Today, a customer was rude to me, and I was rude back. He then asked for my manager, and I told him I was the store manager. He then identified himself as the corporate owner. FML
Collection
Thanksgiving
Questions about your love life, a burnt turkey and the cousin who knows everything: Thanksgiving, a contact sport.
Today, a customer at work said his table was dirty. I asked which one he was sitting at so I could clean it for him. For some bizarre reason he got pissed and called my manager over. He ended up reporting us to corporate, and my manager got written up. He's blaming me for everything. FML
Today, a customer filed a formal complaint with corporate about me, because I wouldn't help her find things she wanted while I was off the clock. We were in a completely different store than the one where I actually work. FML
Today, a man tried to rob the store I work at. Before the guy was taken by the cops, he complained to my manager for "unfriendly behavior". He took it seriously and bitched me out for not providing "quality service" to our customers. FML
Today, at work, we had an extremely rude customer who started cussing at us, and my coworker started cussing back. I jumped on the register to quickly bring down the line, and apologized to everyone for the scene. A secret shopper was in the line and claimed that I was rude. I got written up. FML
Today, my boss came around to my way of thinking. He called our customers a "bunch of assholes" and to kick them out if they gave me trouble. When a lady began yelling at me for "setting the damn prices too high" I told her to leave. My boss soon bitched me out for being unprofessional. FML
Today, I got yelled at for providing horrible customer service, in a store I don't even work for. FML
Today, my manager cussed me out for being unable to keep a customer happy. That "customer" was a senile old twit who had wandered away from his carer, thought our shop was his living room, and demanded to know who replaced all his furniture. FML
Today, I was cussed out by a customer who was unhappy, and he asked to speak with my manager. When I told him I owned the store, he said that that was the problem. Apparently women are "too flaky" to run a bakery properly. FML
Today, a customer yelled at me so furiously that she sprayed my face with spittle. I had to stand there, smiling and politely explaining that I needed to see a receipt before I could give her a refund. When she finally gave up and left, my boss bitched me out for "provoking the customer". FML
Today, I had to call a coworker to the office via the store intercom. The damn thing didn't turn off properly and everyone heard me say, "I hate that asshole. Just be where your dumb ass should be." I realized my mistake a few seconds before my manager stormed in and threatened to fire me. FML
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Top comments
EpicPear 0
YDI For not being the mature one.
jenchen 0
Ouch. Well good luck finding another job. =)
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Comments (94)
lilgirly89102 0
the customer is always right:)
cpatrick820 3
Ok, I have to go against the grind here. Who here has worked in retail, the restaurant business, or pretty much any service-based job? Think of every time a customer was rude to you. Was being polite back helping the situation? Chances are they weren't, because chances are these costumers have grown accustomed to being dicks to employees without any repercussions. Being polite only further validates their behavior, much like giving a toddler who draws Dora the Explorer taking a dump on the wall a cookie and saying "who's my little angel?" It's basic validation. At my last job, I was actually ENCOURAGED to be rude back if a costumer was treating me like a doormat. The best part was they would go cry mommy to my manager, who would then ask them to leave the store (the store was small enough that the manager almost always saw the rude behavior take place). The result was a much lighter mood in the store and more polite costumers. The costumer is NOT king, the costumer IS too old to be acting like a prick, and the costumer is DEFINITELY not always right. Period.
Poetry 0
what do they teach you on retail most important thing the customer is always right! it's bad buisness practice to give it back if they are being rude, they may have a valid reason. they pay money for services gst which includes your services and people don't like paying for bad service. if you don't like it don't work in retail, it's simple ftw
cpatrick820 3
Does it not seem like society is becoming substantially ruder by the year? I agree with you that the costumer should be treated with respect and given your full effort. However, there isn't a single reason I can think of to be rude to someone who is helping you. I don't think it's so unfair to expect everyone to treat each other of respect and courtesy, even in a demand/serve relationship like this.
