Easily offended

[Food Lady]

...that's the problem where I live. People get irritated at the tiniest of things. You can tell by micro-expressions; most humans can read them, and so I know I'm not imagining it. I was covering Cafe Girl's lunch. Customers have a knack for coming up to the counter juuuust as I am in the middle of something. (No customers? Pick up a thermometer.) I had a batch of popcorn going and was 30 seconds away from dumping it so a customer walked up. I took her order and while she was looking for her debit card I turned around behind me for 3 seconds to dump that kettle. I mean, it's literally 5 seconds tops, as the machine is 2 feet from me. I turned back around and she asked if she could run her card. I simply answered in the affirmative and she defensively said something like she didn't know it was ready, or I didn't tell her it was. Well, I was about to. It's not like I totally walked away from her. It was akward after that, like she was annoyed with me.

And my whole day was like that. I was annoying people unintentionally right and left. Give me strength; I work in the morning and it's still Back to School.

[notalwaysright]

Yeah, people are just looking for reasons to get upset. Like the lady a while ago who I may have mentioned, who got flustered because I didn't gush over her little toddler. The toddler was running around, which is pretty common. I don't really like it because they could do themselves or others harm (climbing shelves, running into other shoppers) but it's not really a Big Deal. I didn't say anything, and I thought my expression was neutral and she just kept saying random stuff "I'm sorry about her she doesn't know better she hasn't been on the earth for very long."

Also, today I managed to piss someone off, and then worry about it. I walk out of the break room and see an older lady waiting for the restroom with some merchandise in her hand. I say something like could she please leave that outside the restroom, and she doesn't hear me (or is being snotty, not sure) and I repeat myself. It's a pretty common policy, no merchandise in the restrooms. Anyway, she says "I've already paid for it!" all grumpy. I apologize but she gave me the stink eye, and after that she kept shopping with her friend and they both glared at me. I see a complaint in my future... I mean, I suppose she thinks I was somehow accusing her of stealing, but it's not like I could magically tell she had paid for it, I couldn't see a receipt and she was just holding it.

[Marmalady]

I wonder if it's that people seem to have a tendency nowadays to think that they're far more interesting / important to everyone else than they actually are? That because the world revolves around them, everything that everyone else does when they're nearby must be either done deliberately to please them or just as deliberately to annoy them?

[Teefies2]

Speaking of BTS, our school system starts Monday, which makes this the last weekend before. We have had school supplies on various sales for WEEKS, but of course they all came in today.

Cue: "How can you be out of ..... (whatever)???? My kid starts school on Monday!!!!!!!" So sad, too bad, you should have come in earlier.

But the topper was this one lady. We had a package of 10 pens on sale for $0.49, a really good deal. Alas, we are out of them. We can give rain checks, because it's an item we carry year round. This lady wanted a rain check, okay. Our policy is pretty simple, you can get a rain check for the item UP TO the limit in the ad. In this case, the limit was 4. Well, that's not good enough for her! She wants a rain check for 24 packages!!! Yep, 6 times over the limit! Oh man, she was NOT happy with me when I told her no. Much grumbling and stink eye, which led me to believe that she was probably a reseller ... I mean after all, if she was getting 24 packages to, say, put in shoeboxes for charity or some such, I would have worked with her. But she gave me no reason other than she wanted them. Jeez.

Halloween is already out on the floor, and Christmas will start arriving next week. Let the holiday hell begin!!!!!!!

[Headset Hellion]

I honestly feel sorry for people like that. I mean, seriously. Their lives must be horrible. Not that it excuses their behavior, of course!

[eltf177]

Halloween is already out on the floor, and Christmas will start arriving next week. Let the holiday hell begin!!!!!!!

What about Thanksgiving?

[Monterey Jack]

We had a package of 10 pens on sale for $0.49, a really good deal. Alas, we are out of them. We can give rain checks, because it's an item we carry year round. This lady wanted a rain check, okay. Our policy is pretty simple, you can get a rain check for the item UP TO the limit in the ad. In this case, the limit was 4. Well, that's not good enough for her! She wants a rain check for 24 packages!!!

