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OK, so this happened a few months ago and I've been debating putting it up here as I'm sure some of you guys will be pretty shocked and think I did the wrong thing, but I've decided to share anyway and let you make your own judgements...
BG: I work for a small independant jewellers in the UK. I have (somehow) been promoted to Manager, the only person above me is the business owner, and we have 4 other staff so a pretty small team. I've worked there for 6 years now. Most of our customers are pretty horrid, but we have a good team and we just get on with it. Our shop is laid out with glass counters that we stand behind to serve people, the counters sit between the shop floor and the back of the windows (hope that makes sense).
Anyway, guy comes into the shop wanting some watch batteries. No problem, we do them all the time. He seems OK at this point. He then asks to look at a watch we have for sale in the window. I ask him to come outside with me and point it out as we have about 200 watches in the window (we know it's a PITA but it's the easiest way we have found to do it). At this point he steps behind the counter and starts to open the window back and help himself! I say "Sir, could you just show me from outside, I'm afraid I can't allow you behind the counter". He tells me how ridiculous I'm being but agrees to go outside. While were outside he says "I'm a very wealthy man you know, I don't need to STEAL watches from the likes of you". I stayed calm and said "I wasn't accusing you of stealing Sir, it's just our policy that customers are not allowed behind the counters". He carries on mumbling and moaning and we go back in to the shop, i go behind the counter to get the watch he has pointed out, turn around and there he is: behind the counter with me, blocking the only way in/out from the counter. Now we're talking a space of about 1.5m x less than a metre, so he'snot only blocking my only way out, he'e pretty bloody close too.
At this point I said (rather sternly, but not in a rude manner) "Sir, as I have explained to you, I need you to stay on the shop floor, I cannot allow you behind the counter. If my boss sees you here, I risk losing my job". Well that was it, he went crazy, telling me that he had never been treated so unfairly, all the other shops he goes in let him do it, he's a very good customer (never seen him before in 6 years) and he will never be coming back here, I am the rudest person he's ever met etc etc etc. I tried to explain to him that our CCTV cameras are linked to the other shop where the boss is and that if he sees me allowing customers behind the counters, i could lose my job. He doesn't care at all, tells me how unprofessional I am for not allowing him behind the counter and that he will NEVER be coming back here again...
And then it happened...
It just came out, I couldn't stop it...
I said "Good, f**k off then".
I was shocked. My colleague who had watched all this unfold was shocked. The customer was shocked. I didn't even apologise. He stood in our doorway with his mouth open like a goldfish for what seemed like an eternity. I don't know if he was more shocked at what I said to him or the fact that he hadn't got his own way.
When he finally left (still speechless) I rang the boss and told him what happened. He actually laughed! I was so sure I was about to get a disciplinary or worse and he just laughed and said "well, he deserved it!"
BG: I work for a small independant jewellers in the UK. I have (somehow) been promoted to Manager, the only person above me is the business owner, and we have 4 other staff so a pretty small team. I've worked there for 6 years now. Most of our customers are pretty horrid, but we have a good team and we just get on with it. Our shop is laid out with glass counters that we stand behind to serve people, the counters sit between the shop floor and the back of the windows (hope that makes sense).
Anyway, guy comes into the shop wanting some watch batteries. No problem, we do them all the time. He seems OK at this point. He then asks to look at a watch we have for sale in the window. I ask him to come outside with me and point it out as we have about 200 watches in the window (we know it's a PITA but it's the easiest way we have found to do it). At this point he steps behind the counter and starts to open the window back and help himself! I say "Sir, could you just show me from outside, I'm afraid I can't allow you behind the counter". He tells me how ridiculous I'm being but agrees to go outside. While were outside he says "I'm a very wealthy man you know, I don't need to STEAL watches from the likes of you". I stayed calm and said "I wasn't accusing you of stealing Sir, it's just our policy that customers are not allowed behind the counters". He carries on mumbling and moaning and we go back in to the shop, i go behind the counter to get the watch he has pointed out, turn around and there he is: behind the counter with me, blocking the only way in/out from the counter. Now we're talking a space of about 1.5m x less than a metre, so he'snot only blocking my only way out, he'e pretty bloody close too.
At this point I said (rather sternly, but not in a rude manner) "Sir, as I have explained to you, I need you to stay on the shop floor, I cannot allow you behind the counter. If my boss sees you here, I risk losing my job". Well that was it, he went crazy, telling me that he had never been treated so unfairly, all the other shops he goes in let him do it, he's a very good customer (never seen him before in 6 years) and he will never be coming back here, I am the rudest person he's ever met etc etc etc. I tried to explain to him that our CCTV cameras are linked to the other shop where the boss is and that if he sees me allowing customers behind the counters, i could lose my job. He doesn't care at all, tells me how unprofessional I am for not allowing him behind the counter and that he will NEVER be coming back here again...
And then it happened...
It just came out, I couldn't stop it...
I said "Good, f**k off then".
I was shocked. My colleague who had watched all this unfold was shocked. The customer was shocked. I didn't even apologise. He stood in our doorway with his mouth open like a goldfish for what seemed like an eternity. I don't know if he was more shocked at what I said to him or the fact that he hadn't got his own way.
When he finally left (still speechless) I rang the boss and told him what happened. He actually laughed! I was so sure I was about to get a disciplinary or worse and he just laughed and said "well, he deserved it!"
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