ROTTEN day, with some lousy customers

[ZeoViolet]

I'm new to the site. I introduced myself in the appropriate thread, but also, if you missed that, pleased to meet you. Where I work, I normally enjoy myself and have fewer sucky customer-types than at past jobs--if one can handle people with highly specific requests.

Recap: Deli worker, breakfast, attached to a Supermarket

I'll be the first to admit this day was rotten all around. I've got a raging case of PMS and it didn't help matters--even when I lost my grip on hot gravy, splattering and burning myself, getting it all over my apron, pant legs and shoes, and the floor. So maybe today the customers, which I enjoy, just SEEMED worse than usual?


Three examples (please be warned: some swearing follows!):

1. Dear customers: Please to not have me take your orders before we open? You sir, I just got here five minutes ago. I haven't had time to plunk down coffee for you yet. Do not gape at me as if I've lost my mind. We are not OPEN yet, peeps! Your order gets taken now, you are in for a LONG wait. I cannot magically make the grill heat faster. I also am rushing around, very busy and very behind because we are in the process of moving to a new store and everything is moved around or missing, putting down your chairs, and each time I must stop and ring up your orders for coffee or early orders that I cannot make yet, YOU MAJORLY WASTE MY TIME, and put me further behind. The further behind I get, the longer you are gonna wait for your food!

2. Dear sir; I've come to accept by now that when you plunk down your money and walk off, you expect me to read your mind (and this again always before we open). I've come to realize that you usually want the daily special. However I do not KNOW you well enough yet to realize what kind of eggs you want, what you might want for your meat choice, and what kind of toast would you like? STOP for god's sake and tell me!

3. Dear Speshul Snowflake Moron: Do you see how BUSY we are? All day long I've had no less than nine orders at a time, and each time I get it down to three or four, here come six more. I try to do four orders at one time, but I am responsible for that, bussing your orders, cleaning your tables, doing all stocking, the trash, taking a lot of orders myself, maintaining your coffee....ALL ALONE. No help! The other ladies are busy as well! And when you order, first come, first serve!

So when you come squawking and tell my mother "This guy ordered after me but got his food before I did!!!" (Yes, I work with my mother in the same department....) it is because his order was ready before yours. I had eight pancakes orders to fill, each with meat and eggs added. The grill is only so large and can hold so much. His order was simpler. I started your orders at the same time, the only way to deal with the crowds, but his was DONE FIRST. Stop BITCHING!!! I was kind and polite when I told you and you still sneered. My hormones are raging and I'm glad you didn't hear me call you the expletive I held back until I got back to my grill where I could not be heard. And PS, you didn't have to wait more than ten or fifteen minutes for your order total, considering the crowds. (Note: The Deli is NOT fast food by any means. People who order can expect to wait.)

To the SAME MORON SPESHUL SNOWFLAKE, you are an IMMATURE ASS!!!! You didn't like it because someone got served before you, so you decide to get revenge by leaving God's Own Mess at your table?!! Not just your plates left around, but a deliberate smeared hellhole where you were sitting, you fucking bastard. You are a GROWN MAN. You HAD to have been over 35 and this is how you act? I wonder what the woman who was with you thought!


That wasn't all of it, but as I said, today was a rotten day and I had to get this off my chest....and yes, my mother, adult woman that I am, still tried to lecture me for swearing. *bashful grin*

[Boozy]

That wasn't all of it, but as I said, today was a rotten day and I had to get this off my chest....and yes, my mother, adult woman that I am, still tried to lecture me for swearing. *bashful grin*

My mom would have been cursing like a sailor right along with me.

I *hated* it when people complained about other people getting their food first. We used to have groups of 8 people order full meals all of thirty seconds before one single customer ordered a muffin, and they'd bitch about that person getting their muffin before they got their 8 entrees.

Can you imagine the wrath of the other customer if they had to wait half and hour for their muffin because I did everything in order?

I don't miss food service at all.

[ZeoViolet]

Well, I do enjoy where I'm at. For the most part people are friendlier. My boss is an AWESOME woman and it annoys her when people start squawking when they have not been waiting too long and demand their food out of turn. At my other jobs in food service, people sucked, big time. The cool customers barely made it worthwhile.

My mom and my grandma were huge influences in how I use language. I seldom swear unless I am really angry (she doesn't either). Big surprise actually, in this day and age, when everyone else around me swears like a sailor.

[Shengirl]

2. Dear sir; I've come to accept by now that when you plunk down your money and walk off, you expect me to read your mind (and this again always before we open).

Just say really loudly, "A tip! Excellent! Thank you, sir!" See how fast he runs back to specify what he wants.

