Other "cards" to play

[blas]

Since we've all told stories about the race card being played over and over and over and over.............we can't forget that there are other "cards" that customers play with us as well. What are some you've experienced?

The "Poor" card:
This kind of goes hand in hand with a thread from recently about a woman on a "fiiiiixed income" (however many letter were in there lol). I saw most of these entitled poor people at either the grocery store or the gas station. Hell, the customer who got me SUSPENDED for 3 days was a woman on foodstamps who was pulling a scam to get more items than the coupons we were offering allowed (yeah, it was ONE coupon per visit, not 8). Then at the gas station, customers almost always deemed it necessary to tell me that they are poor, they can't afford this or that, these prices need to change.....etc etc etc......babbble babble babble "I'm so poor, woe is me!". Trying to plead their case as to why I should let them squeeze by being short cash on a pack of smokes, because they can't afford their rent or car, blah blah blah blah. SHUT UP.

The "kid" card:
Kind of goes along with the thread "But I have childreennn!". People who use their children as a means of getting faster service, getting served first, an excuse for not paying bills, a means of begging and pleading with those about to shut off their services for not paying to NOT shut it off..........etc etc etc etc

Those are the two biggest other "cards" I can think of. I'm sure there are others. What other SC "Card" players can you think of, other than the race card?

[Broomjockey]

Well, there's also the:

"I'm from out of town" card,

"I'm crippled" card,

and "I'm a senior" card.

[PW_Elle]

The "I'm old" Card

My favorite card is...

"Well, I'm 96 years old and they didn't do... (insert complaint here)."

Or, my other favorite card is "I've been living here forever"

"I've been living in this house for 23 years and ... (insert complaint here)."

[draftermatt]

The Age Card

Customer wants it right here and now because "back in his/her day". Often times they don't seem to care how they act or are seen.

[nick1091]

-The "This is how you treat a long-time customer?" card

-It's son, the "this is how you treat a brand-new customer?" card

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

How about the "I'm a good customer!" card?

This one could also be categorized as THINGS CUSTOMERS SAY THAT MEAN THE EXACT OPPOSITE.

[blas]

I almost had to slap myself in the face because I can't believe I forgot the "I'm a senior" card.

I know we should all revere and respect our elderly the way they do in, say, Japan....but I have a feeling if more people understood how ignorant and flat out rude and nasty most elderly are, they'd understand why we don't listen.

Expecting any and every type of business to carry some kind of senior discount

Believing that regressing to the maturity level of a toddler to get their way is alright

Refusing to cope with today's standards. Yes, a lot of things have changed as far as civil rights and lifestyles, and it can be a lot to handle, especially when they grew up during the Depression and War time with dad either away at War and mom always home........but grampa, it is NOT ok to use racial slurs like that anymore. That can get you in tons of trouble. And treating parents of children out of wedlock like garbage not only hurts their feelings, but makes you look like you don't deserve the respect you should get for being your age.

What did that above paragraph have to do with being a customer? Just take a close look the next time you see an elderly giving the "evil eye" to a gay couple or an interracial couple, or a white couple who has adopted a child from China. Some people are so stuck in their ways that they can't help but bother anyone and everyone out in public about how they are "wrong"....and that would be old foagies.

I hate my tangents about the elderly.......they just drive me absolutely insane.

[customersruinmylife]

The "But we're on holiday" card

The "But when I last came here <insert number here> years ago it was cheaper!" card

[Imogene]

The "I know the manager, and he'd let me <insert rule breaking for customer's way>" card?

[customersruinmylife]

YES! The manager card. I forgot that one! I get it all the time, especially when I ask someone for I.D. They run away when I say "OK I'll just go get him to confirm that"

[blas]

No....not the manager card!!! Bad memories ahoy...

"Ye manager NEVER makes me show me ID when I write checks here!"

"Ye manager only charges me 50cents for coffee!"

"Ye manager NEVER hassles me the way you do!"

ye manager ye manager ye mananger................oh for the love of God, shut up!

[April]

The "I pay your salary"

The " The store down the street...(has it cheaper, doesn't check my ID, does it this way"

The "I'm never coming here again"

The "I'm in a hurry so ignore all the other people before me and help me NOW"

[draftermatt]

An aside to the manager card: A co worker told me that at her last job people would call claiming the "just spoke" to Dave (founder of company).

Dave had been dead for 10 years. Once the new owner said "That's interesting seeing as how he's dead. Tell my dad I said hi"

[customersruinmylife]

I had something similar to that as well. Our company is named after a friend of the founder. The friend, for starters, lived in New Zealand (I'm in the uk) and he has been dead for at least 20 years.

They say "I'm going to call Mr <company name> and report you to him!"

I wonder how many angry letters his poor family in New Zealand get a year.

[Reyneth]

The "I am so important a person and essential to your buisness that you must accomodate me in any way" customer

ie the Pro Photographer who believes it is his right to have his name/the event information on the back of his photos, despite that we're the only ones that do it and don't charge extra (the photos need to be run seperate from everything else, potentially backing up our lab). Who feels the need to ridicule our staff when they do it the way he insists it always be done - except this one time when it was another way. Bah.

I wish my manager would realize these "Pros" cost his buisness more money because we have to redo their orders (through their mistakes) than they bring in.