Usually I Have Great Customers

[Ducky Dew]

To be honest, I’m very lucky. Our customers are, overall, fantastic. There are always a few sour puss types, and the occasional one who would apparently fall over dead if they removed the phone from their ear, but there are irritations, not really sucky in my book. By and large our customers are at least polite and mostly very friendly. Children tend to be well behaved, with the occasional exception that is to be expected now days, but here it’s not really the norm. Today, however, blew that mold.

It started when I was spelling E at the register while she was at lunch. I had heard this kid whining all over the store. I HATE whining, I do not tolerate it at my house. My own kids learned at an early age that is exactly the way to NOT get what you want. Finally they make their way to the front and I find out exactly what the whine-fest has been about. Kid wanted a pocket watch. He’s maybe 4 or 5 years old, and a skinny small child with the look of perpetual brat.

Mom tells him, again, that she’s not getting the watch. Full out tantrum, on the floor kicking and screaming. Mom just mumbles about his “not feeling very well today.” I wonder silently why she’s out shopping then, since none of what she bought could have in any way been something she had to have right then. Finally she pays out and tells the kid, “I’m leaving, I guess I’ll leave you here and she’ll put you to work.”

Before I can even begin to think of a response, this kid jumps and flies at her! This kid was swinging with all he had, which granted wasn’t a lot but still. If he learns he can get away with that at 4, what’s he going to do to her when he’s 14? Personally, my kids would have been picking themselves up off the ground. Of course, they knew this and would never have even considered it, and still wouldn't.

Then had the lady who had to argue with me about TracPhone cards. I don't know why we don't have the $9.99 card any longer. I asked, I never got a full answer, I doubt Bossman knows or cares. lt could be Corp. dropped it, we don't make squat on the damn things anyway. Could be Trac stopped selling them, I honestly don't know. Bottom line, it won't print out on our terminal even if we tried so I can't sell it.

Thankfully the rest of the afternoon went fairly smooth and quick after E got off, N and I taking turns checking out customers while we work on setting up Halloween displays and try to figure out what the freak we’re going to do with all this Christmas merchandise. But then at 15 till closing, WHAM.

They weren’t actually all sucky, but included three fishing licenses, on a slow as Hades 14.4 dial up connection when we’re trying to prep for close, not fun. One was from out of state, which meant entering everything from scratch. One lives here locally now, I know him from the area, but hasn’t bothered to get a TX license, only has CA. I figure out how to still get him his residence license, and again everything has to be entered from scratch. Third, thankfully, was local and already in the system, so that one went as quick as it can, which really isn’t very quick at all. They were all nice and patient and joked around with me while we waited for the screens to do the eternal load thing.

So that’s finally finished and it’s 10 after closing. N has locked the doors, but we still have two women w/ kids wandering around, even though she’s told them twice we’re closing. I told her, “Bossmas used to turn half the lights out on them, he still do that?” “Yep, and I’m glad you agree,” she replies, and off to the back she goes. So finally they drag their brood up front and proceed to check out. Separately, of course, and of course we’re down to only one register. First has a few items for herself, nothing for her kids, and pays with $12 in change, only $1.25 which was quarters. Second group, which included today’s second bratty child who even at the age of around 10 couldn’t bear to be parted from her toy long enough to let me read the damned price, has to count out 82 pennies to avoid getting back any change except a straight $10.

I know we’re lucky, I really do. That’s probably more suck that I get in a regular week. And Lord, I hope they don’t all come in one day again.

[Jacen]

Before I can even begin to think of a response, this kid jumps and flies at her! This kid was swinging with all he had, which granted wasn’t a lot but still. If he learns he can get away with that at 4, what’s he going to do to her when he’s 14? Personally, my kids would have been picking themselves up off the ground. Of course, they knew this and would never have even considered it, and still wouldn't.
Trouble is, there is no legal way to punish kids anymore.