Jesus Christ, who needs (does math in head) two-hundred and forty pens?! Even schoolchildren don't need that many. I have a pack of pens I bought probably around 1998 or so, and I'm still working my way through them.

[WishfulSpirit]

IMHO, they aren't looking for reasons to GET upset, they already ARE upset. There's too much stress and not enough emotional connection to things that protect us from it (nature, positive relationships, sense of purpose, exc). We're all walking around as balls of irritation waiting for something to prick us and let it out.

[Seshat]

The parents & citizens group supporting the school I went to would bulk buy school supplies. Each family enrolled would get a form with what the teacher recommended the kids have, and an option to get a package kit delivered on the first day of school.

All I can think of for problem lady is that she was a disorganised member of a P&C or similar group, trying to do the same sort of thing.

[Seanette]

What about Thanksgiving?

"What about it? Slowing down to be thankful for what you already have just cuts into that valuable shopping time to grab more STUFF!" - the "spend consume spend consume" world we live in

Besides, there aren't huge amounts of pointless clutter that can be pushed on the buying public for Thanksgiving, since it's not a big gift event and doesn't have a lot of associated toys and novelties, so merchandisers aren't interested.

[WishfulSpirit]

IMHO, they aren't looking for reasons to GET upset, they already ARE upset. There's too much stress and not enough emotional connection to things that protect us from it (nature, positive relationships, sense of purpose, exc). We're all walking around as balls of irritation waiting for something to prick us and let it out.

[Food Lady]

IMHO, they aren't looking for reasons to GET upset, they already ARE upset. There's too much stress and not enough emotional connection to things that protect us from it (nature, positive relationships, sense of purpose, exc). We're all walking around as balls of irritation waiting for something to prick us and let it out.

I totally agree. But it's stressing me out. My last blood pressure read was too high and my mom reminded me that stress is something that causes it. I need to get out but I can't afford to.

[MoonCat]

I wonder if it's that people seem to have a tendency nowadays to think that they're far more interesting / important to everyone else than they actually are? That because the world revolves around them, everything that everyone else does when they're nearby must be either done deliberately to please them or just as deliberately to annoy them?

I think this is true. I've had people gripe about being on hold for 5 minutes, as though that's soooo long. Like I keep saying, everyone can't be first in line!

[Racket_Man]

Jesus Christ, who needs (does math in head) two-hundred and forty pens?! Even schoolchildren don't need that many. I have a pack of pens I bought probably around 1998 or so, and I'm still working my way through them.

I hate to say this BUT in my job I go through periods where my pens get swiped or lost (they fall out of my shirt or get knocked out) at an alarming rate. cheap big packs of office supply store (does not matter which one) clicker pens is the way I go.

[Rana]

I don't really like it because they could do themselves or others harm (climbing shelves, running into other shoppers)

We've had cases in our store where children have actually hurt themselves doing this. So I am constantly telling children to jump down of the packing shelving. That area is for packing on. It's not for parking your bum, and it's certainly not for running along! Imagine the hell some parents give me over doing that ... all kinds of variations of 'oh my kids will not fall off' or 'they will be fine'. Yeah and guess what lady, the last parent that told me that then got mad at me when their kid fell off the shelf and bumped their heads!

So now no one is allowed up on it. NO exceptions. I can't have one rule for one kid and one rule for your son/daughter who 'won't fall'

Likewise, your kid isn't allowed to run through the store either. This is a supermarket not a playground! But no, you don't care if your kids are causing a riot and running into other shoppers, and you will give me the stink eye for telling you all these things! We even had one parent lodge a formal complaint against my coworker for enforcing these health and safety rules.

I don't get why they get offended when you try to stop an injury. I think they just want to be offended regardless ... because in regards to health and safety you are damned if you do tell 'em and damned if you don't tell them ... either way your dealing with a annoyed parent.