[Emrld]

The only time I have complained about someone who was given a table after me in a resturant got their food before I got mine . . . .I hadn't even gotten to order yet . . .apparently a server went A.W.O.L. and they hadn't caught on yet.
(ok that is a little different than your situation)
Might I suggest trying some Pepermint tea to assist with some of the PMS symptoms.
I agree with the tip idea. Is there anyway to block off the counter so that money can not be left until you are acutally open?
It sounds like this guy is setting his money down, walking away, and coming back when he thinks his food should be ready. Maybe the next time you should inform him that he must place his order in person and only his actual being their will reserve his place in line to place an order. Money left on counter will be considered tip . . . . Or maybe just a sign in large letters that says "Money left unattended will go into the tip jar"

[Tigress]

Ooh! This reminds me of a story from the last Magic pre-release! I was sent out with one of the other judges on a huge food run. We settled on Bojangles because it had vegetarian alternatives (for Little Miss Veggo, aka me) and was easy to find. We had to get enough food to adequately feed 14 people who have been working since the crack of dawn on nothing but complimentary breakfasts and overpriced snacks and soda from the concession stand. So we hung back in line and worked it out between us to get several orders of large picnic samplers. IOW, huge freakin' order. And four half-gallons of tea.

The young lady behind us also wanted to order four half-gallons of tea. Guess who just ordered the last four?

So the young lady had to wait until more was made.

So Mr. Judge and I were waiting for the food to get packaged and periodically check to make sure they got the order right. About five minutes later, the young lady's mom came tearing into the restaurant and demanded to know why it was taking so long to get tea. The awesomely patient young lady tried to explain to the irate harpy that it was just a matter of bad timing. The woman was having none of it and started yelling at the staff, who only explained that they were in the process of making more and then just ignored her.

Then the woman almost did the stupidest thing imaginable. She started looking at the glistening jugs sitting on the counter beside our food. And started to reach for them. Why was this stupid?

She was about to take them from a high school teacher that is built like a linebacker and a 2nd dan taekwondo artist and sometime instructor. Both of whom last had a decent meal at 5 am. It was currently around 2 pm.

Luckily, the awesome lady daughter flew in before we ripped her arm off, saying "No, that's theirs!" The woman continued to bitch and moan because it shouldn't take so long to make tea (which takes 15 minutes, tops), but she didn't make another attempt to touch our soul food goodness.

Really, lady. If you don't want to wait, why don't you head to the grocery store, grab some bags and brew it at home? Oh, yeah, right. That would actually require effort on your part. I'm sorry. I just have this disorder where I expect people to do things themselves.

[Sliceanddice]

Just say really loudly, "A tip! Excellent! Thank you, sir!" See how fast he runs back to specify what he wants.

ohhh i was thinking the same thing. only in my senario he come back 30 minute latter ranting about not having his order and you asking whom he gave it to and the such...

[TwoScoopsSciath]

Then the woman almost did the stupidest thing imaginable. She started looking at the glistening jugs sitting on the counter beside our food. And started to reach for them. Why was this stupid?

Same reason my fiance never snatches my food away. Hungry gamers bite.

[ZeoViolet]

The only time I have complained about someone who was given a table after me in a resturant got their food before I got mine . . . .I hadn't even gotten to order yet . . .apparently a server went A.W.O.L. and they hadn't caught on yet.
(ok that is a little different than your situation)
Might I suggest trying some Pepermint tea to assist with some of the PMS symptoms.
I agree with the tip idea. Is there anyway to block off the counter so that money can not be left until you are acutally open?
It sounds like this guy is setting his money down, walking away, and coming back when he thinks his food should be ready. Maybe the next time you should inform him that he must place his order in person and only his actual being their will reserve his place in line to place an order. Money left on counter will be considered tip . . . . Or maybe just a sign in large letters that says "Money left unattended will go into the tip jar"

Emrld and Shengirl:

I wish I could use the tip excuse, except that we cannot accept tips. I get paid full wages (and just got a NICE raise despite this being a fairly new job of only a few months!). The guy is used to the old West store location where they knew what he wanted without question. That store closed a short time ago and I don't know him (or several other customers yet). They haven't been coming in long enough and I haven't worked there long enough.

Also no way to prevent them from attempting to order before we open. Supermarket Deli, and they can walk into the eating area any old time they wish. To refuse a customer is considered rude and goes against the Supermarket Chain philosophy.

In a couple of weeks we move to a new store location and I hopefully won't have to put up with this so much. I'll have a brand spankin' new store and kitchen to play with, and the setup is much smoother. And a Starbucks to distract those Coffee Wannabes.

[Pagan]

I wish I could use the tip excuse, except that we cannot accept tips.

Yeah, but does he know that?

[ZeoViolet]

Lol. Too big a risk on my job to attempt it. But I think he does, as a regular patron of the West store location before it closed and he had to patronize the East location instead.