Honestly, I try always to be polite to any sort of worker anywhere, because I am so afraid of beign THAT person and incurring store clerk wrath, so I'm alway "I'm so sorry, no, I don't mean to bother you, sorry sorry ><;;"
The Customer Is Always Wrong
- Thread starter Xhumed
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I used to (I thank whatever powers that be that that's in the past tense) work in a Tesco Express, locally. For those not familiar with them, Tesco Expresses are a branch of Tesco's monopoly, now covering corner-shops. So they are staffed by about eight people at a time, tops.
Our Tesco express was recently fitted with two self-service counters. These work much the same as a standard counter, except the customer scans their shopping themselves, then places it on a set of scales. The computer checks that the scanned item is the right weight, to supposedly prevent kids from scanning one bag of sweets and taking ten. They're within sight of the tills, and there's a camera over the top to help prevent shoplifting. Also, because it's automatic and thus can't verify age, the machine will stop and say "approval needed" if the customer tries to buy alchohol. Can you see where this is going?
So one day, a lottery day if memory serves; the store was very crowded, and I was one of the only two on the tills.
Guy1: Oi!
Me: *doesn't notice, is currently trying to serve a customer, print a lottery ticket and check another customer's ID on behalf of my underage colleague*
Guy1: Oi, dick'ead!
Me: *notices* One moment please sir, I'll get to you in--
Guy1: Your machine's broken.
Me: Just a moment, sir--
Guy1: It's not working. I tried to scan my shopping, and it just keeps shouting at me!
Me: Okay, that's . Thank you, your change and your receipt. Right sir, what's the problem?
Guy1: I said, your f*cking machine's broken!
Me: I was serving another customer, sir. What's it doing?
Guy1: I dunno, I'm no f*cking technician! It just keep shouting at me!
Me: *listens*
Machine: Approval needed.
Me: It needs approval for alchohol, sir. I'll just--
Guy1: Approval? Why?
Me: Because you're trying to buy alchohol, sir.
Guy1: I'm thirty, you idiot!
Me: Yes sir, and the machine is only three months old, and thus won't be old enough to sell alchohol unattended for another seventeen years. I'll just approve it *presses button* - okay, you should be alright to carry on, sir. Next, please.
*a few seconds pass*
Guy1: For f*ck's sake! Your machine's broken again!
Me: Just a moment, please sir--
Guy1: No, you fix this piece of sh*t now!
Me: *with exaggerated slowness* Thank you, sir. Would you like a bag for that? No? Would you like anything else? Okay, that's . Thank you, sir. Would you like your receipt? Okay. Thank you. *walks over to guy1* What is the problem, sir?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Guy1: Your f*cking machine keeps shouting at me again! When're you going to get this thing fixed!?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Me: I'm sure, sir. And what is the machine doing, sorry?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Guy1: I don't f*cking know! It just keeps saying sh*t at--
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Me: Yes, sir. And what is the machine *saying,* sir?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Guy1: I don't know! "Please place the item in the bagging area?"
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Me: Yes, sir. have you tried putting the bottle of wine you just scanned in the bagging area, sir?
Guy1: ...*puts item in bagging area*
Machine: *silence*
Me: *pauses for effect* Thank you, sir. Next, please?
Our Tesco express was recently fitted with two self-service counters. These work much the same as a standard counter, except the customer scans their shopping themselves, then places it on a set of scales. The computer checks that the scanned item is the right weight, to supposedly prevent kids from scanning one bag of sweets and taking ten. They're within sight of the tills, and there's a camera over the top to help prevent shoplifting. Also, because it's automatic and thus can't verify age, the machine will stop and say "approval needed" if the customer tries to buy alchohol. Can you see where this is going?
So one day, a lottery day if memory serves; the store was very crowded, and I was one of the only two on the tills.
Guy1: Oi!
Me: *doesn't notice, is currently trying to serve a customer, print a lottery ticket and check another customer's ID on behalf of my underage colleague*
Guy1: Oi, dick'ead!
Me: *notices* One moment please sir, I'll get to you in--
Guy1: Your machine's broken.
Me: Just a moment, sir--
Guy1: It's not working. I tried to scan my shopping, and it just keeps shouting at me!
Me: Okay, that's . Thank you, your change and your receipt. Right sir, what's the problem?
Guy1: I said, your f*cking machine's broken!
Me: I was serving another customer, sir. What's it doing?
Guy1: I dunno, I'm no f*cking technician! It just keep shouting at me!
Me: *listens*
Machine: Approval needed.
Me: It needs approval for alchohol, sir. I'll just--
Guy1: Approval? Why?
Me: Because you're trying to buy alchohol, sir.
Guy1: I'm thirty, you idiot!
Me: Yes sir, and the machine is only three months old, and thus won't be old enough to sell alchohol unattended for another seventeen years. I'll just approve it *presses button* - okay, you should be alright to carry on, sir. Next, please.
*a few seconds pass*
Guy1: For f*ck's sake! Your machine's broken again!
Me: Just a moment, please sir--
Guy1: No, you fix this piece of sh*t now!
