"You must be new"

[theredbaron47]

I've been working as a cashier at the hardware store for four years now (much longer than any other cashier, unfortunately). About a year ago, an elderly lady (more like crotchety) came through my line, and, naturally, paid with a personal check. My work requires phone numbers and driver license numbers to be written on the checks and circled, so I circled her phone number and asked her for her license. She pulled it out, flashed it at me, and put it right back into her wallet. I told her "Ma'am, I need to see the license in order to write down the license number on the check."

Her response?

She looks at me with this crusty look on her face and goes, "You must be new here."

Not only did her comment make no sense at all, seeing as how every place that takes checks does the same, but it was beyond rude of her to say that. And no, she didn't say it in a sweet tone of voice, she said it in a rude, condescending tone of voice. Working in a place where the average part-timer does not last longer than four months, I do take pride in the fact that I have been there as long as I have, and that lady really pissed me off.

Any other similar stories, where people belittled you by saying that you appear new, or anything like that?

[Brighid45]

I used to get regular abuse from customers when I worked at the 7-11. They expected me to remember what brand of cigs they smoked, what kind of pop they liked, even the sort of sandwich they usually ordered. Since my memory used to be pretty good, I did remember all those things--for the customers who were nice about it. The arrogant or nasty ones got my patented confused expression and no help whatsoever. Hehheh.

[dragonflygrrl]

I get that a lot when I ask for ID for a check or require that the person signing the contract is the person whose name is on the account(I know, how unreasonable). I just say, "No, actually, I've just been here long enough to get burned by scammers. So now I check everyone." Then I smile and look them right in the eye. That usually shuts them up. And if it doesn't, there's always the old favorite, "I'm sorry, but since I'm not able to verify id, it looks like I won't be able to continue this sale," and hit them again with the big smile. You know the smile, it's the one that says, "I couldn't possibly care less about you, and you aren't impacting my life in any way. You can't get to me, so why are you wasting our time?"

[chainedbarista]

yes, the old, 'you know what my drink is' from 'regulars; let's see, you come in, what? twice a month, and i attend school as well as work here, so i see around 100-500 per week and you expect me to remember not only who YOU are, but your drink? right; on the scale of importance, it didn't rate, so GET OVER IT AND YOURSELF and tell me what it is, or flake off.

[i4wolves]

I need to talk to De De

This is the first post. I have been a frequent visitor though. I can relate. Some backgroung. I work at a Petstore for the last 4 years and I since we are a pretty small store I know everyone who works there. I have worked in every department being a cashier to a groomer. So I know what I am doing.

Anyways I was ringing a lady up and she had called and a lady helped her and she had a a question and wanted to talk to them again. I said sure. Who did you need to talk to?

Her: I need to talk to DeDe
Me: DeDe? (Who's DeDe)
Her: Yes DeDe. She's the manager.
Me: We have noone by that name. Do you mean Judy?
Her: NO! DEDE
Me: Ok there's noone by that name. Do you want to talk to a manager and maybe they can help you?
Her: NO I WANT TO TALK TO DEDE. SHE WORKS HERE
Me: I have never heard of DeDe. (Trying to be helpful I said) Are you sure it was here and not Petco you called?
Her: NO IT WAS HERE AND I WANT TO TALK TO DEDE
Me: Let me call a manager because noone here is named DeDe
Her: NO I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO A MANAGER I WANT TO TALK TO DEDE!
Me: I am sorry but there is noone named DeDe that works here. We have a Judy that works in that department but no DeDe.
Her: Are you sure?
Me: Yes I am positive. I can call a manager for you.
Her: NO I AM SURE I TALKED TO DEDE AND THAT'S WHO I WANT TO TALK TO. (Now she asked the question) Are you new? Because I know that there's a DeDe that works here.
Me: (Now I am upset I have tried to help her, and now because I cannot create an invisible employee she askes me that in the ways that says" Are you stupid?) I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 4 YEARS AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN OR HAS THERE EVERY BEEN A DEDE THAT WORKS HERE! I am calling a manager.

Manager comes up
Her: I want to talk to DeDe and she (looking at me) says that there is noone named DeDe working here and I know that there is.
Manager: DeDe? Are you sure you don't mean Judy?
Her: Oh yeah. I am so sorry I meant Judy. Thank you for your help

After she leaves I told my manager that I told her that there was no one named DeDe for 5 minutes and that it was probably Judy that she talked to and you convince her in 2 secounds.

Side note: She comes back 2 months later waiting to talk to DeDe agian but this time when I tell her it was probably Judy we only went back and forth for 1 minute before she got it.

[SurlyBarman]

Some woman just gave me that line this morning at like, 7. I'd been there since midnight working the graveyard shift and was in no mood for bitchy customers. Sure, I've only been working at this place for two weeks, but that was just an arrogant thing to say, especially in that condescending tone of voice. This one other fella commented on my being new earlier on in the shift, but there was no malice there. He was actually really nice about it and left me a huge tip. Mind you, I would have liked the guy even if he had left me less.
So here's the thing: It don't really bother me so much that you're commenting on my being new at the place. Just don't be a prick about it and maybe I won't spit in your latte the next time you come in.

[Lace Neil Singer]

At the pizza place, all the freaking time. Exchange usually went like this:

Customer: (walking in) Hi, can I have my usual?
Me: Sorry, I don't know that. Can I have your phone number so I can pull up your last order?
Customer: But I order here all the time, you must know it!
Me: Sorry, I can't remember every single customer who orders here.
Customer: Are you new?
Me: (sighs) No.
Customer: (eye roll) Fine, my number is *blah blah*


The people who rung up didn't get that as I could pull up their past order once I'd gotten past the whole address checking thing.

