Tidbits from another grating day at work...

[EmilyRose1982]

Customers were in rare form today, many being annoying, moronic, sucky or all three. It was one of those days where my mantra was "I hate people, I hate people, I hate people".

Cell phones galore!

I find people who use their cell phones while in drive-thru, especially when at the speaker, to be MAJORLY rude. Apparently not everyone thinks this way...here are two lovely bits from today alone:

SC1 drives up, obviously on his phone, talking loudly.
I give him my standard greeting.
Silence......
.................
SC1: Uh, gimme one minute...
Me: Ok, just let me know when you're ready.
...................
.......................(some muttering, obviously to the phone attached to his ear)
SC1: Uh, I'll get a Large Caramel Cooler....
Me: *repeating it back*
SC1: Yeah, and uh, a Large Cold Press, no ice.
Me: *repeating back* All right, any treats from the bakery or any other drinks today?
SC1: Uhhhhh no.
I give him his total and he drives forward, still on his phone.

CW makes his drinks, I take his money and proceed to pass the drinks to him. He takes the Cold Press no problem, but when I hold out the Cooler, his hand stops midair, his jaw falls and I hear another "Uhhhhhhhh...."

Me: Is this not the drink you wanted? (it's what he ordered! I repeated that one back TWICE!!!)
SC1: Uhhhh no, I wanted the uhhhhhhh Caramel High Rise.
Me: Ok, we'll remake it for you.
CW remakes it, I hand it out, he drives off, STILL on his damn phone.

If you order at drive thru while on your phone, and you don't get what you thought you wanted, WHO'S FAULT IS THAT?!? Seriously. Get. Off. Your. Damn. Phone.

SC2 rolls up not long after this first one, talking LOUDLY on her phone. We're talking full-fledged, speedy conversation here. It was so intense, my CW wasn't sure whether or not she should interrupt her apparently highly important phone call. I gave CW a nod to go ahead. I don't give a shit if we interrupt people's phone calls or not. Period.

CW says her standard greeting.
SC2: (to her phone) Ok! Ok! Hold on! HOLD ON! (to us) YEAH! Can I get a small latte with two splendas!?
CW: *repeats it back* Can I get you anything else?
SC2: (muttering to her phone again) Oh, hold on again. (to us) NO!!
CW gives her the total.
SC2 speeds forward.

But oh no, the suckiness does not end there. For it has just begun.
CW takes the money, hands out the drink. SC2 is on her phone the whole time.
SC2: Straw!?
CW: Oh sure, let me grab that for y--
SC2: Is there splenda in here?!?
CW: Um, yes, two, just as you asked.
SC2: Where's my straw?!?
CW goes to get the straw again, handing it out.
SC2: Napkins!?!?
CW: Oh you'd like some napkins?
SC2: YES! I JUST SPILLED ON MYSELF!!!
CW hands out the napkins.
SC2 finally drives off, STILL on her g.d. phone.

My words are few in response to this woman. She was a Grade A bitch. That is all.


Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I do NOT want to hear you think outloud, especially over the speaker in drive-thru. Have you ever had someone step right up to your ear and make those sounds really loudly for up to 30 seconds? The level of irritation would rival a gnat stuck in your ear.


No Garbage Bag=NO GARBAGE

Ok, I'm sure many of us have done this, where you throw trash away into a bagless trash can, not realizing you have done so until your liquid food remains hit the bottom of the can. It's a rote motion, I understand it happens.

This one was major brain burpage though; CW was changing the trash cans in the lobby. She's standing next to the empty can, shaking out a fresh bag, when SC steps up and tosses her half full coffee cup into the metal cylinder. CW was standing INCHES from the can!!! What made the customer an SC is she didn't fix her mistake, but rather walked out without a second look.


Those were the big ones that I can recall at this late hour. In general, most people were just snotty and condescending. It was good to finally lock the doors and hit the lights.

[TonyF]

When people won't get off their phones, I tend to talk louder. They sometimes hastily hang up in the middle of the conversation. Score!

And the trash thing irritates me too. I take out the trashes all the time and people just assume that empty container that I'm about to line with a bag needs trash at the bottom of it. Oh, to dream of swatting that piece of garbage back at them like a defensive basketball player puts the offender's shot back in his face.

[mattm04]

Do the cell phone idiots not realize that it would tale less time and less aggravation on both sides if they just hug up for 30 seconds.

I just had the trass can happen today. I emptied and washed out the trash can. I was standing next, les than two feet away, to it opening the bag and the SC tosses a half full a cup of coffee into the trash can, without the bag, that I had just washed.

SC: *tosses, looks at me* Oh, sorry I didn't see you.
Me: No big deal.

Takes can brigs to back to re-wash.

[fireheart]

I have CUSTOMERS that get pissed when other customers use their mobile phones at the checkout. It always makes me giggle.

[HawaiianShirts]

In my state, it's illegal to be on the phone while driving (unless you have a hands-free set AND are 18 or older). Apparently, it's very common to get tickets for this. And it's not a small fine either.

I wonder if drive-thru workers could report people for this kind of behavior... If not, they could at least give the cell phone SCs a "friendly" reminder about that law. Might scare a few into compliance.

