Another retail rant...VERY close to having a meltdown

A woman, her boyfriend and mother came into the store. They purchased a whole bunch of stuff. When I totaled up their purchase, the woman handed me a receipt, telling me it was a store credit. I politely told her that it was a receipt showing a balance of $9.19 on a gift card (the receipt was from a Missouri store). She INSISTED it was a store credit. I pulled out a redeemed store credit to show her the difference. By this time her boyfriend had a significant Sequoia up his butt. The woman handed me her credit card and her mother said, "Forget it, here!" as she threw the card at me. I proceeded to be polite although my patience was wearing VERY thin. She asked me if she could have another bag, as the one I gave her was heavy. I simply turned around and got it for her.

Well, her boyfriend flew into a frenzy about MY "f-ing" attitude. I said, "Excuse me, sir??" He said, "You know what I'm talking about!!" As they were leaving, I said very politely to have a pleasant evening. The boyfriend, said quite loudly, "Yeah and You go F-yourself!!!" I told him with my biggest smile, "Yes sir, and you do the same, thanks for coming in."

Personally, I think I handled it quite well under the circumstances. My MOD said I should've called him. He's probably right, and in most cases I DO pass the buck (we're encouraged to do so in difficult situations). But I thought I could handle it.

All my cashiers and some of the customers were standing there with their jaws dropped. Everyone told me I had the patience of a saint.

Well, they didn't see me when I got home. I sat in the middle of my livingroom floor and sobbed like a baby, MooShoo trying to comfort me.

I've done some serious thinking since then. I talked to my best friend who works at Hallmark Cards. I applied there and am waiting an answer. Sara said that there is a totally different type of clientel that come into Hallmark. The atmosphere is calm, and, although they have their busy times, which I understand, everyone is pleasant. While I can't survive without SOME kind of part-time work, I think it's time to leave BB&B and the abuse (that was the third time I've been verbally abused by a customer and to be honest, I'm fed up).

Thanks for letting me vent. Sorry it was so long.

Wow, it sounds like you did handle it well. I actually laughed at your response when he told you to go F yourself...hee hee. If that was me I probably would have burst into tears right there in the store.

Well, I wish you luck in finding another job, one with less stress. :)

It is far to acceptable to be RUDE to people these days. If you had a bad day, that's ok, you can stop on your way home and insult an employee of the store you stopped at for revenge.

I noticed long ago on TV that the programs were going into being scrcastic to people, insuting people and just being downright rude and I knew this day was coming... It is now ok to discriminate against someone who is different and be just downright rude! They think you have to stand there and take it but one day, somebody will loose it and beat the tar out of one of those people. (or pull out a gun and shoot them)

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Originally Posted by Laura's Babies

It is far to acceptable to be RUDE to people these days. If you had a bad day, that's ok, you can stop on your way home and insult an employee of the store you stopped at for revenge.

I noticed long ago on TV that the programs were going into being scrcastic to people, insuting people and just being downright rude and I knew this day was coming... It is now ok to discriminate against someone who is different and be just downright rude! They think you have to stand there and take it but one day, somebody will loose it and beat the tar out of one of those people. (or pull out a gun and shoot them)

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Kinda like what they call "going postal", huh?!

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going postal

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Um, YUP. Although I prefer to call it going Bed, Bath and WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Beyond. :p

:p I am sorry Donna = But I am still Laughing My Butt Off.. Good comeback.. Now is this still Petsmart that you are working at..

I think society today as a whole treats customer service/sales/maintenance people really poorly. How many times have you heard people give the excuse for not cleaning up after themselves, or leaving things lying in a jumble on the display all in a mess because "the people who work here are paid to clean it up." I hear that A LOT when I'm out. I find it really appalling. There are so many lazy and rude people, it's just disgusting anymore.

I know here at school, heaven forbid we even reprimand a kid any more. And when you do, the vice principals and administrators don't back you. They give the kids a soda and candy bar and pat them on the head and tell them not to worry about anything. So many of them just want to avoid a confrontation with the parents. We're creating a generation of without a conscience about what they do or say to others. It's super frustrating when you aren't backed up by your administrators/supervisors.

I had another lady come in and ask if we had any coupons (I had a whole bunch of them that had been used, and we're supposed to cross off the bar code with a marker so they can't be reused). I said, "No mam, I'm sorry we don't carry any coupons IN the store." Her response was, "Oh??? (very snobbily) and what are THOSE???????" I politely told her those were the coupons from customers who REMEMBERED TO BRING THEM WHEN THEY SHOPPED. I told her that if I gave her one of them, the register would reject it as an already swiped coupon. I explained that she could shop today and bring her receipt in with her forgotten coupons and we'd refund her the difference. That wasn't good enough. She didn't want to hear it. Oh well. Sucks to be her. See what I go through??

