up the yard and playing with my kids. I got to work at 3 for the closing shift in a great mood.
At 3:01, I took my first customer, and to my chagrin, saw it was L--...this is a mean old woman who just seems to delight in being a pain in the ass at every store she goes to. Ill have to post in Sightings, some of the crap I've witnessed her pulling in other places. Anyway, her typical spiel at my deli goes something like this (* 2-3 times a week)"
L: What's that turkey-meat look like?
me: (knowing she always gets the store brand) -holds it up for her to see-
L: Aah- it looks kinda wet, eh?
me: Nah, it's good, same as always
L: OK, gimme about $1.50's worth, on the thin side, but NOT TOO THIN!
Now, this turkey is $7.99 a pound...$1.50 gets ya about 4 slices, sometimes 5..I slice it, weigh it, put the sticker on and hand it to her.
L: Aah, Christ, that's not much, is it? You sure you weighed that right?
me: sure did *smile* Anything else today?
At this point she usually gives me a snotty dismissive wave and hobbles away grumbling. Not yesterday though...there's another customer in line, but L-- decides to stare into the Heat-n-eat case, poking her grubby old lady fingers all over the glass
.
L: You dont have anything of those chicken things today!
me: What chicken things would that be?
L: You know! You have the pork and shrimp, but not the chicken.
me: Oh, egg rolls? Yeah, the trucks come in on Monday, the chicken ones are the most popular, so we're already out of those.
L--- continues to hem and haw over the food. I smile apologetically at the customer waiting patiently.
L: What are those BROWN things?!?
me: (points to wings) These? They're BBQ chicken wings.
L: They aint HOT are they?
(at this point we get into a quick discussion regarding BBQ vs. Buffalo and I make her understand that the orangy-red ones are the HOT ones)
(finally!)L: Ok, I want some of these plain chicken tenders. How much are they?
Now she is looking through the glass, directly at the platter with the price on it. But no, that is not good enough, I have to reach down (it's on the bottom of three "steps" displaying the food) pluck the price sign out, turn it around and read it TO her "$5.99 per pound"
L: Ok, gimme TWO of them.
Here's where the fun starts. She only wants TWO...but TWO very specific ones, and everyone I touch triggers a screaming fit "NO! NOT THAT ONE I WANT THE ONE TO THE RIGHT OF IT. NO! NOT THAT ONE, I WANT THAT OTHER ONE."
On and on this goes, I get one right, and then her screaming gets louder as I pick out 4, 5 6 different ones .
Finally I'd had enough. Stood up and said "There are about two dozen tenders in here, I have other customers, I cannot go through EACH one and have you yell at me. You do NOT have to yell at me over a chicken tender"
The bitch starts laughing.
I weigh and label her TWO chicken tenders and hand them to her, with my customary "Anything else?"
L: Wait a minute, how much is this?? (she is holding it in her damn hand, she cant look at the label?? No, I read it to her) me: $1.68
L: Aah, Christ, How can it be THAT much? I thought everything was on sale, what kind of sale is this?? Blah blah ranty rant...
I snapped.
me: Look, I just work here. I have NOTHING to do with the pricing, that is set by the vendors and management. I work here to earn money to pay my bills and support my kids, and they dont pay me enough to be yelled at over something that is completely out of my control. Now would you like anything else, today, maaam?
Bitch walks away laughing.
My next customer was super-sweet.
Given that my Sucky Coworker called out on a Saturday night, I was alone for most of the night and had several minor suck-incidents, I'll have to post more later.
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