Another sucky noncustomer

[aurelemsrealm]

This guy comes up to the register today to ask if he can use the phone. The manager was using the phone to talk to someone from the office, so I knew it could be a while.

So, I told him the manager was on the phone, but we did have a payphone conveniently located at the corner of the building.

He then sighed at the injustice of not having his whim instantly fulfilled and rolled his eyes at me.

It just hit me the wrong way, and I told him to knock it off with the rotten attitude. I've dealt with plenty from actual paying customers in the last couple of days, and am certainly not in the mood for crap from some mooch off the street.

Oddly, that little bit of lashing out at this jerk made me feel better.

He just stood there staring at me tapping his foot like he expected me to make it happen anyway. The whole attitude just made me determined not to let him use the phone, period. Jerk!

I glanced back into the office at the manager, and she was still on the phone. So, I let loose with my own indifferent attitude in kind, "Yeah, you'll have to use the pay phone if you want to make a call."

He just stood there with his jaw dropped at my audacity. I just shrugged, and causually pointed toward the corner of the building, "It's out there."

Jerkwad stormed off, and flipped me the bird as he passed the window. I flipped him back and grinned real big. Yeah, that was pushing it, but it felt so right.

Even if he had complained on me for flipping him off in return, the manager would have just sided with me and laughed. She always does side with me when I return the sucktitude to the sucktards.

It may sound terrible to say, but I know how far I can push. I usually do when I think they deserve it. Hell with the bastards!!!!

[flybye023]

Huh. I'm kind of surprised that your store would let customers use the phone. Where I worked we also had a payphone outside so the inside phones were strictly off-limits to customers for any reason.

[aurelemsrealm]

Well, we're really not supposed to let people use the phone, but I will if someone has car trouble, is looking for directions that I don't know, or something legitimate like that. However, I make it clear that the call must be kept short.

[RetailWorkhorse]

*Pulls Aurelemsrealm through the internet and places next to his register*

Stand there.

....

*Tweaks spot*

Okay. Now say use that attitude on some of my idiot customers. I can't say anything to them, but I also have no control over what other customers say to each other.

[elysia]

This post makes me happy. A similar episode occured at my workplace the other day. An older lady (non customer) comes in and wants to use the phone.

Normally I would have no problem with that. However, there are two little things that make this request particularly annoying. The first is that the phone line at the store is on the same line as the credit card machine (lol). There were a lot of people in the store at the moment and I KNEW someone would have to use a card at any moment.

The second thing is that the number pad is screwed up because its an old ghetto ass phone. So if you happen to be trying to dial a number that has a 1, 2, or 3 in it, you have to press the wanted number repeatedly, sometimes getting "333" instead of just one "3" and sometimes, more often, getting no number at all. And this is assuming that you are paying attention to the success of your button pushing, which no one who isnt familiar with that phone does, before dialing the rest of the number.

I didn't want to take the time to explain this to her so I just told her it wasnt working properly and the following conversation ensues:

SC: (annoyed) Well let me use your cell phone.
Note that this was a demand instead of a polite request.
Me: No, I'm sorry, but there is a payphone just outside at the Savemart.
SC: I just want to make a local call! Dont you have a cell phone?
Me: Actually no. (lie)
SC: Everyone has a cell phone!
Me: Where's yours?
SC: Well you're very rude. I'd like to speak with your manager.
Me: (sweetly) I'm sorry shes not in at the time. But you could call.... oh. Nevermind.
SC: *stomps out*

Whats great is that I can get away with this becase my manager is awesome. One of these days it will come back to bite me in the ass but thats alright, its worth it for the time being.

[Hobbs]

same happened to me, but I politely told the SC that store policy is that we're not allowed to have our phones on the sales floor (even though it was silently in my pocket).

[SuperB]

We all break at some point.

[AriGriffin]

I had an elderly woman come into the store a few weeks ago. She wanted me to call her sister-in-law to let her know that we had a shirt/pant combo of her favorite color and size in stock. She was nice about it so my manager told me to go ahead and let her use the phone. The customer didn't want to talk to her sister-in-law, instead I had to tell her about the outfit, which being a cashier and not in women's clothing, I had absolutely no knowlege of the outfit. She wanted to know the price, material, size, color, pattern. The elderly woman didn't bring the item to the front so my manager had to go get it. My manager went against the rules and held the item for her but I don't know if she came in and bought the item or not as he kept it in his office. Not particularly sucky- just weird...

[Jay 2K Winger]

SC: (annoyed) Well let me use your cell phone.
Note that this was a demand instead of a polite request.

Now, see, if she'd said that to me, I would have flat-out told her "Absolutely not." Hell, I don't even let people I KNOW use my cell phone, let alone some complete stranger.

[driftwolf]

I walk on hot burning coals for managers like that. It's so much easier on the job when you know the manager is part of your team, and not one of the enemy.