Please stop doing that, you're messing me up

[Bright_Star]

The other day I checked out this lady who was buying groceries. With her, she had her daughter who was about 7 years old. The customer gives me the money & I'm TRYING to count it to make sure I have the proper amount BUT I'm having a hell of a time counting it cause the little girl is saying numbers OUT LOUD throwing my concentration out the window. You see, when dealing with money I want to make sure I have the proper amount. I may be fast on the register BUT when counting money I slow down & make sure I have what I'm supposed to have.
Anyhoo...the little girl keeps saying numbers over & over & FINALLY I look at the kid & say..."Could you please stop doing that, it's messing me up." She stops it & I'm able to complete the transaction. The lady doesn't say a word & they leave & I forget all about them No big deal...right? WRONG!!!
An hour later a CSM comes up to my register & tells me to turn off my light & head on over to the AD Office. So I ask her..."Did I do something wrong?" She says.."I have no idea.they want to see you".
So I head on over to the AD office & meet up with an assistant manager. I asked him..."Did I do something wrong?" He says..."Yes, do you know why you're here?" I said..."No, I have no idea why I was called back here".
He mentioned the lady & her kid who I had rung up an hour earlier who I had forgotten all about. He said the lady complained to the CSM who then told him about her complaint. He said that she said that I said to her kid that I said.."would you FREAKIN' stop that!" I said..."wait a minute, that's not what I
said!" So I told him how how the transaction with the lady & her kid went down & what I said. He then said that the lady got angry cause after they went home , her kids were playing & the one who was in the store said to the other kids ..."would you FREAKIN' stop that!". So she went back to the store to complain about me.
I insisted that I didn't say what she said that I said BUT they took her word over mine & got written up for it!
So it's ok for me to mess up my till while some brat is making me lose my concentration? I thought the entire thing was petty B.S.
The store manager was there & I asked him..."Am I supposed to be afraid talking to customers now?" He said..."Yes you are. All you are required to do is to greet the customer & THAT'S IT!" Then I asked him.."What happens IF I bend over backwards making sure I give EXCELLENT customer service & they STILL find something to complain about??" He just looked at me. He didn't have an answer to that one...GRRRRR!
So IF all I say is "Hello" & the customer wants to be chatty & I don't chat & they complain then what do I do? You can't please EVERYBODY!

[chainedbarista]

argh; i hate that too. i'm not real comfortable with working tills (money handling makes me uneasy...something i've never managed to overcome), so i also want to count back and hate when someone counts along.

i don't need the 'help,' so don't offer it, thanks.

i feel your pain on this; some jackass did this to me after insinuating several times that i was the village idiot. once he started this crap, i'd reached my bs tolerance limit and told him not to do so (much more kindly than his ass deserved, but the glare i gave him told him exactly what i thought of his 'help.'), which, surprisingly enough, shut his ass up so i could finish and get rid of him.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, if it ever happens again, simply start counting all over every time it happens. Be cheerful about it. Smile. And make it real obvious that's what you're doing.

Eventually, the idiots will get tired of standing in your line playing games.

[Hobgoblin]

Sounds like your manager's need to get bent.

I like Recovering's method. Be nice, be cheerful (or at least seem cheerful) and let them figure out what's messing you up.

[ShortTemperHatesStupidity]

Yup, count out loud, nice and slow, and sort of obnoxiously nice like with the cheerful voice. If you have to stop, take a second and look at the offender, then say "I'm sorry, I'll have to start over" with the brightest smile you can muster for those asshats. Rinse and repeat until you get it all counted out.

[powerboy]

I hate when I mess up counting back someone's change, just because they asked a question, or said something to distract me. Your manager needs to get bent, and find out, what it is like, when that happens.

[MadMike]

I snapped at a customer for messing me up when I was trying to count once. He didn't do it by shouting out random numbers, and probably not even intentionally, but I still got a little irate.

I was taking inventory of some of the lumber, and was counting out loud when he interrupted me, and made me lose count. I told him of this, probably in a ruder sort of tone than I should have, and he mumbled some sarcastic, half-assed apology and walked away. Luckily, I didn't hear anything about it.

A few days later, I encountered his exact opposite. I was counting things up again, when I saw him approach from the corner of my eye. I was so sure he was going to do like the other idiot did, but he just stood there and patiently waited for me to finish counting. Then, before he asked his question, he smiled and told me he wasn't going to interrupt someone while they were trying to count. I made sure to thank him for that.

[Rubystars]

There was a teenage boy that was doing that one time when I was counting out money to his mom and I told him to stop it and his mom got offended that I talked to her angelic little son that way. Thankfully nothing came of it though.

[CRXPanda]

Body language and B$: (in the south)

When people disturb me at the register like that, I just stop and look at them...until they stop...if they ask me why I stopped, I simply say "...waitin' for you", smile and go on. Others behind them give them stares of death for holding up the line being "ignant".

I do similar damage control with children. I never speak directly to them, I just start up a conversation loud enough for the parent/guardian/kid to hear with a coworker or customer(only if they seem annoyed by the demon/child too) making some horrid horror fiction (a/k/a Bull$hit story) like "the kid that ran in walmart and split his skull on the bike rack" (to keep it safe, I never have a conclusion to the story, so no horrid death sequences, sorry) nevertheless, they seem to snap to attention and restrain their kids...