Our customers are, overall, fantastic.
Where do you work and are there any positions free? http://www.smiley-channel.de/grafiken/smiley/zunge/smiley-channel.de_zunge024.gif

[Gravekeeper]

Before I can even begin to think of a response, this kid jumps and flies at her! This kid was swinging with all he had, which granted wasn’t a lot but still. If he learns he can get away with that at 4, what’s he going to do to her when he’s 14?

Oh wow. If I did that I wouldn't have come out of the coma till I was 5. -.-

My mom doesn't put up with whining either. I also quickly learned to never complain that I was bored ( As she would find something for me to do pretty quick. )

She ran a sort of in home daycare ( Only around 5-7 kids at any given time ) up till about a month ago when she finally retired. I've heard all sorts of horror stories from her, but she won't tolerate whining, lack of manners, etc. You *will* be swatted. Nanny state be damned. Oh, and no, none of the moms have ever complained about their little spawnlings being smucked and timed out for acting like brats. My mom won't put up with it from the parents either, hehe. She'll tell them exactly what she thinks then tell them they can find someone else to look after little Damien as she's not going to tolerate it.

Funny part was she use to lament to me about how I was so well behaved she was completely unprepared for the horror that was other people's kids. <smirk>

[sms001]

I had heard this kid whining all over the store. I HATE whining, I do not tolerate it at my house.

Mother and son enter c-store. Inside the door is a card rack, which mom apparently wants to peruse. About ten seconds go by and my jaw hits the floor as I hear this in the most nasally, highpitched voice you can imagine coming from a fifty pounds overweight ten year old boy: "Mooooooooooommm, you're WASTING my tiiiiiiiiiiiime! I'm hungry, let's goooooo......." Wow. Just wow. I couldn't even meet her eyes when they checked out I was so embarrassed for her. Sad part is, it is hard to fault kids for engaging in behavior that WORKS. Despite our aspirations to outhink the animal kingdom, Pavlovian conditioning works just fine on us humans and rewarded behavior WILL be repeated......

P.S. I think of your licensing horror story from a previous post every time I check in on my home server's mail update process - I'm short a NIC card, so it does it with an old spare modem at, you guessed it, 14.4. :) Can't IMAGINE trying to do productive, real time work at that speed anymore. My hat's off to you sir.

[Bright_Star]

IF when I was 4 & acted like that brat I would have had my ass handed to me by my mom who didn't tolerate that kind of nonsense. This was back in the day you could hit your kids in public & NOBODY would dare say anything cause they knew damn well that you were being disciplined.
About Tracfone cards...it's far easier to just go to the website & order what you need from there.

[Boozy]

First has a few items for herself, nothing for her kids, and pays with $12 in change, only $1.25 which was quarters. Second group, which included today’s second bratty child who even at the age of around 10 couldn’t bear to be parted from her toy long enough to let me read the damned price, has to count out 82 pennies to avoid getting back any change except a straight $10.

You know, on the rare occasions that I've ended up in a store right at closing time, I always ask the clerk "What payment method is easiest for you right now?" So if they've already counted their cash, they can take my debit card. Or if they've maybe closed off the debit machine, I can pay cash.

I don't expect every customer to do this (and sometimes they only have one payment method) but I would say that if you have over five dollars in small change, closing time is NOT the time to clean out your coin purse. If that's all they had, they should have been at the register well before closing time. Very rude of them.

[Shengirl]

I refuse to take that much small change. I will send them right over to the coinstar machine; they do not need to hold up my line with that sort of thing. After about 20 coins is when I say no.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I would say that if you have over five dollars in small change, closing time is NOT the time to clean out your coin purse.

