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

[moosmom]

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.

[Taz_Zoee]

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.

[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)

[jennielynn1970]

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)

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

[moosmom]

going postal

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

[jennielynn1970]

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.

[moosmom]

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*

[lvpets2002]

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

[moosmom]

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.