[Gaki]

What's worse than when you're changing the trash and someone does that? I'll tell you. We periodically have to clean the inside of the cupboards that our garbage cans are in and I literally have to squeeze half my body inside those cupboards. My legs are sticking out, the garbage can (with bag) is OBVIOUSLY outside the counter and some lady decided to throw her trash into the hole on the countertop and thus directly in my face.

She didn't even say sorry when I squealed and got out and cleaned myself up, just stared at me and walked away. Thank god she hadn't decided she didn't want the coffee anymore. I'd cover the hole with something but people know it's there, they'd move the stuff. Same as when they move my BARRICADES in front of the bathroom when I'm cleaning it.

Sigh.

[LillFilly]

SC steps up and tosses her half full coffee cup into the metal cylinder. CW was standing INCHES from the can!!! What made the customer an SC is she didn't fix her mistake, but rather walked out without a second look.

Grrr...

I would grab the SC and stuff them face-first into the liquid filled receptical and hold them while they hopefully drowned in their own stupidity. I would then donate the body to science to research the cause of said stupidity. I would then plead temporary insanity.

[Magpie]

I would then plead temporary insanity.

Fixed it for you

[blas]

At the time, my blood would boil when customers came into the store yapping away on their cell phones and barking or snapping their fingers at me when I'd ignore them.

Now I look back and laugh. These people were the utmost definition of "white trash", and waltzing into a pissant convenience store getting a pack of smokes while on their cell phones, in their own mind, acting like they were super important or super cool.............really?

The memories do make me giggle.

[EmilyRose1982]

In my state, it's illegal to be on the phone while driving (unless you have a hands-free set AND are 18 or older). Apparently, it's very common to get tickets for this. And it's not a small fine either.

I wonder if drive-thru workers could report people for this kind of behavior... If not, they could at least give the cell phone SCs a "friendly" reminder about that law. Might scare a few into compliance.

Unfortunately that law has not been passed in my state as yet. Even if it is, I get plenty of people on their stupid bluetooth headsets. Or on the REALLY loud speaker phones. I've heard both sides of a phone conversation through the drive-thru speaker with those things. The person on the other end of the phone call is usually louder than the person before me.

The best is when people come to the window and just start talking, as if in the middle of a conversation, apparently to NO ONE. It always takes me a second to realize the bluetooth is in their right ear, where I can't see it. I wonder if these SCs realize how crazy they look...

I really want to buy one of those devices that interfere with all cell phone signals and tape it to the drive-thru speaker. Maybe put one on our front counter too.

My favorite is when people come inside on their cell phones, and not wanting to interrupt the conversation, can only whisper their order to me. Whenever that happens, I repeat it back LOUDLY. They can kiss my coffee-brewing ass if it inconveniences the person on the other end.

[Kristev]

What horrible customerage. And a cell-phonie, too. You and co-worker both have my deepest sympathies.

[DeltaSierra]

I'd tell them "Oh NO I couldn't possibly interrupt your super-duper important cell phone call. Please drive through and come back when you are finished."

Of course I know that wouldn't fly, but its what I'd WANT to say!!!

[fireheart]

Just a couple more points to add:

-In South Australia (my state), Learners and P1 Drivers (P1 basically means that you can drive without having a fully licensed driver with you, go a bit faster than a learner etc.) aren't allowed to even use bluetooth headsets, let alone handsfree while driving. If you need to call someone, you pull over. (P2's-same conditions as a P1 except you don't display P plates)
-The McDonalds I've seen have a rule now that they cannot serve anyone unless they are in a car or on a motorbike. They also can't serve anyone on a mobile phone.

[ZedOmega]

...oh my god, I just realized my girlfriend and I are guilty of the 'uhhh' problem. Except ours takes place in the 'can you give us a second, please?' form. Here's the scary part: it doesn't kick in when there's a line behind us, but when we're the only ones in line, 'Just a second, please...' My abundant apologies to anyone who's dealt with us because of my own indecision...

[Andara Bledin]

Unfortunately that law has not been passed in my state as yet.

It never needed to be made into its own law, anyway. There are already laws on the books in pretty much every state that by their nature make the holding of a cell phone while driving illegal. In California, for example, you are to keep both hands on the steering wheel unless you need a hand to signal or you need to shift gears on a manual transmission. Any other situation where you are moving and one or more hands is not on the steering wheel is a ticketable offense and has been for a very long time. I'm surprised cops don't use it as a reason to pull people over more often.

The best is when people come to the window and just start talking, as if in the middle of a conversation, apparently to NO ONE. It always takes me a second to realize the bluetooth is in their right ear, where I can't see it. I wonder if these SCs realize how crazy they look...

The place I work for used to rent space at a nearby warehouse (we used a section of the building that wasn't being used by the company that owned it), and they called us up once to inform us that they thought one of our workers was crazy because he was "talking to himself" all the time.

The worker in question was reprimanded for being on the phone while working. But the people from the other warehouse thought he was crazy because they never noticed the flashing blue light at his right ear.

Here's the scary part: it doesn't kick in when there's a line behind us, but when we're the only ones in line, 'Just a second, please...' My abundant apologies to anyone who's dealt with us because of my own indecision...

If you're not holding up a line and you aren't saying "uhhh... " in their speaker constantly, I doubt it's a problem.

Although I usually stop before the order point while figuring out what I want. Thankfully, several places around here have 2 menus, one a car's length before the order menu.

^-.-^