Dumb lady complains to manager about me, and an evil old biddy on the lanes

[Despina83]

Tonight I had a lady ask me if we had any more of an item in the back, I politely and regretfully informed her that we were out of it. She rolled her eyes, sighed, and said, "Will you call someone to check?" I politely told her that this is my department and there's no one to call or any reason to, as we are out of the item. She said okay and left. I see her a minute later talking to a passing co-worker who works in electronics. She was speaking to him while pointing towards me. I felt extremely annoyed at seeing this. I went to him after she left and he said that he told her that he works in electronics. Then I see her speaking to a girl who works in fashions. She's not very bright and a big pain in the butt. She agreed to go look in the back when she SHOULD have told her, "I'm sorry, that's her department, she would know if she says we don't have something." I followed her to the back and she told me that the woman had stated that "homegirl over there" (me) was just being lazy and didn't want to do her job. I got pissed at hearing this. Admittedly I have a temper. I told my co-worker not to bother looking but she did and we went back and she told her, "I'm sorry, but we're out." To which I couldn't help saying, while starting to walk away, "That's exactly what I told her." Then the lady got upset and said, "I don't need your attitude, blah blah blah. SHE did her job when YOU wouldn't even bother to check!" Then she said, loudly, "You have a GOOD NIGHT!" To which I said, even louder while walking away, "I will, you HAVE A GREAT NIGHT, NOW!"" Then she proceeded to tell the store director on duty what happened. Then the store director told my boss who didn't reprimand me, but heard my side of the story and then said, "She told me to talk to you. SO, I talked to you. I've got your back." I just honestly have a hard time keeping my mouth closed with these kinds of people. When I heard that she accused me of being lazy, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to not stick in a comment.

Another co-worker was called up to run a lane as backup. She was helping one lady with some rain checks when the next lady in line, an old bat, came up behind the register in the cashier's personal space and stood right behind her. "Um...do you need...something?" "I need you to hurry up!" When it was her turn, my coworker asked, "Did you find everything alright today?" To which she snapped, "Yes, what do you think I am, incompetent?!" She asked, "Do you want your milk in a bag?" *eye roll, sigh* "YES! EVERYTHING GOES IN. A. BAG!" Um, okay...first of all, MOST people don't the gallon jugs in a bag, and she's acting like my co-worker is mentally deficient for even thinking that someone might not want it in a bag, and asking.

[cashierbex]

1st- I tell people that I have already looked before, or that we have been out for a long while. Usually works.... My store manager one time reamed me cause I told her that I didn't know if we had a certain product. I would know my stuff if you didn't switch me into different departments all the time. But that was years ago.

2nd- I always love when people give me the "Well, of course" tone. Not.

[Food Lady]

So the biddy was in the cashier's workspace? Um, liability! Second, I have no idea why people complain to non-managers.

[Despina83]

Well, she asked to speak to "a manager" so the cashier called the highest person in the store, the one in charge for the night, the store director on duty.

[Jester]

1st- I tell people that I have already looked before, or that we have been out for a long while.

This is how this sort of thing might (and occasionally does) go down at my job.

CUSTOMER: "Do you have Despina Rum?"

ME: (not even turning around) "Nope."

CUSTOMER: "How do you know? You didn't even look. And you have lots of rums."

ME: "Yes, we do have lots of rums. And I'm the rum guy here. I KNOW what rums we have, what rums we don't, and what rums we're out of. I don't have to look because I'm a RUM NINJA."

I have no idea why people complain to non-managers.

Because some people are miserable idiots who just like to bitch and complain.

[EricKei]

So the biddy was in the cashier's workspace? Um, liability!

Is it wrong of me to say that it would have been nice if a manager had called for a Security guard/Lp/whatever and asked the cashier to then check her pockets to make sure nothing was missing...? If someone was standing right behind me for no apparent reason, "pickpocket" would certainly be one of my first thoughts...

Second, I have no idea why people complain to non-managers.

Me neither. They have to know that this will simply delay getting any actual help, thus giving them ANOTHER thing to complain about (which, for some people, seems to be what they actually want). Could be that managers usually don't come out of their box to walk the floor at most stores; what these custy's should do is ASK someone to get a manager, without wasting time explaining the problem to the first person. Yes, I know some managers are the type who won't come down until they know whyyyyyyyy they're being called, but that's just their being lazy.

[Mytical]

So the biddy was in the cashier's workspace? Um, liability! Second, I have no idea why people complain to non-managers.

Some people are miserable, and the only way they feel 'better' is to make other people's life miserable.

[Dcuddies]

Some people are miserable, and the only way they feel 'better' is to make other people's life miserable.

Pretty much this. They usually have a job or family where people complain to them all day, and just want an opportunity to vent and release some frustration. It just sucks that they feel the best way to do this is to make someone else's life worse.