Do you always assume the worst of people?

[Food Lady]

Survey comment: sucktomer was appalled that cashier was "texting" the whole transaction with the customer ahead of him/her. Asked manager about that. She told me the cashier was using one of our ipod-like scanners to look up something. Beside that, we aren't stupid. Why would we be texting on camera??

Another person complained s/he didn't get asked about a credit sign-up. Who wants to be asked that?? Usually they complain about it.

[Monterey Jack]

And yet Sucktomers will think nothing about yakking on their cell phones throughout a transaction and never once directly responding to anything the cashier says except through noncommittal grunts.

[CorneliaMarieRocks]

God I always hated that when I worked in the trenches, I always wanted to pull a Tommy Lee Jones move when I saw people doing that.

*ya know, the beep beep boop ker-splash move*

[BrenDAnn]

Let me take a wild guess that the first sucktomer was probably on their phone, too. That wouldn't shock me at all, but I won't reiterate what Monterey Jack said. As for the second, I'd be grateful not to be asked! Ha!

[Slave to the Phone]

One of the federal requirementa for people getting food stamps (since the 1930's) is that they must be fingerprinted and have a picture taken. Thanks to digital technology, there is no ink or film involved now. It amazes me how many people would rather not feed their children than risk us taking a retina scan.

We don't do that, its just a digital camera on a tripod. Besides, the ebil goberment already knows what you are doing, don't be stupid, just sit down and let us do our job so we can give you food!

[minkysmom]

yea I had a customer tell me really rudely how nice it was that I could talk on my cell phone and take personal calls while at work. I was using a walkie talkie, which looks nothing like a cell phone.

[Food Lady]

Once I was shopping after work and walking around with cart, purse, lunch bag, etc. I was clearly off if you bothered to take 2 seconds to look. Some woman complained I was talking on the phone while working. My supervisor took pleasure in telling her I had been off the clock for an hour and a half. People should mind their own business.

[MoonCat]

People are stupid. If that second one was interested in the credit card, all she had to do was ask!

[notalwaysright]

Do people always assume the worst? Uh, yeah. Today was very busy, it's a Saturday and Labor Day sale, blah blah. I was helping a customer, but was at the dreaded home dec table which apparently means that I'm fair game for all questions! You see this table is slightly away from the main table (and my customer) so people assume I'm doing nothing. Even though I'm using the rollers to measure home dec fabric, but whatev. Anyway, I was measuring for one person, another asks me a question which I have to ask over the radio. As someone is answering my question on the radio a third woman comes up to ask me something. She does NOT say "excuse me" she just comes up and starts talking. Meanwhile I'm still listening to the person on the radio, and telling the customer I was first helping that there isn't enough yardage does she think she can use what is here? And I see the third woman turn away in a snit. So I loudly say "Ma'am, if you just give me a second I can answer your question, I'm trying to help two other people."

Want to guess what her question was? It was where is the yarn. Which takes up something like 6 whole aisles. When I point to the large hanging sign which says Needle Arts she turns back to me like "wha?" but I walked back to my FIRST customer. So now I'm sure she assumes I'm a lazy bum because I didn't walk her to the giant yarn section...

[Midnight]

Really kinda depends on the person. Sometimes you can judge a book by it's outward appearance, but not always. Until they give me some reason to think otherwise, I usually try to assume most people are at least halfway decent human beings.

[Teefies2]

Do people always assume the worst? Uh, yeah. Today was very busy, it's a Saturday and Labor Day sale, blah blah.

Want to guess what her question was? It was where is the yarn. Which takes up something like 6 whole aisles. When I point to the large hanging sign which says Needle Arts she turns back to me like "wha?" but I walked back to my FIRST customer. So now I'm sure she assumes I'm a lazy bum because I didn't walk her to the giant yarn section...

OMG this. I got complained on yesterday because I didn't walk a woman to the office supply section for her to find a protractor. Why didn't I walk her there????? Because I was in the middle of closing out a register, had a till in my hand with (what turned out to be $800 IN CASH) in my arms. There is no way I am walking through the store with that kind of cash!!!!!!

We are a drugstore. Our office supply section is really small. There is only one protractor offered. If she had bothered to look, she could have easily found it. But no, she had to complain because I didn't want to take the risk (nor violate policy, which states you must go immediately to the office if you have a till in hand) to walk her to the item. Meh.

[wolfie]

I got complained on yesterday because I didn't walk a woman to the office supply section for her to find a protractor. (snip) But no, she had to complain because I didn't want to take the risk (nor violate policy, which states you must go immediately to the office if you have a till in hand) to walk her to the item. Meh.

What does the underside of the bus look like? I'm sure corporate has no problem with creating policies, and when they are mutually exclusive ("If a customer asks for help finding something, you must lead them to it regardless of what you are doing", and "If you have a till in hand, you must go immediately to the office") chewing out the peon who violates one of them even when, due to the policies requiring two incompatible actions, it is not physically possible to follow both at the same time.

[RealUnimportant]

Back when I started in this job, I was trained at a site that was being used as a political pawn, with different parties drumming support by claiming either an existing service would be cut, or a nebulous future service might/might not be instituted, depending on what seemed like the biggest fear that week.

One day we had actual protesters outside, and as a supernumerary trainee I was dispatched to get them to obey the rules & laws governing such activity on/outside our property. One of their number took umbrage at The Man sticking his nose in, but decided the best way to proceed would be a rather ridiculous personal attack: "it must be nice to get paid to watch TV all day."

Yes, part of my job involves screens. A large part of it. The one you're referring to is the security camera feed, which does indeed get looked at very frequently, especially when morons like you keep accosting our customers! As for actual television? Hells, we weren't even allowed a radio!

Still it must be nice not to have to go to work, so you can spend the time intimidating customer service peons instead...

[ComputerNecromancer]

One of the federal requirementa for people getting food stamps (since the 1930's) is that they must be fingerprinted and have a picture taken. Thanks to digital technology, there is no ink or film involved now. It amazes me how many people would rather not feed their children than risk us taking a retina scan.

We don't do that, its just a digital camera on a tripod. Besides, the ebil goberment already knows what you are doing, don't be stupid, just sit down and let us do our job so we can give you food!

That may be a requirement in your state, but it's never been a requirement in mine and certainly isn't federal.

[Food Lady]

I've never heard of them using retinal scans. huh