ImaginaryFoe 1
What does returning rude behaviour get you? You shouldn't work in an industry dependent on customers if you can't deal with them. Further, it's not your job to teach them manners. I have had rude customers. In my experience, if you call them on it politely, they stop. If they become over-bearing or threatening, security (or police) can deal with them. You should not resort to volleying rude remarks and insults. OP, maybe your manager was there necause he'd received complaints about your behaviour. YDI for lacking customer service and managerial skills.
sipher16 0
that's why people walk allover you if you work in the service industry. because they no the moto "the customer is always right" when more than half the time they are not. people should learn to be polite to each other but if someone starts yelling at you over something that is aginst pollicy than your hands are tied. are you supposed to give in? and say "oh sorry sir let me just change policy for you and here we go have a nice day sir =D" no you tell them to get out or listen. the customer is not allways right that quote started in food service which makes much more since.
Lisa89 3
I usually find being polite disfuses the situation. And if not, and they are being that rude, surely you should call for your manager anyway... Of course all companies are different, but i was taught, be polite back, then if they continue to be rude, get the duty manager. So basically I have never dealt with rude customers because manager deals with it. And whenever i have acually had to deal with it simlpe calmness has difused it immediatly. If you really are dealing with exstremly rude customers i'ld advice getting your manager to ask them to leave straight away (of course the arguement would be they're not always around when you need them). I've never been rude, so i'ld never know if it worked, so i don't want to argue if it works or not.
TwoZeroOZ 2
Poetry, Many businesses have a zero-tolerance policy towards rude customers. It makes plenty of business sense, especially if the business has a hard time retaining employees. Extremely rude employees are few and far between, their lack of business shouldn't have an impact. Of course the food industry is an entirely different dynamic, so nothing I said applies to that. Also, I agree with cpatrick820 in that I find it immoral to NOT be rude back to a customer.
Sammara 0
Actually, yes, being polite back has helped me many times. The ruder they get, the more polite I get (though I don't apologize). They usually get so flustered because I'm not getting upset that they just walk out.
k9obsessed 5
You have a very valid point, but regardless, most service businesses REQUIRE politeness from the employees at all times. It may reinforce assholish behavior, but not doing so has a high chance of getting one fired. It's a two-way street.
klovely22 13
52- amen! I bet not one of the people who commented saying "the customer is always right", put themselves in OP's shoes. I'm not going to let a customer be rude to me either.
perdix 31
You should have told him that you're an undercover auditor for the IRS. He would have STFU'd and given you a promotion and a bonus. If you had chosen to tell him you worked for ICE (Immigration), he would have made you VP and given you dibs on his trophy wife.
tencentsakiss 19
Didn't it occur to anyone that OP just lied and told the customer that he was the manager, even though he wasn't, in order to prevent the customer from complaining to a real manager about him?
xgetxbentx 13
ydi for being rude. it doesn't matter how rude the customer is, it's your job to be polite and friendly as well. when things get too out of hand you call and have security escort them out or politely ask them to leave.
YigalElohev 2
Uh, no. First off, customers aren't automatically entitled to treat anyone like dirt. Additionally, not all restaurants have security, so it's in the hands of the manager or shift supervisor - whoever is on duty. That said, I turned a blind eye when employees did things to rude customers' food.
CACC_fml 0
ouvh
Driveshaft 5
Dumbass. If you actually are the manager you better learn damn quick that customers, while stupid, are not worth you risking your job. give em what they want, and if you can't just say no with a smile... then mock them after they're out of earshot.
ulicksam 0
It's called business sense, or business COMMON sense, of which you have none.
wDeemish 0
Haaaa3 sucks for you ^^
madasmercury 0
What the heck are you talking about?? "haaaa3"??
DevynnLeighh 0
Good. I hope you get fired. I hate when employees act like they're superior to customers just because they're a manager. Your job depends upon your customers!
st0n333d 0
You failed the OP was being harassed first. But two wrongs don't make a right.... NOW GO TO YOUR CORNER!