Convenience store rumble

[Sarcastro]

So after work, a co worker and I head to a local all night convenience store to grab a pack of smokes. Now, my friend is a good guy but he's got sort of an anger management problem. (not good when you're a customer service rep but somehow he manages) I walk to the counter and ask for my specific brand and type which they don't have. My buddy tells me to get another type that I didn't want. So the clerk is confused and I tell him hey man, don't listen to him he's not paying. I'll just grab a pack of Brand X type Y. My buddy parrots the request since he has absolutely nothing better to do. The clerk gives us a weird look and gets all snippy with us. "What type did you ask for?" Before I could answer my buddy answers for me. "Brand X type Y, the green and white box directly behind you, bro." The clerk suddenly gets an attitude and yells "They're all directly behind me!" To his credit my buddy kept his cool and just answered. "Just the Brand X... Type Y. Take it easy man..." The clerk yelled "YOU TAKE IT EASY!"

I manage to calm everyone down and explain that I'm not there to cause problems and if he'll let me pay for the cigarettes that we'll be on our way. So as he's ringing me up he's staring down my buddy who eventually can't hold it in any more and asks "do you have a problem man?" the clerk yells "You're my problem!" My buddy finally loses it and yells back "then how about we discuss this problem outside?" I step in again and tell my buddy to calm the hell down and shut up and I turn to the clerk and tell him that if he doesn't stop staring at my buddy like he's going to kick his ass then his problem would be between me, him and his corporate office. This seemed to calm everyone down and I finally left with my smokes. What is it with people now a days being so pissed off at everything? Yeah, my buddy should have just shut up and let me talk but the clerk guy should have acted like he was at work. I've only come close to attacking one customer I've ever dealt with and that's only because he was attacking another employee so I thought it was justified. But damn, professionalism people...

[Andara Bledin]

Yikes.

While your buddy was being a slight bit of a jerk, the clerk totally overreacted.

Maybe the guy needs to switch to decaf?

^-.-^

[aurelemsrealm]

As a c-store clerk, myself, I can honestly say I think c-store customers tend to be the worst possible retail customers. That doesn't apply to all c-store customers, mind you. It just seems the worst retail customers I've dealt with have been my c-store sucktomers. I've worked other retail jobs like supermarkets and K-Mart, and customers in those settings were not so bad. The only sucktomers worse than c-store sucktomers, in my experience, were my fast food sucktomers. For some reason, this doesn't seem to be coming out the way I intend, but I hope everyone understands what I mean. I may just be overly tired from disrupted sleep habits.

Had I been waiting on you, I probably would have just ignored your buddy in regards to the pack of smokes you wanted. I would most likely have just waited for you to tell me what kind you wanted. Depending on his tone and my mood, I may have found your buddy's behavior annoying, but I generally just dismiss such things as irrelevant nonsense. I generally only pay attention to the person making the purchase.

[bainsidhe]

I agree it was unprofessional, and I wonder what type of day the cashier had been having. I'm good at remaining polite and civil, but I don't have a complete poker face when hiding my irritation. The parroting act would've annoyed me and, if I'd had a really rough day, would've really pushed my buttons. Everyone has a breaking point and I gotta wonder if this cashier has a really quick temper or was just having an awful day. Either way, you shouldn't have been screamed at.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Sounds like a Come To Jesus meeting is in order for you buddy. He runs into someone as bad as he is, and next thing you know you're breaking up a fight.

[Plaidman]

Not so much unprofessional as a security risk.

It's a common scam.

Two people come in, and ask for a single brand of smokes for one person, but switch it around.

Point is to confuse the clerk to ether stuff whatever candy is on the counter in pockets while their back is turned, or if the register is open, the cash. I'm betting that clerk was thinking something was up, since you were both asking for cigs, but you only wanted one. No wonder he was confused, it seems like a scam to try to keep his back to you for as long as possible where he can't watch you as good.


How were the Newports? (Or America Spirit Light Mental XD)

[Sleepwalker]

I'd second the scam idea. When I'm making change and people start shoving bills at me trying to change what they'll get back, it's kinda stressful when they won't take no for an answer(once their money is in the drawer, they get what they get). Personally, I'm very good at the stony silence routine but this guy might have turned his stress into an anger management problem.