[Ree]

Just don't be a prick about it and maybe I won't spit in your latte the next time you come in.

Food tampering is not something we joke about, nor condone on CS.

[Mighty Girl]

I used to get that at the dealership. Only, the perpetrators were the owner's mother and stepdad. Total asses with a HUGE entitlement attitude.

He avoided them usually, and the unspoken part of my job was diverting their calls so he wouldn't get stuck talking to them.

They would try to have meetings with him and call him so they could get more money. Mind you- they lived in a VERY ritzy area and insisted on driving either a Benz or Lexus, no matter what. But they didn't want to pay for it.

On auction day, they would actually try and hunt him down, they'd circle the auction looking for him while simultaneously calling the dealership wondering if he was there instead.

After one particularly tiring time where I kept giving them vague and inaccurate information as to his whereabouts, the stepdad dragged his crochety old ass up to the reception desk and said, "You know, you don't have to be dumb, you can try to be better". I was VERY amused. I just looked at him and said "How sad for you that you think that I'm the dumb one". He got really mad and slammed his cane into the desk, and I got up and left for lunch, and made sure not to hold the door for him (it nearly knocked him over).

He never talked to me again.

[Kiwi]

Ive only had that happen one time, I worked at the craft store for 3 years but in two 1.5 year slots.... so I worked there from 2000-2005 but not constantly. Its important for the story.

In the entire 5 years we have NEVER sold wooden buttons, we were a small discount craft store, wooden buttons are usually more expensive. The one across town (same chain) was at least twice the size of ours and therefore had more room to sell more things... including I guess wooden buttons. This happened in my second 1.5 year stint,

me= yours truely
cs= stupid woman

cs: I cant find the wooden buttons anywhere, where are they?
me: we dont sell wooden buttons, only toggles
cs: yes you do
me: um no we dont sorry
cs: you used to sell wooden buttons, you must be new
me: ok well im sorry we dont have any wooden buttons now, and im not new, ive worked her since 2000 and in that time we have never sold wooden buttons (I know we havent because in my first stint I took care of/stocked/ordered all of that aisles items, that was my job 2 afternoons a week after school, I worked weekends on the counter)
cs: are you getting any more in?
me: (goes and checks with my manager) no we arent, they arnt in this stores product lines.
cs: this is RIDICULES!!!!! you have always sold wooden buttons, I NEED these wooden buttons!!! You HAVE ALWAYS sold wooden buttons I only ever buy from this shop...rant rant rant (why are you doing this to me, the sky is falling because you have no wooden buttons..ok so i added in that part) you ALWAYS sold wooden buttons here, I KNOW you have
me: honestly we have never sold wooden buttons at this store
cs: wait, by this store do you mean this location or this chain
me: each store is run seperately, they could sell wooden buttons at *lists locations off in my city*
cs: well ive never shopped at this one before I always shop at *inserts our store across town*, so they have wooden buttons, see I was right
me: anything else I can help you with? (thinking you stupid idiot)

[ArenaBoy]

I am new here, I work at an arena parking lot for a NBA tem and I've grown to hate basketball because of the douchebags I've dealt with. First off, you would not believe how pissed people can get just because they can't park somewhere. I was assinged to the VIP lot (I am either stuck at that lot or the private box lot.) and a guy pulls up and tells me he forgets his stub. He says that my opinion is total BS, has always parked there, and says that I'm new. I tell him that I've worked for 2 years and I don't let anyone without a ticket park there. I then procceded to purposely point him in the wrong direction as to where to park.

[staticradio]

at my old retail job, that's how they wanted you to take down information...now it's just automatic (well, through the bank, per se). I'd get people who'd quip: "Don't you know my number by now?! I come here often!" Now, at my new retail job, it's like herding sheep. I'm just really annoyed right now...thank god for a vacation.

[blas]

I didn't hear "you must be new" at the gas station as much as I heard "Every time I come here" or "Your manager always does THIS for me" blah blah...

But I'd come across customers who'd normally come in during the day (when, big surprise, my manager was working), and when they came in on my evening shifts, they'd write a check in the car/at the pump, waltz in, throw it at me, and start walking off. I'd call them on it, and they'd go "Oh, you must be new *snort snort* your manager NEVER makes me show my license!" and take off anyways.

Or I'd charge someone normal price for a coffee, and they'd stick up their nose, and go "Ye manager only charges me 50 cents *snort snort*!"

[theredbaron47]

I didn't hear "you must be new" at the gas station as much as I heard "Every time I come here" or "Your manager always does THIS for me" blah blah...

I get that a lot too, simply because the managers at my work are a little too absorbed into ass-kissing than is healthy for business.

If they don't want policies enforced, or if they don't want prices enforced, why are they set there to begin with?

[WonTon]

I get the same old crotchety lady that has been coming in since I started FIVE YEARS AGO. She'll tell me when our sales are coming up and what the prices will be( ?!). She will disect her reciept after you rang her up looking for an error. If you say something she doesn't want to hear she'll say coldy, "Are you new here?"
The B*tch knows very well that I am not new, she finds me whebever she comes in to help her. She says it to be degrading. Oh, and she wants you to carry her bags for her to her car. Hardy Effin Har Har.