Sometimes in these B$ stories, I was a former employee, sometimes I was just shopping, its not like they're gonna check, and if they do...so what, means they have no life and deserve no attention, I wasn't talking to them anyway!

[JustaCashier]

That's one of my biggest pet peeves too.

I don't have many occasions of customers, or their kids, counting along with me, it's usually asking a question, or otherwise talking to me as I'm counting their change. The question, or statement, can wait! I especially hate it when I'm counting the change back from a large bill.

The thing that bugs me the most, though, is when I am obviously closed, and counting my till in or out. That is the epitome of rudeness when a customer comes barging up with their question. Often, all they need to do, is look around and find another employee (possibly another cashier that is unoccupied at the time) nearby that will be more than happy to help them.

Not too long ago, I was making change for one of the cashiers, and a customer, from my perspective, and perception, (I had my head down, counting) practilcally came diving over the counter, to ask me a question, or ask for assistance. I, in a bit of a panic, slid the drawer closed real fast, and "covered" the money I had in front of me on the counter.

In situations like that, even if the idiot doesn't actually startle me, rather than saying anything that could be taken as "rude" by an SC, or showing any anger or frustration, I will often "act" very startled, just in the hope I can get a point across.

Mike

[repsac]

When I worked for Moore's, in the evenings when I left early I would have to do these pick ups at each register. Mostly it was to bring the float down to about 200 dollars, give or take, and to see if the register needed quarters or anything.

I remember more than once, I'd be standing there with a handful of ones or fives, counting off only to have some customer come up and ask me something. Most of the time I never looked up, just said to whatever cashier was standing there "Go help them."

Once though, I did get a complaint, but the manager just shrugged it off.

Around christmas, I was doing a pickup when this lady comes over to me. As I count of the ones she says something to which I actually knew the answer. Not my department, but at least I knew what she needed. Politely, I said "Could you give me a moment?" Going back to my counting, she interupts me a second time, causing me to lose count. Starting over, she says something a third time. Looking over at her I held up one finger to my lips and said "SHHHH" before going back to the counting. The cashiers were cracking up as I never broke a smile or anything. Finishing the counting I turned to her and said. "Third ailse, bottom row, fourth from the right." With that, I walked off.

She complained not because I didn't take her to the shoes she wanted, and not because I took so long; but because I treated her like a child when I shushed her.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Well, if you're gonna act like a child by interrupting, multiple times...

I used to get that too, when doing cash pick-ups, which unfortunately puts the drawer out of commission for a minute, but is necessary, so sometimes we just have to hold up the line and do it. The register puts up a little star in the corner when it hits $300 in cash, and if we do pickups for too much money (they like to keep them under 400) corporate will notice.

We keep a change drawer at the register, locked in one of the drawers in the counter (not a till, and only head cashiers and managers have a key). It has $500 in small bills and rolled coins, so we don't have to run back to the safe every time someone needs change. At shift change in the afternoon the head cashier counts it so they know they are starting off even, and if not the opening HC might know why (we count the safe at the same time). It never failed, I'd be counting the change drawer, not looking up, and just feel that...presence...of an SC standing on the other side of the counter staring at me. And generally there was someone else there to help them as well, but since I'm closer to the door than the other cashiers...can't walk those extra 5 feet for someone who's not busy..! And inevitably they'd ask a question I can't help them with anyway. I always ignored them until I was done. Sometimes I count slow.

I actually count very fast, and certain coworkers would try to be funny by saying random numbers to mess me up, especially when I was counting the change drawer. Never worked

[karma_gypsy]

Did she pay in all change or dollar bills? Next time some smarty, little child wants to count along with you, just count everything in small numbers (i.e. change wise - 10 dimes, 4 quarters and the like). With bills, you could probably take a pen (or one of those special counterfeit pens) and just mark in the corner of the bill 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. It'll take longer, but it goes by the good ol' "CYA" rule too.

It's understandable that it's hard for some people to keep track of numbers in their head (and it sincerely doesn't help when someone else takes it upon themselves to start spewing numbers). And I think it's riduculous that you got a write up for it. I mean, come on, you were trying to make sure she gave you enough money so you can give back the correct change . . . I suppose, at least she didn't get a free coupon or gift certificate or whatever (or did she?). Honestly, though, you can't work in customer retail without snapping every now and then (I have a couple times, got caught for it and got away with it as well).


I've had to recount a couple times because my co-workers thinks it's funny (this happens rarely though).


It's just another one of those write-ups and situations that you'll just have to let it roll off your back and shrug it off.

[myswtghst]

Things like that make me kind of glad to work in a call center where conversations are recorded, so people can't make stuff up and get away with it. It's sad that your employer won't take your word over that of an SC, especially if you've never been in trouble before.

Welcome to the board, BTW! You'll like it here.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Reason #235 why I hate my job. Distractions + ADD person (me) = NOT FUN, and FUCKING PISSES ME OFF. I have all this chaos going on around me and it's twice as difficult for me to block things out and focus (or try to) on what I'm doing; people that make it harder for me by bombarding me with questions (even when it's not their turn to be waited on) or other such ilk make me downright homicidal.

SCers: SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. Or die. Your choice.