I fricking burned my hand, you whiny old bats!!

[Food Lady]

Ok, so I had to be "coached"--whatever the heck that means--because a couple weeks back I got six complaints in one day from the 50-cent-coffee-buying, ultra-demanding Captains Obvious (aka senior citizens) I deal with every single morning I ever work. I remember feeling generally ticked off that morning, but don't remember saying anything offensive. (Trust me, I definitely remember the times I've crossed the line; I do feel bad about it when it happens.) What I remember is that the old people feel the need to pick up the empty coffee pots and put them on my counter. This time they decided they did not like where I put one of them, so they moved it. That just ticked me, so I went to move it. I was in a hurry and lost my grip and almost dropped it, and spilled hot coffee on my hand. I yelped in pain. That move translated to this complaint: I was yelling and slamming the coffee pots. Um, no. I frickin burned my hand because you all were touching things you shouldn't. Can you imagine if one of them got burned?? I remember being busy that morning with all the mall workers' breakfasts and sampling to our employees and, in the space of an hour, having to make 12 sandwhiches and 6 salads, including packaging, while waiting on people.

I'm so mad; I am trying to get another position to get away from these people. Doesn't look like that's gonna happen. I am tired of being the cashier, waitress, busgirl, food prep person, etc. Tonight I was talking to one of the front-end managers about some other stuff and she was saying I need to cover my butt by coming in and immediately checking for surprises from my coworkers, then reporting issues right away. Um, isn't that the supervisor's job? That's a whole other thread, anyway.

[Boozy]

I think you have my old job.
From the busy-bodied and crabby senior citizens to the lazy incompetent co-workers to the laissez-faire management, that was my old high school job.
So I really feel for you. I'd suggest finding something else if possible, because you're getting it from all ends. Even if one aspect improves, you've got other problems to deal with.

[Sliceanddice]

I would just laugh at your manager and something along the lines of
"Sure. All it will cost you is raise and a change in my job title. Oh you can't do that? Guess you got to find someone else."

[Crow The Robot]

Good gravvy. Stupid old biddies. Hope your hand is feeling better, Burns hurt like hell.

[RentalRacer]

Every business has sucky customers, so don't leave what you are doing because you want to get away from the SC's, cause that ain't gonna happen. They will find you. But, if you want to make a career change because you are sick of your job, or it is just time to move on, go for it.

PS- Senior Citizens are a pain anywhere. While on some level I respect the older generation, and know someday that will be me, they are still a pain.

[MrSunshineState]

PS- Senior Citizens are a pain anywhere. While on some level I respect the older generation, and know someday that will be me, they are still a pain.

I agree. I am not into stereotypes or profiling, but in my customer service experience I have found that the senior citizens are the absolute hardest to deal with. It was almost automatic when I worked at the movie theatre that a senior could come up to the box office and proceed to bitch about the price. Even with their senior discount, "$4.75" was too much for them. Mainly because "They remember when you could get a movie, popcorn, soda, and candy for $.50" or something like that.

[Giggle Goose]

Reminds me of this old couple that I completely bend over backward serving...and they milk us for every coupon and discount we have, and the lady flips if we don't have her decaf coffee made just right; and thinks we should do her all these little favors because they're regulars. The other night she got my manager to comp her bill 50% or something ridiculous like that...we were joking that soon I would be paying them to eat.

That old bat would be changing her tune rather quickly if she was the one who was burned with scalding liquid. I've burned myself rather seriously from coffee, and it seems to me like your higher-ups need to be "coached" on how to retain good employees. Hope you feel better, hun.

[chainedbarista]

Mainly because "They remember when you could get a movie, popcorn, soda, and candy for $.50" or something like that.

i'm sick of hearing this type of argument from older people (sadly enough, i hear it from my parents; i use it as a reminder, as well as prices from my childhood *not as a criticism towards a store* to remind my son of how things change over time and just how expensive it is for things so that he understands why we can't buy x, y or z whenever we feel like it); yes, things were cheaper 'way back when,' however, so was the cost of living.

they need to have a calendar hung from their necks so that when they get this 'confusion' over dates and prices that they can look, remember and most importantly, SHUT THE HELL UP. buy it or not, but don't bitch about things that cannot and will not change; we don't deserve the aggravation, and nothing will change except our 'good will' towards you as a customer.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The senior citizens I deal with come in two flavors, with almost nothing in-between:

1. The sweet, polite, courteous ones who you wish were your grandparents, or
2. The cranky, crotchety old bats and bastards you wish would break both their hips so they couldn't come by and make you miserable anymore.

Today I had the "pleasure" of helping one of the latter kind, who insisted we had a certain kind of incense it turned out we didn't have. She kept insisting "You have it! I bought it here!" Yeah, okay lady, why don't you walk my stupid ass over to where you got it from since you evidently know what we have in inventory better than I do?

[BookstoreEscapee]

Once upon a time things may have cost less, but making 30 grand a year was a small fortune, too...I'd kill to make that right now...