I would say that a retail store is not the PLACE to clean out your coin purse. Go to the bank. Not that I could refuse it when people did it to me :rolleyes:. If it was my kid I'd teach them how to count it out at home and take it to the bank (or a Coinstar machine or some such) to trade for paper money (and maybe even make a donation as Coinstar allows you to do and teach them a little charity while we're at it!). You can make that piggy bank into a much bigger lesson than just count it out and buy stuff.

and the occasional one who would apparently fall over dead if they removed the phone from their ear,

Hehe, this line made me :lol:

[Dips]

it does it with an old spare modem at, you guessed it, 14.4. :)

[OT]

I mentioned 14.4 kb to my father and he told me he still has the 300 baud cradle modem he used in the mid-70s. I've described on here before.

300 baud=0.3 kb (That's not a typo. The speed was less than a third of a kb).

I'm guessing the data had to go uphill both ways too. :)

[aurelemsrealm]

If I'd have thrown a temper tantrum like that kid in public, I'd have gotten swatted right then and there. My parents didn't tolerate that kind of behavior. Also, if we had other kids visiting, they would get treated the same for misbehavior. If those kids' parents had a problem with their child being disciplined, they were told not to come back until they learned to behave.

As for the change customers, I don't mind counting excess change if I don't have a big line waiting. The end of shift is a bad time for excess change, too. Unless you've already pumped gas, you can pretty much figure on being turned away until after shift change because I will flat out tell you that my drawer is already counted down to minimal change in preparation for shift change. Also, excess change customers can expect to wait while I count the money myself. Don't expect me to take your word for it just so you can drop it and run. It doesn't work that way. If you don't like waiting, then learn to plan ahead. It's not my fault that you were already running late for whatever plans when you decided to stop here. Your lack of planning does not constitute my emergency, so don't push your luck. Also, if you think your going to just go ahead and grab your merchandise and run before I'm done counting, think again. I put it on my side of the counter and bag it after I'm done cashing out your order for my own reasons. Trying to reach behind my counter for anything is a good way to get your hand smacked.

[Imogene]

[COLOR=Black]It started when I was spelling E

RJ: *walks up to register, places hand over gaping hole where heart should be, clears throat* 'E! Good answer! Good answer! I won, I won, I won!'

at the register while she was at lunch.
Oh, damn.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Ah, the "good old days." When children could be beaten into submission. Was that when I was a kid? Couldn't be. It must have been in some other good old days when I wasn't around. Like in the fairy stories my parents told me about the good old days that their parents told 'em about. Sometime in the toga days?

Sorry. I can't resist whenever I see a thread deteriorate into the "good old days," or the idea that smacking=discipline. Recalling dog-training, if parental behavior mirrors the child's behavior, it doesn't necessarily create the opposite result. I know (am related to) an awful lot of people from the "good old days" (30's, 50's, 70's) who have some really not-warm tales of parental "discipline." I could tell a few of my own.

[Shengirl]

Well, there's discipline and there's abuse. Some people don't beat their kids and have them turn out fine, but sometimes it's hard to look at a heinous little brat and not think, "That kid needs to be spanked." At least if the thinker was spanked as a child, like me and apparently a lot of members here.

Even my Child Development professor admitted that light beatings are the only way to get the youngest children to get a point, when they're still too young to reason with. After that, though, different strokes and all.

[myswtghst]

There is definitely a difference between spanking and beating a child. And I will say, based on my experience, different children react to different punishments. Sometimes a time out or a simple "no" will take care of it, but sometimes a kid needs to be spanked for it to really sink in.

My mom always tells us that the one time she had to spank my brother, she's pretty sure it upset her more than it did him. Somehow, we still turned out fine, and are polite and respectful kids. :D

[Jacen]

There is definitely a difference between spanking and beating a child.
I have to disagree. There is a difference between beating for punishment and abuse.

Honestly, I was "beaten" when I played up. But I did not suffer any long term effects, and I am not angry towards my parents for teaching me that I can't get away with murder. (Most kids today think you can).

But I also have never been smacked in public.

Will I do it to my kids? Probably not. It depends on if they deserve it or if I can punish them a non-violent way.

