So...Straya day's coming up, and being a major public holiday around here, my work is frakkin' slammed. Especially on the weekends. So this Saturday, of course, every man and his dog have come through to buy barbeques and gas bottles (because why plan this party thing out in advance when you can last minute rush it?) as well as the usual weekend returners and shoppers.
In the middle of our worst rush period, we've got like eight people waiting to do a return at the returns desk, and register lines out to way past where Jesus lost his sandals, and it's insanity in general. I'm running things fairly smoothly, and for the most part, people are understanding. I'm having a really shitty week and my nerves are frayed, but I'm holding out ok.
Until broom dude. Broom dude is an ancient, crusty looking old man holding a broken broom at the returns desk. Broom dude has just arrived, is ninth in line, and is steadily looking more and more pissed, so I'm keeping an eye out. Sure enough, in about five minutes, broom dude goes apeshit.
He walks out of line, directly up to the counter and SLAMS the damn broom down so hard that it snaps in two entirely, while screaming his lungs out at the young woman behind the counter. Like, serious ear piercing shrieking from an old man.
"I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR HALF AN HOUR! HALF AN HOUR THIS IS DISGRACEFUL! WHERE'S THE SERVICE THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE i CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I'M SEVENTY THREE YEARS OLD GOD DAMMIT I NEED A BROOM JUST GET ME A REPLACEMENT BROOM YOU'RE A DISGRACE!" - more blah blah blah, starts personally insulting coworker, accusing her of being a self centered whore, a prostitute. Never uses a curse word, but he's just being an incredibly shitty human being.
It was probably the worst full on meltdown I've ever seen a full grown person get into. There was foot stamping, wild gestures, spittle, the works.
The other customers say...nothing. They pretty much pretend not to hear him and continue to get their returns down. Coworker is getting pretty mad, but she's trying to calm him down and it's not working.
I went over to get him to stop.
I was polite. I was calm. He told me in shrieking though polite terms that I was no better than a gutter walking whore....and something just snapped.
I went to the isle with the brooms. I got him a new broom. I handed him a new broom, with a big happy smile on my face and verbally lost my shit.
My exact words were "take this broom, and fly away on it for all I care. Just get the fuck out of my store, and don't you dare come back here and talk to me or my team like that ever again.
There was more shrieking, which I don't remember much of, but he took his broom and left.
This story hasn't reached management. My coworkers don't want it to, because hell, they were happy someone stood up for them to what was clearly a raving loony, but I suspect a complaint will be coming in. I will most likely be fired.
Thing is...I really don't give two shits right now. Maybe I will later. Maybe I wont. Even if I do, I'll probably feel awesome afterwards. This job feels like it's killing me anyway. The instant I pick up something else I'm out anyway. I'm done.
Guess broom dude was the final fucking straw. Hah. Because straw brooms.
What a shitty person.
In the middle of our worst rush period, we've got like eight people waiting to do a return at the returns desk, and register lines out to way past where Jesus lost his sandals, and it's insanity in general. I'm running things fairly smoothly, and for the most part, people are understanding. I'm having a really shitty week and my nerves are frayed, but I'm holding out ok.
Until broom dude. Broom dude is an ancient, crusty looking old man holding a broken broom at the returns desk. Broom dude has just arrived, is ninth in line, and is steadily looking more and more pissed, so I'm keeping an eye out. Sure enough, in about five minutes, broom dude goes apeshit.
He walks out of line, directly up to the counter and SLAMS the damn broom down so hard that it snaps in two entirely, while screaming his lungs out at the young woman behind the counter. Like, serious ear piercing shrieking from an old man.
"I'VE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR HALF AN HOUR! HALF AN HOUR THIS IS DISGRACEFUL! WHERE'S THE SERVICE THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE i CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I'M SEVENTY THREE YEARS OLD GOD DAMMIT I NEED A BROOM JUST GET ME A REPLACEMENT BROOM YOU'RE A DISGRACE!" - more blah blah blah, starts personally insulting coworker, accusing her of being a self centered whore, a prostitute. Never uses a curse word, but he's just being an incredibly shitty human being.
It was probably the worst full on meltdown I've ever seen a full grown person get into. There was foot stamping, wild gestures, spittle, the works.
The other customers say...nothing. They pretty much pretend not to hear him and continue to get their returns down. Coworker is getting pretty mad, but she's trying to calm him down and it's not working.
I went over to get him to stop.
I was polite. I was calm. He told me in shrieking though polite terms that I was no better than a gutter walking whore....and something just snapped.
I went to the isle with the brooms. I got him a new broom. I handed him a new broom, with a big happy smile on my face and verbally lost my shit.
My exact words were "take this broom, and fly away on it for all I care. Just get the fuck out of my store, and don't you dare come back here and talk to me or my team like that ever again.
There was more shrieking, which I don't remember much of, but he took his broom and left.
This story hasn't reached management. My coworkers don't want it to, because hell, they were happy someone stood up for them to what was clearly a raving loony, but I suspect a complaint will be coming in. I will most likely be fired.
Thing is...I really don't give two shits right now. Maybe I will later. Maybe I wont. Even if I do, I'll probably feel awesome afterwards. This job feels like it's killing me anyway. The instant I pick up something else I'm out anyway. I'm done.
Guess broom dude was the final fucking straw. Hah. Because straw brooms.
What a shitty person.
Comment