I am a person too..YEESH

scamperfarms

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Well today was one of those days at work...I wanted to reach across my check out counter, and smack a few people. Partialy because I am sick. and being on your feet all day when your sick. Sucks. But..I still smiled.and greeted each customer as I always do. made sure they found everything, ok. gave total..counted change..Ect..

Apparently. that wasnt good enough for some people today..

the..mound of people. who..look at melike i am stupid..when trying to be friendly and wont make so much as a hello to me.and leave.

the people who wouldnt get off their cell phones...

the ones who THREW their items and money at me.

The lady who smacked my hand with her stuff..

and..than there was my favourite peach of a customer. she was complaining before she got up to the register about the store needing to turn the AC on (it was only 50 today and it was snowing just last week.) because she was to hot. she gets up to myt register and starts..huffing and throwing things on the counter i give her a smile and "Hello, how are you? did you find everything ok?" no reply..just a dirty look. ok..ringingand bagging she says something about sometihng i couldnt hear her.so i nicely said "excuse me I couldnt hear you.what was that?"and she gave me the snotiest look and snapped "dont you have any bigger Bags!" her stuff was already bagged in the biggest i had.and I politely informed her of that. to which she contiuned to throw..her items at me. ok..what did I do? fine..i kept nicely ringing,and bagging.

one item rings up at 5.50 and she suddenly snaps "Oh that is NOT..right..it said $4" I nod..and tell her one moment I will go check (small store and the items were just behind me) now keep in mind i was 90% sure what I would find. our registers generally do not ring up items wrong. but i checked anyways..and sure enough..two items over was a diffrent one that was $4 but not the one she got.. so i go back over. and gently inform her of this. bringing the $4 in case she wants it. and she GOES OFF..yelling about how things need to be properly marked (we just redid this area last week its VERY clearly marked) I appologize but tell her the items are marked. perhaps someone placed it in the wrong spot. ect. she contiuned ralling on about MY poor customer service (yelling at this point making a scene) and that shewants the other item off. and wants the $4 one. ok not a problem M'am I say let me get my manager..(requirement for voiding anything on our registers) so I look around for her to see if shes close before I page her. That only sets the customer off more she thinks I am looking at the other people in line(while shes still yelling about the prices) than goes on to tell me NOT to look at the other people in line that SHE is the customer SHE is the one spending the money and i should be looking at HER and again..how poor my customer service is.I page my manager she comes over lady is stlill pissing now shes telling my manager how bad my customer service is, and that I should be fired right there. ect. I finnish the order and politely tell her total useing M'am ect. she snarls at me "WHAT did you say?" i repeat the total. she throws her money at me.My manager..tells her that there is no need for that and that I have been there sometime and have good customer service skills.

Than she snarls..what i was waiting for. "Well sheneeds to learn customer service skills for not just WHITE people. but BLACK people too"

at this point I politely hand her her change. and tell her to have a nice night.

she says oh "Oh I will you white *insert not appropriate word here*"


And gathers her stuff..boring holes into my head..slowly..while i help other customers.in general being in the way and still muttering dergotory racial slurs at me before leaving finally.

First off I have NO idea what I did..that wasnt good customer service. other than nicely asking her to repeat herself..and informing her I gave her the biggest bags I had and..that the item she picked wasntthe price she thought.

And WHEN did race have anything to do with it? This isnt the first time..that has happened at this store. It seems..whenever someone of a diffrent racial background than I, or another worker in the store gets an answer they dont like it deteoriates into a race thing and racial slurs. Anyone that knows me will tell you I am not racist I have friends of all colors and creeds and I could care LESS about anything like that. People are people period. But I cant help a store policy, or a price on something.and its not against you because your Blue or Purple or Orange or whatever, it applies to everyone!


And than..theres the fact that somehow..society has deemed it..more acceptable..for certain groups to be slurred..somewhat...and others not.
but thats..for IMO..

Thanks for letting me vent.I am gonna take my cold meds. and go to sleep. Another rousing day of this tommrow.
 

fluffysimba

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I'm SO sorry that you keep experiencing racist remarks like this. There is NO excuse whatever color you are, to behave like this to another person of another race. It is sad b/c they seem to think it's okay for THEM to treat you like that but not the other way around.