At least if the thinker was spanked as a child,
My parents tell me that they were smacked with whips and stuff when they were growing up. And that their parents wouldn't tollerate what they do. (Of coruse, I never found out if they were only doing that to scare me into being a good kid :P)

[Geek King]

[OT]

I mentioned 14.4 kb to my father and he told me he still has the 300 baud cradle modem he used in the mid-70s. I've described on here before.



Ohhh...was that one of the modems where you actually put the phone handset on the modem? I remember those, but never had a need to use one.

[Andara Bledin]

There is definitely a difference between spanking and beating a child. And I will say, based on my experience, different children react to different punishments. Sometimes a time out or a simple "no" will take care of it, but sometimes a kid needs to be spanked for it to really sink in.

I know that a "time out" for me would have been completely and utterly pointless. Anybody who would have suggested it for me would have been a failure as my parent.

My brother, however, couldn't stand sitting still for any length of time. And a friend of mine used to babysit his nephew, and a timeout for him was the worst thing you could possibly do to him.

My parents tell me that they were smacked with whips and stuff when they were growing up. And that their parents wouldn't tollerate what they do. (Of coruse, I never found out if they were only doing that to scare me into being a good kid :P)

Probably not a joke. I know that my mom's father used to do the whole "switch or belt" thing. One time he was so upset at one of them that he accidentally hit with the buckle end, and it was the kid's fault for making him mad, of course. And I know that other times, he would do the whole "go get a switch" routine for a little extra mental cruelty. I'm of the opinion that if you need a weapon to discipline your kids, you're doing something horribly wrong somewhere.

^-.-^

[Jacen]

I'm of the opinion that if you need a weapon to discipline your kids, you're doing something horribly wrong somewhere.
Maybe, maybe not. Kids today are worse then they were years ago. I told you that I got a beating when I played up. Well, I'm respectful to my parents. I never swear. I behave myself. My Brother NEVER got a beating. (Don't ask) and he's disrespectful to his family. He thinks swearing is fine, and is an arrogant twat.

I think how to punish a child suits the child and parent. (And sometimes just the threat of a weapon is enough ;) )

EDIT: Abuse, as I define it, is when you take it to far. For example, if smacking the child once with whatever (a whip, egg slice, your hand) is enough. Then twice is too far. Three is pushing it and four...

Ohhh...was that one of the modems where you actually put the phone handset on the modem? I remember those, but never had a need to use one.
Aaah. the good old days. (I still miss my 56k modem, even through I got ADSL2)

[Gravekeeper]

I know (am related to) an awful lot of people from the "good old days" (30's, 50's, 70's) who have some really not-warm tales of parental "discipline." I could tell a few of my own.

My mom laments about The Belt(tm). Which was the weapon of choice for my grandfather.

With my mom you'd get a single swat first to stop you from doing whatever the heck you were doing. That was the get your attention smuck. Then, if you were old enough, you'd get the explanation of why you were smucked, why what you were doing is bad and how it was affecting other people. Then you'd go to the penalty box ( Time out, to your room, etc ). It was effective and educational.

There were no beatings though. Getting your ass spanked/strapped was purely the domain of my father's side of the family ( My parents divorced when I was 3 or 4 ). Which, on a side note, between him and his siblings 9 out of 10 have some kind of issues or have been divorced at least once. -.-

[Soulstealer]

Which, on a side note, between him and his siblings 9 out of 10 have some kind of issues or have been divorced at least once. -.-

Now now don't lie, with those kind of numbers you might as well admit that it's all 10 of them.;)

[Andara Bledin]

Maybe, maybe not. Kids today are worse then they were years ago. I told you that I got a beating when I played up. Well, I'm respectful to my parents. I never swear. I behave myself. My Brother NEVER got a beating. (Don't ask) and he's disrespectful to his family. He thinks swearing is fine, and is an arrogant twat.

Well, my brother and I got mostly the same treatment when growing up, other than my mom letting him not have to learn how to take care of himself, but that's a rant for another forum.

We're both polite to strangers and do well in professional situations.

