Another complaint against me... (Long..)

[VenomX]

So this lady came back in Sunday night.

I was pumping gas and seen her enter the store but couldn't go in to warn my co-worker not to sell to her. Well she came back out and the car she was in pulled up to get gas. I finished the car I was filling and walked inside and told my co-worker that she was the one and that they now wanted gas but I refuse to wait on them.

After about 3 minutes another car pulls up to the pumps and one pulls up to come inside. I walk out as a guy is coming in. I go and pump the gas for the new car and the guy that went inside came out and started yelling and cussing at the girl and the two guys in the car. From what I could overhear one of the guys in the car I refuse to wait on had slept with his girl friend.

I walk up to them and tell them all to leave and tell the guy driving the car with the lady that I refuse to sell him gas. When he asked me why I told him because of the way the lady in the front treated me the other day. He asks hger whats up and then she starts screaming and cussing me out.

I walk to another car that just pulled up and pump their gas. As I am doing this he keeps asking me if he can get some gas. I keep saying No. I finish the car and walk inside and he follows. He is now threatening to punch my teeth out. He goes to go outside and kicks the dor open. I was stupid and followed and asked how he would like me to kick his car like that?

I starts coming towards me and I reach behind me like i had a weapon and told him to stop right there. He stands there running his mouth and tells me again he is going to punch me in the mouth.

I go back inside and ignore him. I look out and the car is gone. Co-worker walks to the door and I am walking to the back to grab stuff to put on the shelves. He asks if they are gone and I say yes. He says nope here he is again. The guy enters and says he is not leaving until I sell him gas. I tell him he is out of luck as I refuse to wait on him. He tells me I better call the police because he is going to kick me in the chest and punch me in the mouth and knock my teeth out.

I wait 5 minutes with him standing there repeating that over and over and call 911. As I am on the phone to 911 he is yelling and threatening me. 911 says the police are on thei rway.

While we wait for them to arrive he starts yelling, yeah they will make you sell me my gas. Over and over. The police arrive and the first in the door... IS ONE OF THE TWO I LIKE! He asks whats up and I tell him, I want this guy and that lady out of here. The officer turns to the guy and say, You heard the man, OUT! The guy says but! but! and the officer says OUT!

They go outside and another officer came in to speak to me. He had the ladies ID and said it looked real and he could check it for me. I told him to me the chins didn't look the same and told him the story about her getting that ID from the other lady a while back. He radioed in and it came back to be a valid ID but he said he couldn't confirm it was the lady outside.

He took my name and stuff then he asked me if I was going to sell them gas. I told him my co-worker could but I wouldn't. He asked my co-worker and his reply was no he was the inside guy right then and didn't want to go outside. He said ok I'll let them know and get them out of here. As he was leaving I meantioned that the guy kicked the door. I could hear them yelling after he went outside. I stayed away from the door and window and about 5 minutes later I looked outside and everyone was gone.

Well I got off Monday and didn't tell the owner because he seemed to be in a bad mood. Tuesday I came in at 7am and the guy I was working with told me the lady was in Monday night bitching about me and looking to talk to the owner. I am now on pins and needles waiting for her to come in and talk to him. He has been loosing his spine and I know he will take her side on this. If he comes to me about it I am going to tell him what happened and tell him I still refuse to wait on her. If he pushes it I will walk out and try and talk my brother-in-law and my uncle to also walk out.

He may end up being down three guys when he is already working us alot. My uncle works midnight shift 6 days a week, I work one midnight shift a week and my brother-in-law works 3 midnigts.

The owner and his dad have always said "if they cuss at you tell them to get out" and this lady really cussed me out for not taking the ID she gave me.

[blas]

Are you full time or just that one midnight shift?

That's just one messed up story. I hope it all works out for you. Although at the gas station I worked at, I'd never be allowed to ban a customer from gas or other merchandise forever because of a fake ID and a temper tantrum.

[VenomX]

I work 40 to 60 hours a week. And the owner/boss and his dad have told us all that if the customer cusses at us over something that we can tell them to leave and to not come back. But the last few months it seems the owner has lost his spine. He has it in his mind that the economy is going down hill and it will soon be like the Great Depression of 1929.

My co-workers and I complained about the same people coming in 5 or more times a day to get $5 or less in gas each time. He told us if they asked for under $5 to tell them the minimum was $5. That has now changed, he wants us to pump it even if they ask for 25 CENTS. Which we have a few crackheads that do get that amount.

[Sliceanddice]

My co-workers and I complained about the same people coming in 5 or more times a day to get $5 or less in gas each time. He told us if they asked for under $5 to tell them the minimum was $5. That has now changed, he wants us to pump it even if they ask for 25 CENTS. Which we have a few crackheads that do get that amount.

... ok i confess i have put in 3 dollars in gas just to get to the bank and back

[VenomX]

... ok i confess i have put in 3 dollars in gas just to get to the bank and back

That would be OK with me. Its the ones that come in 5 or more times a day and just put in a few dollars. We have one man and woman that will come in and get $2. Later they come in with a gas can because they ran out and get $2 in the can. They will come in later that day and get $3. Then even later and get $2 in a can again. ALL DAY AND NIGHT!#@!$#@!

I have told my boss and so has his sales rep from the gas company, that it costs him more, for the electric, to start up the pumps underground and the gas pump to pump that $2 than the profit he makes off the $2. He won't listen.

