Is your phone glued to your ear?

[Monica]

We have a customer that comes into the store just about everyday, and everytime he comes in, he has his cell phone planted to his ear and is talking loudly into it.

EVERY TIME.


I go to ring him up, he tells me what kind of smokes he wants, while he is still on the phone. I go to get them, and he yells, no I wanted 100's, when he clearly didn't say that. I give him his total, he gives me money, which is more than the amount, I give him his change, he says, again while still on his phone, that he had the correct change part and that I should of waited.

I did wait a few seconds, and I even said the amount on the register, the said out of and the amount he gave me, and he nodded. I assume it's ok to proceed.

He is always rude in some way when he comes in, and he is always on his phone. I have never seen him off of it.

Ever have a customer like this?

[videodrone]

Ever have a customer like this?

Yes. Some of them don't even talk on the phone. They just sit there with the phone to their ears.

[tamezin]

We have a customer that comes into the store just about everyday, and everytime he comes in, he has his cell phone planted to his ear and is talking loudly into it.

EVERY TIME.

OMG it is my little brother except for the talking loudly part. He calls me on his daily commute and won't get off until he gets home, so I get to listen to his conversations with cashiers, gas attendants etc. I keep telling him he is being rude, his response is simply 'I know, ya wouldn't love me any other way'.

[TonyDonuts]

I had a regular customer once.

I saw her every morning, same time.

She never spoke a word to me.

She was always on her phone.

Nice car. Nice suit. Looked like a business person. So you would think she would be talking deals, money, business, what have you.

No. Nope. Her phone conversation consisted of a running commentary of how she was walking into the convenience store, how she was walking across the convenience store, how she wondered why anyone would buy <fill in the blank> because SHE wouldn't want one, how she was pouring her coffee, how her feet ached, and so on and on and on.

But she never actually spoke to anybody in the store.

[candyshopgirl]

Has anyone seen the movie Wall E? It deals with this subject,how we are also connected to other people but in reality really disconnected with others and what is going on around us. I tell ya I'm convienced that (old person rant)thats why these younger kids today can't write a formal letter or even a normal email. (meet U 4 lunch).

[bunnyboy]

Rugrats IRL?

I had a regular customer once.

I saw her every morning, same time.

She never spoke a word to me.

She was always on her phone.

Nice car. Nice suit. Looked like a business person. So you would think she would be talking deals, money, business, what have you.

No. Nope. Her phone conversation consisted of a running commentary of how she was walking into the convenience store, how she was walking across the convenience store, how she wondered why anyone would buy <fill in the blank> because SHE wouldn't want one, how she was pouring her coffee, how her feet ached, and so on and on and on.

But she never actually spoke to anybody in the store.

Why the hell am I imagining Angelica's mom here....

"Johnathan I'm walking into a convenience store right now..."

[wanderingjoe72]

If you can get away with it, ignore them until they stop and address you like a normal human. I know it is asking a lot, but give it a try. Let management know what's up so they are prepared for any fall out. A little education in manners can go a long way.

[QASlave]

One of my favorite activities while driving is to get beside some soccer mom who is paying no attention while on the cell phone, lay on the horn and watch them suddenly try and gather some situational awareness. They generally throw the phone, grab the wheel with both hands and slow down. I love the pissed off faces when they see me laughing my ass off.

[Kaylyn]

What's even worse are the Borg, as I call them. They walk around with their Bluetooth headsets on constantly. You never know whether they're on the phone. You think they're not, then they are looking straight at you and saying something completely off the wall before you realize they're talking on the phone. And even if they're not on the phone...am I the only one who can't wear an earpiece for any longer than necessary because it makes my ears sore?

If it were me in the original message, I'd do what a lot of people suggest on here. Say to them as politely as possible, "I'll be glad to assist you when you are done with your conversation. I don't want to interrupt you."

[staticradio]

Why does this remind me of Bob Saget mocking his daughter (and her obsessive use of a cell phone)?

"I love my cell-phone...I love Verizon...AHHH!"

[ThePhoneGoddess]

There was a chain of convenience store in Santa Fe that I absolutely loved, because their policy was to refuse to serve people who were on their cell. The cashiers would tell them too, in no uncertain terms. "I am not waiting on you sir. When you're done with your phone, you can get back in line, but until then, please take your conversation outside." Ohhhhh, the tantrums I saw over that policy. And it was always adults, too, grown men or women, usually dressed in expensive business attire, who would throw the biggest fits.

[KhirasHY]

What's even worse are the Borg, as I call them. They walk around with their Bluetooth headsets on constantly. You never know whether they're on the phone. You think they're not, then they are looking straight at you and saying something completely off the wall before you realize they're talking on the phone. And even if they're not on the phone...am I the only one who can't wear an earpiece for any longer than necessary because it makes my ears sore?

If it were me in the original message, I'd do what a lot of people suggest on here. Say to them as politely as possible, "I'll be glad to assist you when you are done with your conversation. I don't want to interrupt you."

I can't wear my earpiece for very long either

The thing I've always thought about them though...I always wonder how many people are actually on the phone, and how many are just batshit farking crazy. I have a feeling that about 1 in 5 are talking to Santa Claus in their head...

Edit: Also, in relation to PhoneGoddess' story, there used to be a small mom and pop restaurant near me that despised cell phones. They had large signs plastered everywhere that, if you came to the counter to order while talking on a phone, you would be sent to the back of the line. The thing is, that particular place had a huge local following...so at peak meal times, there could be a line out the door and around the building! We chuckled quite a few times when someone was told that they would have to start all over for being rude.

Then there's a friend of mine who continually got himself in trouble when working retail...he would just keep saying "Hello!" over and over until the person stopped talking on the phone, then ask questions one after another without stopping to ruin their conversation by interrupting. He really hated when people ignored him, despite looking him full in the face...