So HEY, my long lost friends! Life has been relatively uneventful, which is kind of how I like my life going these days. This tale happened just this week and I present to you the first time I EVER got into it with a customer and "fought back".
Oh, yes, little ole me in the over *mumble* years I have been in customer service... It was cathartic and I'm still employed. I work at a mom and pop store that sells supplies for a specific trade in home improvement. Normally I am in the back slinging paperwork, but about 40% of my time is spent in the front of the store.
I was covering the register for another employee who was out on a delivery when in walks Assy McDirtbag. Now, this customer is an older man who looks, acts, and smells like the cook from a certain Canadian TV show from the 80s. Some of the younger readers may think "I Don't Know" what that show is, but seriously, kids, google it. You'll thank me later.
He has a history of talking down to women. I have had the displeasure of speaking to him over the phone on at least 2 occasions previously and had to ring him up in the store a couple of times as well. It's never a delight to see him. So yes, I was a little cagey when I saw him, but never rude and always kept a smile on my face even when he said something that he knew would offend me.
ANYway... he came in with an attitude and was pissed that it's me at the register and not the guy usually at the counter at that time of the day. He started bitching about not having enough of a certain product and I told him that we had an order that was due to come in soon. He makes a face and asked what he was going to tell HIS customer in a sarcastic tone. I just shrugged my shoulders and said again an order was coming in very soon.
Then he tried to break up a product that comes with a part 1 and part 2 and he got even more agitated that I wouldn't sell him half of the package.
The kicker was that after him acting like an ass the whole 15 minutes he was in the store, I asked him to... dun Dun DUN... pay for his purchases. This sent him into a rage of rages and he pushed the stuff on the counter toward me so that I had to quickly catch them before they fell off onto the floor. All the while exclaiming that I could put it where the sun don't shine (in not so gentlemanly language).
I pointed to the door and pretty much said "YOU CAN LEAVE" a few times while he starts screaming at me and cursing at me while heading toward the door.
Of course there were other customers there that I had to ring up after that who saw the whole thing. I apologized to them and sent them on their way. There was another employee there who also saw what happened.
I got the other employee to cover the register while I went somewhere private to call my boss. I wanted to get my side of the story to him before the customer called to complain slash lie about me. My boss said he would call him and I left it at that.
At the end of the day, my boss asked me to reiterate the story after he spoke with the customer. He also questioned the other employee. My boss did say he wanted to be fair to both sides and said I didn't have to serve him again.
That's the good part, I guess, because he's not banned which is what I would LOVE to happen... Kind of anti-climactic, but like I said I'm still working there so it felt good to sorta yell at him!
Oh, yes, little ole me in the over *mumble* years I have been in customer service... It was cathartic and I'm still employed. I work at a mom and pop store that sells supplies for a specific trade in home improvement. Normally I am in the back slinging paperwork, but about 40% of my time is spent in the front of the store.
I was covering the register for another employee who was out on a delivery when in walks Assy McDirtbag. Now, this customer is an older man who looks, acts, and smells like the cook from a certain Canadian TV show from the 80s. Some of the younger readers may think "I Don't Know" what that show is, but seriously, kids, google it. You'll thank me later.
He has a history of talking down to women. I have had the displeasure of speaking to him over the phone on at least 2 occasions previously and had to ring him up in the store a couple of times as well. It's never a delight to see him. So yes, I was a little cagey when I saw him, but never rude and always kept a smile on my face even when he said something that he knew would offend me.
ANYway... he came in with an attitude and was pissed that it's me at the register and not the guy usually at the counter at that time of the day. He started bitching about not having enough of a certain product and I told him that we had an order that was due to come in soon. He makes a face and asked what he was going to tell HIS customer in a sarcastic tone. I just shrugged my shoulders and said again an order was coming in very soon.
Then he tried to break up a product that comes with a part 1 and part 2 and he got even more agitated that I wouldn't sell him half of the package.
The kicker was that after him acting like an ass the whole 15 minutes he was in the store, I asked him to... dun Dun DUN... pay for his purchases. This sent him into a rage of rages and he pushed the stuff on the counter toward me so that I had to quickly catch them before they fell off onto the floor. All the while exclaiming that I could put it where the sun don't shine (in not so gentlemanly language).
I pointed to the door and pretty much said "YOU CAN LEAVE" a few times while he starts screaming at me and cursing at me while heading toward the door.
Of course there were other customers there that I had to ring up after that who saw the whole thing. I apologized to them and sent them on their way. There was another employee there who also saw what happened.
I got the other employee to cover the register while I went somewhere private to call my boss. I wanted to get my side of the story to him before the customer called to complain slash lie about me. My boss said he would call him and I left it at that.
At the end of the day, my boss asked me to reiterate the story after he spoke with the customer. He also questioned the other employee. My boss did say he wanted to be fair to both sides and said I didn't have to serve him again.
That's the good part, I guess, because he's not banned which is what I would LOVE to happen... Kind of anti-climactic, but like I said I'm still working there so it felt good to sorta yell at him!
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