HUGS to you!!!
 

theimp98

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lol having worked in CS jobs back in my college days, that is the way it is now.
anytime you cant do something , for someone you get called a racist.
makes you wonder who the real racist are now.
 

bonnie1965

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I'm sorry that person was such a terror. It must be awful to be her. Can you imagine living with yourself 24/7 if you behave that way? Sheesh! Please don't take the racist thing to heart. If she were white, she would have been just as rude, or worse - just subtract the "white" remarks. You know what type of person you are and you are the only one you have to answer to. Try not to let sad people like this get you down. It was not okay for her to treat you this way no matter what.
 

bonnie1965

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Originally Posted by theimp98

lol having worked in CS jobs back in my college days, that is the way it is now.
anytime you cant do something , for someone you get called a racist.
makes you wonder who the real racist are now.
I have worked in customer service for 25+ years in varying capacities. Must be different out here in Portland because I cannot remember once being called a racist by a cranky customer. Have been called many many other things such as cheater, liar, thief, and other 4 & 5 letter words
, but never that. When I do get called names, honestly, it is usually by white people. Wonder why its different here?
 

cheylink

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I was reading over your post and felt for you all the way! Some people don't respect those who are doing a service for them, especially if they are treated as you would ask to be in return. Then I saw this......
"Than she snarls..what i was waiting for. "Well sheneeds to learn customer service skills for not just WHITE people. but BLACK people too""
I was in shock to find out that this person of racial diversity was acting like the snobbiest,WASP, stuck up, person that I unfortunately have had the pleasure/not, to know! I truly would not know what to do if someone of any racial diversity acted this way toward me at my place of work, and I live in NYC! That is the last situation you want to throw in any racists offense to defend a bad attitude!
 
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scamperfarms

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i think it all depends on the area. and I agree. she would have been just as rude. i have had my faire share of rude...everybody. color doesnt matter to me. I just wonder in general why *alot* of people around here bring it up..the second they dont like something.

The area my store is in, is why we run into this type of thing. I have had rude customers in other areas when i worked CS too..and the type of rude you run into here in this state depends on the area IMO.
 

proudkittiemom

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SOunds like u had a rough day, u are right people can be so rude for no reason ecs to people they dont even no! But those comments she made just shocked me! I u hear that up here too but not in all the stores i guess it just depends! U handled the situation so well tho
way better than i would have
Also my mom keeps saying thats why she doesnt want me to work for my brother because its not in the best of neighborhoods (the one closest to us) and she knows my temper
Also u did nothing wrong! People can be just sooo RUDE for no reason! id hate living with her or being her
 

tierre0

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I have worked with the public and in customer service for years as well. And I swear there are days when every person you have to deal with is in a bad mood. I am big on being polite and comman curtesy but sometimes it is a pretty hard path to follow. What I have learned over the years though is not to take these nasty people seriously. It is obvious that those particular people have issue's but you are the only one who can make those issue's pertain to you.

Smile, be polite and always say have a nice day!!!! It ticks them off to no end.
 

catsrnmom

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Just remember that it wasn't anything you did to cause a problem, she already has a "problem" before she got to you. When it comes to customer service, there will always be those that will never be happy no matter what we do..I'm sorry that she took it out on you right then, that was completely wrong of her..
 

reesespbc

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You did just fine. I work in customer service as well and there are just those people who no matter what you do, they will go out of their way to make sure that the person helping them is as miserable feeling and as hateful at the end of the day as they are.

You kept your cool, although after the racial slur she threw at you, I don't know if I could have been. Especially with the whole Don Imus thing, I think that would have just set me off because it just shows that there are some who just think that because of their skin color is why they're getting bad treatment, even if they're NOT getting bad treatment. Also because she had the nerve to be racial with you, but if you were racial with her...oh boy.
 

katl8e

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NOW you know why I don't work at Walgreen's any longer.

Racism is racism, regardless of the race of the person exhibiting it. One of our black supervisors was chewed out, by a BLACK customer, because the supervisor used proper English, as opposed to ghetto slang.

