I'm incompetent!?

[Beki710]

This happened when I used to work in a major supermarket as a Customer Supervisor. I only worked there 3 months on maternity cover and it's this incident that stands out from all the others.

SC: Woman in her mid 40's
Me:
CW1: Other Customer Supervisor who doesn't give a ****
CW2: Till Monkey who had left for the day

So I get a call to our cigarette kiosk...
SC: I think I may have left my credit card behind
ME: Okay when was this?
SC: About 3 hours ago (Describes Card)
ME: Okay that was before my shift started but I'll check our lost and found book

-I go into the cash office where we have a box of left behind cards, wallets etc and the lost and found book can't see anything with her name or description-

ME: I can't seem to see it are you sure you left it here?
SC: YES I'M SURE!!
ME: Okay one moment

-Go and find CW1-
ME: Hey was a credit card handed in earlier?
CW1: Erm dunno
ME: Who was on the kiosk earlier?
CW1: CW2
ME: And he didn't mention anything?
CW1: -shrugs-

-So I go into the back office and ring CW2-
ME: Hey CW2 did you find a lost credit card earlier?
CW2: Yeah I did, I mentioned it to CW1 and put it behind the kiosk until she could take it into the office.
ME: Did she take it?
CW2: Not sure
ME: Okay thanks

-I'm feeling pissed off at this point, as CW1 is saying she knows nothing about it, I should have palmed it off on her but she was far to busy being out the back socialising and smoking-

ME: Okay well it was found but I don't know where CW2 has placed it
SC: SO YOU HAVE LOST MY CARD?! YOU ARE COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT! THE STAFF HERE ARE USELESS!
ME: If you would just lower your voice please, I'm just going to check behind the kiosk and see if it's there

-so there are several shelfs which are very untidy, and I'm in the way of the server who is still trying to do his job. Nada.-

ME: I'm really sorry I can't see it.
SC: ARE YOU IN CHARGE HERE? I CANT BELIEVE I'M SEEING SUCH INCOMPETENCY!
(all I can think of is how can she be calling me incompetent when she's lost the card in the first place!)
CW1: Hey Beki I just remember I did pick the card up
ME:

-So I go back into the office, and CW1 showed me how she'd helpfully put the card in the safe. Not with the other lost and found and not with a note or the book filled in-

ME: Good News we've found your card!
SC: Oh thank you, you've been so helpful, your doing a great job!
ME: er, thanks

So another customer who has a bi-polar turn around of emotions once we've satisfied her. The guy behind the kiosk who saw it all looked like he was going to wet his pants with laughter...

[underemployeed]

Yeah, I love those people who can't get with the program and BITCH at me because they are the idiot who can't follow the simple directions given to them. I offer forgiveness to those who are actually having a problem because the equipment was broken or it REALLY is our fault something went wrong. BUT, when it was ALL their fault they left something or drove through my door.... WHY am i the idiot?

[Rapscallion]

SC: ARE YOU IN CHARGE HERE? I CANT BELIEVE I'M SEEING SUCH INCOMPETENCY!

Incompetent enough to lose a credit card in the first place, she means?

Rapscallion

[Beki710]

Incompetent enough to lose a credit card in the first place, she means?

I have never snapped back at a customer in my life (I'm pretty proud of this!) but her saying that was the closest I came to responding back with pretty much what you said.

[underemployeed]

Actually, people complain to me that I SHOULD notice if a card is left at my reg. I'm sorry, when it is left behind the pin pad, where I have a display rack blocking my view AND it is almost the same color as the counter.... not gonna happen.

BONUS: When they launch into how you better not have copied the card and blah blah blah they saw a special on 20/20

[Little Retail Rabbit]

We used to have swipe things on the sides of our tills, meaning that we, the cashiers, would have to physically swipe the card on behalf of the customer. These were scrapped due to the fact you can apparently use these machines to clone cards, and switched the chip and pin, but the upside (for the customer at least) with the previous system was that if their card got left behind, it wasn't their fault, it was the cashiers'. And it also meant a lot fewer old ladies forgetting to put their card back into their purses because we used to hand it to them. Oh sure, we did the odd time when we forgot to remove it, but I can't recall an incident when anyone got angry about it (unbelievably).

Introduce chip-and-pin, and suddenly, even though we can't even SEE the key-pad, let alone the card from our position behind a monitor screen, its OUR fault if the idiot customer leaves it behind. I actually had one bitch say "Its your fault! You were distracting me!"

*face-desk*

[Gizmo]

The system at *green* supermarket won't even allow you to print the receipt and finish the transaction without removing the card. I don't think they ever had a card left there whilst I was working there.