I Had A Bad Experience At Work Today

[Fdzzaigl]

I tend to get a lot slower and more imprecise when people are impatient.

You can also kindly tell them to fuck off in a "more friendly fashion". When clients are being a tool me and my colleagues often simply start talking about how much we're annoyed by the behaviour of some clients for example. Or you can talk about how patience is a virtue...

Or you could take the more diplomatic path. Ask him / her their name, present yourself; talk about your job and what it entails and that you're trying to do your best. But that they also need to understand your position and that you're not the one putting the prices on things.

Finally, don't be discouraged. The world is full of idiots and jerks, that's the way it is. Luckily there are also a bunch of people who are the opposite.

 

[happyninja42]

I work at a convenience store, and a customer came up with a large cup of water from the fountain machine and inquired if we had any bottled water (which is tucked away in a separate cooler from our soft drinks). I pointed him to the cooler, and he said he would just take the water he had. So instead of charging him full price, I charged him for the smallest size fountain drink (after all, it's just water). Apparently 1.29 for a half gallon of water is too much for this guy, who proceeds to pitch a fit. I just kind of stand there and take the verbal abuse (I was very specifically told to not yell back at people anymore.) until I complete his transaction and tell him to have a wonderful day. He tells me to go fuck myself.

So in case any of us are wondering, cashiers and even store managers of chains do not set prices and we get fired if we give away free things. Please don't be a tool.

Anyway, more to the point, is there anything I could have done to resolve this situation in a way that

a) would not violate company policy and
b) keep my dignity intact

For further conversation value, how was your day at work?

No, there wasn't anything you could do to de-escalate that situation. A person who is willing to lose his shit over a cup of water, isn't going to give a fuck what you have to say. He's looking to lash out, and you were the person that he directed it at.

a) Nope, if they told you to stand there and take it, you have to, if you want to keep the job. It sucks, but that's the life of customer service, I know it personally.

b) Your dignity is intact. The customer is the one who was acting undignified. Let him rave and rant, and act like an asshole, and let it slide off your shoulders. It's not a big deal, and it will happen again if you work in some customer service capacity.

 

[lunavixen]

Welcome to the world of customer service, where a lot of people become a-holes for no reason. You did the right thing, don't let it get to you, there are more of them out there.

 

[Auron225]

Until science finds a way to punch customers hard the face without any consequences, I'm afraid you're stuck. All you can hope for is the "killing with kindness" approach others here have been suggesting.

My day? I'm in my last week of a placement - glad for it to be coming to a close. Nothing against the place in particular I'm at; it's just that I realised that this isn't what I want to do full time. Thus, glad to be almost done.

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

My point is that I don't NEED to be broken and an attempt to do so would probably result in me breaking someone back on account of my stubborn and evil nature. Spite plays a big role in my temper. To date, I haven't been particularly horrible to anyone, but I know I have it in me.

Well, that's a very different statement from what I responded to... I'm not going to argue with what you need, since I don't know you at all.

I know, I know. I just wanted to stick up for all the actual good people.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

The last time I worked it was in a job that made me be in contact with the public, and boy did it suck. Especially because the job was as a midway operator, which are the people that run any sort of carnival game. People would pitch the most insane fits for not winning games, usually it wasn't even the game is rigged one either, they'd try to cheat all the time, and worst of all they'd lie to your face, then to the manager's face to get a freebie. Usually the management would end up handing out freebies. Then again during that time it didn't help that the manager in charge of hiring and firing was treated me like crap, violated my rights, and obviously hated me for various reasons. Had I not desperately needed any job I could get, period, I would have kept looking for work elsewhere, especially in a place where I could present as myself, and wouldn't have made me cut the lovely long hair I had at the time.

So OP and everyone else who works with the public I feel your pain. My job was a bad day every day.

 

[FalloutJack]

Snip

My point is that I don't NEED to be broken and an attempt to do so would probably result in me breaking someone back on account of my stubborn and evil nature. Spite plays a big role in my temper. To date, I haven't been particularly horrible to anyone, but I know I have it in me.

Well, that's a very different statement from what I responded to... I'm not going to argue with what you need, since I don't know you at all.

I know, I know. I just wanted to stick up for all the actual good people.

Hey, fair enough, I just wanted to be clear, I'm all for good people getting their due recognition.

Absolutely, and on the other side...yeah, hit them other folks hard.

 

[chromatic fairytale]

Sorry that dude was being a jerk! In truth, I think by keeping calm while the other person acts like an ass, you're holding onto your dignity a lot better than they are. You realize that they're basically a bratty kid throwing a tantrum and the whole thing becomes a little pathetic on their end, ya know? I think the most frustrating thing is the knowledge that you couldn't retaliate without consequences, so they're lording it over you.

When dealing with customers, I slip into a friendly persona that's really more of a role. It helps with both a) being nice to people who are nice b) staying in character when you want to give sass. I also kind of have to see it as a role, since otherwise I'd be too shy to interact with customers properly. It almost feels like being an NPC shopkeep by giving out pleasant canned lines, lmao.

 

[Johnny Impact]

I've had nothing but customer service jobs and after twenty years my conclusion is the vast majority of people are pretty okay.

A few of us, however, are just stupid, petty, hateful sacks of runny goat shit. If I had to guess -- and I do, I'd never dream of encouraging these people to tell me MORE than I already have to put up with -- I'd say they are powerless and unhappy in their own lives. Because they are stupid and hateful, they would never create anything positive to improve their situation. The only way they know to feel better is by shitting on someone else. Because they are cowards, they do it to people who aren't free to tell them where to stick it. It's a cheap, quick, safe way to make someone -- anyone -- pay for their unhappiness.

If it's any consolation, that dipshit will quite probably never experience a good day. He'll always feel unhappy, powerless, shortchanged, and victimized. The closest to genuine happiness he'll ever get is the bitter satisfaction of telling you to fuck off. If you've had one moment of real unfettered joy in your life, you beat him.

 

[Creator002]

When I worked at a pub, I just looked directly into their eyes and didn't blink. They often get uncomfortable and look/walk away.