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Dusting off another one from my supermarket days. If I remember correctly, this one was probably my very first REALLY atrocious SC. I've been putting off posting these stories because I am still very bitter about my experience there and haven't wanted to think about the irreplaceable chunk of my life that was lost in that store.
This happened back in 1999. At the time - in my area at least - re-usable canvas shopping bags were a new thing and not many people had them, but it was fairly common for people to bring in old paper or plastic bags and ask us to reuse them. Nothing wrong with that, and we would be happy to accommodate them so long as the bags were usable. Saves the store a little money and is ecological sound and all that, so it's a win-win.
Anyway, I was bagging when a customer came through with a bunch of our paper bags in the bottom of her cart. So, instead of the standard "paper or plastic?" I asked "would you like me to you use those bags, ma'am?"
She EXPLODED. And by exploded I mean I think she was trying to out-do the Castle Bravo nuclear test (the largest nuclear test by the US).
SC: NO! I DO NOT!!!! THOSE BAGS ARE IN THERE TO KEEP MY STUFF DRY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT!!!!! HOW STUPID ARE YOU ANYWAY?!?!?!?
Now, it was raining that day, but unless it's been raining all day and/or is very busy then odds are a dry cart can be obtained inside the store, and her cart (and the paper bags she'd lined it with) were BONE DRY. Therefore there was no way in hell I could've divined the purpose of all the bags in her cart. Besides, I've never in my life seen anyone do that before or since.
Me (quietly and on the verge of tears from this completely unexpected outburst): I was just asking.....
SC: WELL YOU SHOULD'VE KNOWN!!!!!!
Me (meekly): I'm sorry......
Not knowing what else to do (keep in mind I'd NEVER had a really bad SC before this) I just drove on and kept bagging.
She starts screaming at me again!
SC: I DON'T CARE HOW ANGRY YOU GET, DO NOT SLAM MY GROCERIES LIKE THAT!!!!
Me: I'm not!
And I wasn't. In the entire time I worked there I never ONCE slammed down a customer's groceries out of anger. I certainly had my fair share of accidents (frozen food covered with condensation slipping out of my hands, for instance), but I NEVER intentionally slammed stuff around.
Now, the particular register I was bagging on happened to be the one directly across from the supervisor's stand where my manager was standing, so he heard and saw the whole thing. He quickly stepped over and told me to go bag at a different register and finished bagging the loudmouth's order.
Afterward he came back over to me.
Boss: Dave1982, why don't you go take a 10-minute break?
Me (still shaky): OK, thanks.
Boss: And don't worry too much about her. I know she was being a bitch but I saw the whole thing and I know you didn't do anything wrong.
Me: I just asked a question!
Boss: I know. Some people just suck.
Truer words have never been spoken.
This happened back in 1999. At the time - in my area at least - re-usable canvas shopping bags were a new thing and not many people had them, but it was fairly common for people to bring in old paper or plastic bags and ask us to reuse them. Nothing wrong with that, and we would be happy to accommodate them so long as the bags were usable. Saves the store a little money and is ecological sound and all that, so it's a win-win.
Anyway, I was bagging when a customer came through with a bunch of our paper bags in the bottom of her cart. So, instead of the standard "paper or plastic?" I asked "would you like me to you use those bags, ma'am?"
She EXPLODED. And by exploded I mean I think she was trying to out-do the Castle Bravo nuclear test (the largest nuclear test by the US).
SC: NO! I DO NOT!!!! THOSE BAGS ARE IN THERE TO KEEP MY STUFF DRY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT!!!!! HOW STUPID ARE YOU ANYWAY?!?!?!?
Now, it was raining that day, but unless it's been raining all day and/or is very busy then odds are a dry cart can be obtained inside the store, and her cart (and the paper bags she'd lined it with) were BONE DRY. Therefore there was no way in hell I could've divined the purpose of all the bags in her cart. Besides, I've never in my life seen anyone do that before or since.
Me (quietly and on the verge of tears from this completely unexpected outburst): I was just asking.....
SC: WELL YOU SHOULD'VE KNOWN!!!!!!
Me (meekly): I'm sorry......
Not knowing what else to do (keep in mind I'd NEVER had a really bad SC before this) I just drove on and kept bagging.
She starts screaming at me again!
SC: I DON'T CARE HOW ANGRY YOU GET, DO NOT SLAM MY GROCERIES LIKE THAT!!!!
Me: I'm not!
And I wasn't. In the entire time I worked there I never ONCE slammed down a customer's groceries out of anger. I certainly had my fair share of accidents (frozen food covered with condensation slipping out of my hands, for instance), but I NEVER intentionally slammed stuff around.
Now, the particular register I was bagging on happened to be the one directly across from the supervisor's stand where my manager was standing, so he heard and saw the whole thing. He quickly stepped over and told me to go bag at a different register and finished bagging the loudmouth's order.
Afterward he came back over to me.
Boss: Dave1982, why don't you go take a 10-minute break?
Me (still shaky): OK, thanks.
Boss: And don't worry too much about her. I know she was being a bitch but I saw the whole thing and I know you didn't do anything wrong.
Me: I just asked a question!
Boss: I know. Some people just suck.
Truer words have never been spoken.
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