It WASN'T YOUR TURN

[veniteangeli]

Lady I don't care HOW long you've been waiting. I guaran-fuckin'-TEE you everyone else has been waiting just as long. There are three of us serving, and the lines aren't getting any shorter. We're aware. It's busy.

That doesn't give you license to decide you've had enough of the waiting game and cut in front of everyone else. I can't tell you to fuck off like you so richly deserve because I'm in uniform. You're gross, and you should feel bad.

Meanwhile I now get to listen to the three customers you cut in front of, whinging at me for letting you do it, like I had a fucking choice in the matter.

[Evannah]

I hate that! And also that the customers took their anger out on you. Had it happen to me, as well. A customer cut in line, gave me a load of verbal abuse, threatened that she'd get me fired if I didn't serve her right NOW and would not budge. So I served her. Even though my customers HEARD the entire thing, guess who they yelled at? Me. Apparently it was all my fault. Yep. Retail does suck sometimes.

[eltf177]

You take your anger out on the line cutter, not the poor workers who have their hands tied by management and thus are unable to do anything about it!

[notalwaysright]

You know why they're yelling at you, and not the person who did it? Because they're big cowards, and know that you HAVE to stand there and take it. You are a target who is not allowed to fight back. If they were not so cowardly, they would have vented at the line jumper, but guess what? Even though he/she was in the wrong, that person just might have said something back, and that scares a coward.

[Captain Trips]

All because that one store back 80 years ago tried a new sales slogan. As a result, most people seem to believe "I'm the one paying you money, so I'm your boss."
No, the customer is NOT always right, get back in line where you belong.

It's even worse when the customer is a big-box GM. Working for an inventory company many years ago, doing an inventory at a big box store that is not called N-Mart, I was doing some auditing. The store's GM told me what to audit, in contradiction to our company's contract with his. I told him what the policy was, he gave me "I'm the one paying you, YOU WORK FOR ME. Do what I told you." I said "No, sir, I work for <inventory company> and this is in our contract with yours." I did stand up for myself, and when he and I went to my boss, my boss agreed with me - we couldn't afford to audit every single item counted, it's a statistical audit. And I continued working - with the AGM. I had co-workers, though, who didn't care and did what the GM told them. As I recall, we lost money on that job.

[emax4]

I would have made her pay for the items of the people she cut in front of, or taken her order but wait until you've rung up other people before putting it in.

[Orgaloth]

Our store gets really busy, so we'll take your name and number and send you a text when it's your turn to be served (wait times can get up to 3 hours). We had someone jump out of the line and demand to be served right then and there. The manager looked at her and said that there was a 2 hour wait and that he'll get her name and number when he reaches her in the line. Not good enough apparently. She started arguing, he stood his ground, the other customers were becoming agitated. Finally he says, "Get back in line and wait like all these other people have or leave." she finally gave up and tried to get back into line where she originally was, but the customers wouldn't have a bar of it and told her to get to the back of the line, as she had wasted all their time and had stepped out of line.

Her wait time went from 2 hours to 3, and wasn't able to be served as that pushed the time someone would be serving her to half an hour after closing.

[veniteangeli]

I would have made her pay for the items of the people she cut in front of, or taken her order but wait until you've rung up other people before putting it in.

Nice thought, but would get me written up.

[XCashier]

All because that one store back 80 years ago tried a new sales slogan. As a result, most people seem to believe "I'm the one paying you money, so I'm your boss."
No, the customer is NOT always right, get back in line where you belong.

"Oh, the customer is always right? Guess what? See all those folks you cut in front of? They're customers too. And it was that lady's turn, not yours. You can't both be right, can you? But since I called number 27, and she's got number 27, and you have number 30, guess she's more right than you are. She's next!"

Yeah, in my dreams, or maybe on my last day...

[simplyanother]

When I have a line of people, and folks cut in, I just ignore them, until I'm done serving the people who were there first. During holidays it gets really busy at the counter and the line backs up way far. People want their damned seafood. Guy skips the whole damned line "when you get a chance, I want a pound of Shrimp..blah blah blah" "Sir you'll have to get in the line" "but I don't want it steamed?!!?!" "That's fine, I'm sure not all of these people are having theirs steamed either". He hung there for a bit, then disappeared. I think he was surprised that I didn't let him skip all those people. Who would have had me for dinner, had I let him.

We get people who will ignore the line (when I have one) and stand off to the side, then go "but I WAS HERE FIRST!!" when I don't get them when they think it's their turn. "well, the line is over here..." "but I'm over here" "yes, but the line is over here".

One of my big problems are people who don't know how to form a line. They'll all just bunch up at the counter. I don't play guess who's next. I tell them to form a line, if they don't, I ignore the ones who refuse. Because I'm not going to be referee (which I know sounds like a contridiction of what I've written up there. but what I mean is, I will make sure that people are served in order, but I'm not going to play guess who's next and deal with a bunch of "no, it was me!" "i was here first!" BS) If you're next, you'll be the one behind the person I've just served. If you insist on standing beside the crab case because you want crablegs...well, then I guess you're not in line.

I do sometimes rub customers the wrong way. But most seem to appreciate not having to guess what's going on. Most of the complaints I get are from people who don't seem to realize that food shrinks after cooking.

[Seanette]

Where I work, a lot of customers seem to think it's one big line rather than one line per open register. This can create some tension when someone who understands how we actually operate "cuts in line" because they don't realize the people standing well back from the registers think they're in a line.

When we notice the problem developing, someone usually does announce "each register has a line" or something to that effect. Most of the time, that even helps.

[Sulhythal]

I tell them to form a line, if they don't, I ignore the ones who refuse. \

I have a sinking feeling that many of them aren't really refusing...so much as just assuming that THEY are the FIRST of the line...thus, everyone who isn't behind them...isn't in the line.

[wolfie]

I hate that! And also that the customers took their anger out on you. Had it happen to me, as well. A customer cut in line, gave me a load of verbal abuse, threatened that she'd get me fired if I didn't serve her right NOW and would not budge. So I served her. Even though my customers HEARD the entire thing, guess who they yelled at? Me. Apparently it was all my fault. Yep. Retail does suck sometimes.

What you need to do is apologize to the people who were cut in front of. "I'm sorry, but store policy requires that I serve the person who cuts in front before I serve the people in line. If this policy offends you, I'd suggest letting corporate know that you'd prefer to shop at a store where line cutters are sent to the back of the line rather than being served immediately." In other words, let the brass know that while their policy satisfies ONE customer (the line cutter), it offends MULTIPLE customers (those waiting in line).

You take your anger out on the line cutter, not the poor workers who have their hands tied by management and thus are unable to do anything about it!

Or take your anger out on those who tied the hands of the poor workers.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I once had a woman in a McDonalds kick up a fuss cuz she thought that she ought to be served first. The place was packed to the rafters and the queue was huge. I'd been patiently waiting for about ten minutes, when a manager opened up another till and asked me to step up. This woman who'd walked in just three minutes ago started screaming that she was first. I turned round and said, "I've been waiting ten minutes. You only walked in here three minutes ago. That means I'm first." She shut up. People ought to speak to bitches like this; they're not going to do anything. They only attack defenseless cashiers who can't fight back.

[XCashier]

People ought to speak to bitches like this; they're not going to do anything. They only attack defenseless cashiers who can't fight back.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -- Edmund Burke

Yes, please call the jerks on their bad behavior. What'll they do, beat you up? Not likely in a store full of witnesses.