BTW this couple has be banned from getting gas. My co-worker pumped $2 for them and as he was putting the gas cap back on she started driving away. His hand got stuck somehow and she drug him along about 5 feet before she heard him yelling for her to stop.

[RetailWorkhorse]

... ok i confess i have put in 3 dollars in gas just to get to the bank and back

My personal minimum is $10. Mostly because only one gas station in towne has gasoline without ethanol (my car HATES ethanol and has no problems letting me know) and I want to run as little as possible through my engine until I can dilute it down with regular gas.

That woman is messed up. Scary, too. The whole mess. I doubt I'd be able to handle working in your store, Venom, I'd be too busy hiding in the closet.

[Sliceanddice]

three was all i had, i didnt know my brother stole my car before i went to school and i almost ran out on my way home. So i needed just alittle to make it to get more money. i had lost my debit card and only had a few dollars cash for emergenys aka, car broke down and need to make a phone call (i had some change) or needed to get a bus ticket

[Ree]

This mess happened because you refused to sell gas to someone who was in a car with a girl whom you think handed you fake ID to buy cigarettes a week ago?

I fail to see what buying gas and buying cigarettes have to do with each other.

Yeah, refuse to sell the cigarettes on principle, if you are so positive the ID belonged to someone else, but your business is selling gas to customers, so it's kind of shooting yourself in the foot to turn a customer away just because they are an acquaintance or possibly a boyfriend of someone who gave you a hard time over ID which you cannot prove 100% was fake.

I don't know...the guy was all kinds of suck, and his behaviour was inappropriate and over the top, but, in my opinion for what it's worth this is another example of a clerk being at the root of their own problem by allowing a situation to escalate into an out of control scenario.

[Imprl59]

You are dealing with people that aren't balanced.

Not telling the owner was the wrong thing to do as you put other employees and the owner in danger by not telling him. You already know these people, the guy in particular, are at least a little on the crazy side. You pretended to have a weapon to keep yourself safe from him. He probably really does have a gun at home. They used to say "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" but I updated that for my part of the world to "hell hath no fury like a redneck wronged". This guy could sit at home stewing on this and come back for revenge.

Yes the chances are small but the stakes are high. Anyone else that works in that store should know when a situation spirals out of control like this so that they can be more aware of whats going on around them and keep their eyes open for this customer.


Steve B.

[blas]

I'm kind of drifting along the same lines as Ree. I mean, there were customers who always threw tantrums over being carded or refused to show ID, but that didn't mean I could permanently ban them for life from the store.

And although the people who got small amounts of gas several times a day bothered me, I always figured it was their waste of time and money, not mine. It's their own perogative.

[VenomX]

I told my boss about it this morning. He simply said ok and that was it.

All my co-workers know whats going on and who they are. The guy is banned from the store for kicking the door. Like I said you cuss at us for asking for ID and youre banned for life (or until we forget).

I refused because of her AND the fact he was looking to fight another customer. We don't put up with any crap where I work. Me and my co-workers usually stick together and will not sell to people we each ask the others to not to.

From what you all are saying most of you shouldn't even be here to complain about the SC's you get. Sounds like most of you like being cussed at.

[Dilorenzo]

Venom has something of a point, in that I don't really see a difference between how his SCs acted and other SCs act...

[blas]

Quite on the contrary, I never liked being yelled at or observing hissy fits more suited for 2 year olds. However, I was not allowed to ban customers for life very often, if ever. Perhaps I didn't read your story clearly. I thought you and your coworkers banned those people solely because of the girl with the fake ID.

Trust me, there's a reason I don't work retail anymore. If cowering under a counter while some drunk throws beer bottles at the door wasn't enough, stalkers and would-be theives were.

[Ree]

I don't like being cussed at, but I already know there is a SC mentality, so I do my best to pick my battles.

If I know that releasing a pressure valve on a steam pipe could result in me getting my face scalded off, then I will do my best to turn the damn thing carefully and in a way that prevents a major eruption.

If I already see that some dude is acting psycho, and he wants to give me money for gas, then I will gladly take his money and send him on his way as quickly as I can, rather than poke the angry bear with a stick and then have him on a rampage until the forest rangers come to round him up.

[bainsidhe]

I fully agree with Ree's pressure valve comment, but sometimes a line is crossed. Once the guy blew into full SC mode, the cops should've been called right then, because there was no way of telling if the guy was going to go nutso and shoot someone or just kick a door.

It's unfortunate the guy wasn't able to get gas, but I understand the reasoning of denying him a sale when he's with Female SC. For example, I've refused service in the drive thru not because of the driver's behavior, but because the passengers ran off to urinate in full view of the parking lot and store window. Too bad, the whole group is now denied.

Besides, let's remember this entire scenario probably didn't start out sucky. The OP suspected a fraudulent ID and, as required by law, must not take it. No amount of pleading, whining, bitching or door-kicking changes this. As the OP mentioned, both the employee and the store are subject to serious fines otherwise. Once the woman escalated matters, the employee felt the need to deny her business. Banned is banned and it's too bad the sucky man has a poor choice in friends.

Could things have been handled differently? Probably, based on how I read this thread. It sounded like tempers (of both customers and employees) were running pretty hot. Still, I wouldn've refused service to their vehicle as well. Just my own perspective.