But as soon as it becomes a comfortable setting, my brother turns into a complete and utter "the world revolves around me" and "it's never my fault" douchebag with a foul mount, a rotten temper, and a complete and utter disregard for property (other people's and his own).

Some people are almost determined to be twats, no matter their upbringing.

Other's just need to have the boundaries regarding what is acceptable pointed out to them from the beginning, and then enforced.

^-.-^

[Jacen]

Some people are almost determined to be twats, no matter their upbringing.
Sadly this is true. I've often wondered how people can live with hurting others. I guess my sense of right and wrong is far stronger then many people.

Other's just need to have the boundaries regarding what is acceptable pointed out to them from the beginning, and then enforced.
Too bad the law doesn't control this kind of thing. Then again, it's not like kids are taught the every law there is.

But as soon as it becomes a comfortable setting, my brother turns into a complete and utter "the world revolves around me" and "it's never my fault" douchebag with a foul mount, a rotten temper, and a complete and utter disregard for property (other people's and his own).
Oh, he's respectful to strangers. He treats them better then he does his own family.

my brother and I got mostly the same treatment when growing up
Your lucky. I saw something on the today tonight show about how first born children are almost always treated differently to their siblings.

[Andara Bledin]

Too bad the law doesn't control this kind of thing. Then again, it's not like kids are taught the every law there is.

Well, it's not like law enforcement is the best at this, either. I almost got hit by some asshat pulling around me on the right because the speed limit was just too slow for him. Squealing tires and everything. The cop driving right next to me just ignored it.

Your lucky. I saw something on the today tonight show about how first born children are almost always treated differently to their siblings.

I was the first born. But I've never been anything you might call normal, so I'm not anything to use as an example.

^-.-^

[Becks]

Funny part was she use to lament to me about how I was so well behaved she was completely unprepared for the horror that was other people's kids. <smirk>

Sounds similar to what my mommy has said to me on occasion.

[MMATM]

I saw something on the today tonight show about how first born children are almost always treated differently to their siblings.

I'm the firstborn. My brother and I both had the fear of the WOODEN SPOON put into us, and later on the PADDLE. (Both cooking/stirring implements.) We learned quickly enough not to act up or else face a beating (typical beating was between one and five smacks, depending on both the instrument, the offense, and our response to the initial smack).
By the time we were six or seven, we didn't need the wooden spoon or paddle because just the thought of them would keep us in line.

My sister, on the other hand, never got the wooden spoon or paddle treatment, and so thought for a long time that it was acceptable to throw tantrums and accuse parents of "ruining her life" and being disrespectful to people. This still crops up from time to time, but my father stopped putting up with her whiny complaining about everything and would simply tell her to "stop crying before I give you something to cry about" and eventually she came to realize that meant more punishment. It also helped when my mother finally gave up on trying to appease her when she was in whine mode.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that a smack from a wooden cooking tool was our only form of punishment, though. We had "time outs" where we had to stand in a corner of the room, facing the corner, and weren't allowed to talk. The public embarrassment part of this (even though nobody was usually around) was enough to keep us in line too. And of course we eventually graduated from the paddle to groundings.

Sadly too many parents will not enforce their set punishments in this day and age, even if they do initially "ground" the child. (HINT: A "grounding" does not mean the child is free to sit in his or her room and play video games and watch TV and talk to friends online and surf the web. A grounding means no going out, no computer, no TV, no video games, no cell phone. Any computer use that is necessary for school can be done on a typewriter or, if the internet is needed, the parent's computer which conveniently has no instant messaging, child blocks on the internet, and a log of all visited Web pages. Any tampering, such as installing and then uninstalling AIM or deleting the history of visited websites, means that the child can not use the computer AT ALL the next time, and will suffer the consequences if schoolwork is missed. This fact should be made clear in an email to the teacher before the child has a chance to blame the parent on their homework not being done.)

Sorry, that turned out longer than I meant it to be.