At least your manager backed you up.
 

theimp98

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Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

I have worked in customer service for 25+ years in varying capacities. Must be different out here in Portland because I cannot remember once being called a racist by a cranky customer. Have been called many many other things such as cheater, liar, thief, and other 4 & 5 letter words
, but never that. When I do get called names, honestly, it is usually by white people. Wonder why its different here?
could be the area you are in. I was a manager in mall game room.
anytime you told someone sorry you cant hang out here unless you are playing games , sorry your not allowed to bring in drinks, sorry not allowed to smoke in here, you were called a racist, Etc etc Etc.
 

theimp98

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Originally Posted by katl8e

NOW you know why I don't work at Walgreen's any longer.

Racism is racism, regardless of the race of the person exhibiting it. One of our black supervisors was chewed out, by a BLACK customer, because the supervisor used proper English, as opposed to ghetto slang.

At least your manager backed you up.
one of my friends gets that also. rich is a big black guy(taller then me)
and other blacks will try and give him a hard time cause he uses english, not slang in the work place,

sometimes i dont know if its silly or sad. or both
 

lillekat

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Aw hun that really sucks! She sounds like the kind of person for whom everything would be wrong about you - colour, age, whether or not you wer wearing the right colour of knickers today.... there are just some people like that, and it's sad - in the long run though, if they're determined to behave like that, then they are the ones who are looking at a lonely lifetime. You can concolse yourself that you handled the matter very calmly and professionally - and above all - politely. Take your cold meds, get some very well deserved rest and I hope you feel better tomorrow
 

jugen

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Sugar, I feel your pain.
Working in a restaurant for 15 years has taught me that some customers you'd just like to completely turn the tables on and put them in your situation.
It's wrong how some people treat public workers. They think just because you are cooking their food, ringing up their orders, etc that you aren't in their class socially. Honestly I have to laugh at them (inside of course) because I probably make more then they do and they don't even have a clue. I watched a movie called Waiting (I think it was anyway) and it was about a restaurant and the workers there and one part was about a grumpy lady and oh it was hilarious! I'd never do what they did to anyones food but God somedays It's really like to at least put that movie in while customers are in the store and let them see what we can certainly think about doing if you continue to be outright rude and offensive to us. Maybe they'd think twice about snapping on us because they've had a bad day of didn't get their proposal done on time whatever the circumstances. I mean I know we make mistakes shoot we are only human but to treat us like we are pond scum? Now why would you do that? What purpose does it serve? Does it make you feel better? If so, fine but you've just ruined someone elses day in the process.
I really want to hang a sign behind our register that says have a bad day somewhere else please, but my manager won't let me.
Hugs to you for keeping your cool, I'd have snapped at her and customer service would have been over about then. I hope you have easier days ahead and feel better fast.
 

lunasmom

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that stinks...that's why I couldn't be in customer service any longer. Well at least public customer service (I'm internal IT support so I still have to kiss butt).
I hated it because everyone would try and take advantage of "how nice I am". They'd tell me that something was 80% off, when it wasn't on sale at all. They basically try and bargain with me. It sucked and no one else had the problem customers there. The other POS's told me it was because I looked like I could be taken advantage of without argument, so they would try and get ticked off when they weren't successful.

Anyways she probably got ticked off for you saying "ma'am". At least in IT, if someone calls you "Ma'am" that's the universal term for something that begins with a "B".

Sounds like though that she just has personal problems in general. Keep a bottle of St. John's Wart under your register and suggest it to the next PO'd person that comes your way. Say there's a sale on it and it's a dollar off.
 

bonnie1965

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Originally Posted by lunasmom

Keep a bottle of St. John's Wart under your register and suggest it to the next PO'd person that comes your way. Say there's a sale on it and it's a dollar off.
 

xangelicxnekox

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Oh my gosh, Im SO sorry you had to put up with that crap.

Some people are stupid. What, they thank customer means Godly being to whom you kiss their feet and butt?
 
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scamperfarms

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Thanks everyone for the kind words and shareing some of your stories.I was barely able to keep my cool after the racial slurs were slung because thats one of my biggest pet peeves.

M'am is a unniversal polite term at my store for a woman if you don't know their name,as Sir is for a man. Today should be interesting. I woke up this morning with No voice. and right now I can barely squeak. Lets see how many people think i am being rude today...
 
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