*sigh*

I think your comeback was great. Having worked in service oriented businesses most of my life, I've learned not to take things personally. That certainly doesn't excuse customers' rude behavior towards you but you handled it very well and it speaks volumes about them. They would treat everyone and anyone the same way. If you had to cry at home to let off steam, so be it. Crying can be a pop off valve, a useful tool. I think you did great. :)

I am impressed with the way you handled the whole situation.
I believe some people think they will get their way if they Bully you.
Unfortunately sometimes it does work. :(
The way you handled it could not have been more perfect and it covers
your butt from getting in trouble.

Sometimes they spay and neuter the wrong individuals...JMO... :p

Bed, Bath and BULLY!

Wow....those people sound like they regularily cause trouble.

My mom always says, ever since I can remember, after having the "pleasure" of dealing with some idiot like that, "Thank God we don't live with them/him/her!" Its good advice, but I tend to think, "How sad and horrible is that persons life that they have to make EVERY interaction a difficult, stress-filled, drama. Thank GOD I'm normal, happy and won't be dying of a heart attack in the next month because of MY attitude!"

Just think of how STUPID those people looked to all the customers and co-workers that were around you and witnessed the interaction.

Some people are just so miserable, they strive to bring everyone else down to their level. Just feel sorry for them, they're very sad and need all the prayers they can get!

BTW, I agree with your friend, 'Hallmark' is a calmer, nicer enviornment vs other retail stores. But everywhere you work/are around people, you're going to have to deal with someone who has an outburst. Its good to adopt an attitude that will deflect their drama, like water off a ducks back.

Hugs, Kelly :)

I can totally sypmathize with you and completely understand your frustrations!

I've worked with the public more than half of my working life, including a laundrymat and a grocery store on a midnight shift. Talk about some WEIRD rude people on a graveyard shift! We had a creepy crossdresser who didn't shave off his beard, which honestly clashed with his stuffed bra pink sweater. And the unshaven male legs in the black nylons clashed with the black split skirt and tennis shoes! :eek: I had a guy call once at the store with a baby screaming in the background, the guy cussed me out every which way because his milk was spoiled and his kid wanted some cereal. I've had drunks trying to do laundry, and hoity toity fussy people who look down at their nose criticize how their dry cleaning was bagged when they picked up their clothes. I've had where I work now someone come in to buy Frontline Plus and I explain to the guy how to open the package and use then an hour later his wife comes in with a totally massacered package saying it was 'empty' when she finally got it open (despite the oil all over the package) and demanded a free replacement. She didn't like it when I told her I couldn't do that and cussed me out 3 ways from tomorrow. I've had customers whine about our prices (which are low for the area) and claim 'poverty', gripe, and complain all while they are in the building only to get into a brand new caddy, pt cruiser loaded, or avalance when they leave.

So YUP, I totally understand the frustration. Best you can do is rant when you can, smile when you should, think of all the things you'd like to say while the person is ranting and grin thinking of how they'd react if you said it.

If that doesn't do it, and you think you've had a really bad day dealing with customers, try this website....
http://www.customerssuck.com/

It always makes me feel better about the customers I have to deal with sometimes and realize it could always be worse.

You did good, Donna. I think your tears were a good outlet for your frustration. Please don't let the jacka$$s ruin your day. I've taken phone abuse (oops-disconnected) as well as in your face abuse when I worked parttime retail. Never again, I tell ya, never again. Too many scars on my tongue from biting it.

I LOVE Hallmark stores. The workers are so accommodating and nice-at least where I go. Just think, no coupons, no hassels. Good luck! I'll keep all the digits crossed for you!(I've never seen anyone return a card, have you?)

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Originally Posted by K9karen

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I LOVE Hallmark stores. The workers are so accommodating and nice-at least where I go. Just think, no coupons, no hassels. Good luck! I'll keep all the digits crossed for you!(I've never seen anyone return a card, have you?)

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Well, I wouldn't say, no coupons, no hassles. The one thing I hate about Hallmark is when you get the preferred customer coupon from them (after purchasing a set amount of their products) and say it is worth 4.00 and your card is 3.99, they say you can't use it unless your purchase if over the amount of the coupon. I say, that's okay, forget about the penny, and they say, no we can't honor it.

Personally that one burns me up. I certainly don't take it out on the clerk, but it is one of the most irritating company policies I've run into. What they want is for you to buy another card in order to collect on the coupon that constitutes a *free one*.

Thanks for all the support! My doctor wrote me a note and I'm off till next week. Hopefully by then I should hear from Hallmark.