Me: *with exaggerated slowness* Thank you, sir. Would you like a bag for that? No? Would you like anything else? Okay, that's . Thank you, sir. Would you like your receipt? Okay. Thank you. *walks over to guy1* What is the problem, sir?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Guy1: Your f*cking machine keeps shouting at me again! When're you going to get this thing fixed!?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Me: I'm sure, sir. And what is the machine doing, sorry?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Guy1: I don't f*cking know! It just keeps saying sh*t at--
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Me: Yes, sir. And what is the machine *saying,* sir?
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Guy1: I don't know! "Please place the item in the bagging area?"
Machine: Please place the item in the bagging area.
Me: Yes, sir. have you tried putting the bottle of wine you just scanned in the bagging area, sir?
Guy1: ...*puts item in bagging area*
Machine: *silence*
Me: *pauses for effect* Thank you, sir. Next, please?
Please tell your boss that the collective virtual community of the Escapist Magazine Forums salute her.big_shaq12 said:
I may be joining the ranks of those behind the counters on saturday If I get the saturday job I applied for. It's only at a local corner shop, but I reckon I'll have a few stories by the end of next month (possibly involving chavs and ciggies, but y never know.)
wish me luck.
rosac
wish me luck.
rosac
We'd get them all the time when I worked at KFC. The one that sticks out in my mind is this one time, I'd just started my shift and this lady came in with what she'd ordered. Some kinda big meal deal. She slams in down on the bench and says 'you forgot the napkins, and spoons' so I'm like 'okay, I'll get those for you.' Then she's like 'nuh, I've been home and come back, the foods cold now, I want a whole new meal.'
She made us throw away the entire family meal because of napkins and spoons. I'm like thinking, you don't have spoons at home? You couldn't have left the food at home for your family and then come back? I hate it when we have to waste food like that, it was was just a complete waste.
She made us throw away the entire family meal because of napkins and spoons. I'm like thinking, you don't have spoons at home? You couldn't have left the food at home for your family and then come back? I hate it when we have to waste food like that, it was was just a complete waste.
Prepare yourself for a fun shift. If you're in the UK (which I'm guessing you are, I think chavs are an exclusively British cultural phenomenon), Saturday's lottery night. Every man and his dog will want to buy a go or seven, and often have no clue as to how they work. I would wish you luck, but that would be naive. I wish you a quick and painless death.rosac said:
That's still better than the countless number of people I've seen sneeze all over the lids/flatware. This is why I never, ever take the top lid when they're self-serve. Even worse, at McD's they store them upside down, so whoever gets the top lid is going to end up with their drink filled with whatever the lid has crawling on it. Feh.hubertw47 said:
I would like to say that as an Irish person i am not amused. (Yes i am aware it was just a joke I'm not really offended.)dantheman931 said:
Anyway i never worked in retail but my brother used to work tech support for a hospital he was responsible for the entire A&E wing he could tell you some horror stories of grossly incompetent doctors and ex Tech support staff.
:-Ddarkless said:
Well, this thread is about bad customers, but what the heck. Care to relate?darkless said:
My favorite was the the story of the twins Mary and Marie with where treated as the same person for 60 years. No one ever copped they where two different people.dantheman931 said:
There was the woman who when told to remove the toner cartridge from the printer shake it gently, she shook the entire printer which proceeded to spew toner EVERYWHERE! An entire wing of the hospital had to be evacuated because toner destroys the lungs and my brothers tech team had to put on clean suits and clean up the mess.
Then there was the girl who was brought in after attempted suicide and the doctor who signed her in declared her dead on arrival so when the distraught parents where brought in guess what they were told...That's right! "Sorry but your daughter was pronounced dead on arrival" a shit storm ensued by all accounts the entire tech staff was pulled off what they were doing to find this girl who clearly wasn't dead but was declared dead anyway.
We used to have to count our cups for inventory as well, so we actually used to have to charge people for a cup of ice. We only have one price for the soda fountain - 85 cents. Sure, that doesn't seem like much, but approximately three out of every five people had to start a big fight about it. I know it was kind of shitty, but it was beyond my control, they didn't seem to understand that.puppydogvaan said:
Alright....I just had the worst customer ever to grace this internet cafe.
This woman is a *****, a horrid *****, she yells and swears at her young daughter, complains about everything and you'll understand in a sec.
She ordered a chicken and cheese toasted sandwich, as little salt as possible, lots of pepper, so I take a shortcut and put no salt on it....she the proceeds to come up after taking a bit and complains that there is too much salt and not enough pepper, when I explained that I didn't put salt in it because there's no way to really moderate it, she began to abuse me for not making what she ordered.
Here's the worst bit, I can't ban her, and neither can my boss, because she's an aboriginal and we'll get sued for racism, and she'll win because of the fact she's aboriginal.
This woman is a *****, a horrid *****, she yells and swears at her young daughter, complains about everything and you'll understand in a sec.
She ordered a chicken and cheese toasted sandwich, as little salt as possible, lots of pepper, so I take a shortcut and put no salt on it....she the proceeds to come up after taking a bit and complains that there is too much salt and not enough pepper, when I explained that I didn't put salt in it because there's no way to really moderate it, she began to abuse me for not making what she ordered.
Here's the worst bit, I can't ban her, and neither can my boss, because she's an aboriginal and we'll get sued for racism, and she'll win because of the fact she's aboriginal.
