Unfiltered Story #241019

(I’m at the end of a long tiring shift at the deli counter when a woman comes up to the counter with a bag of apples from the produce department.)

Customer: Can you cut these for me?

(I’m already tired and I’ve never had a customer ask to slice fruit at the deli before so I blue-screen for a second, but then rally and consider if I’d be allowed to do that and if cross-contamination could be an issue. I decide it’d be all right to cut them at the sandwich counter if I clean it off first. I’ve just opened my mouth to tell her that when:)

Customer (scathingly): Why are you standing there, staring? Just grab a knife and do it, it would take you like 30 seconds.

(I glance back at her bag and think: no it won’t, because you have six apples and I’m not the goddamned fruit ninja. But I’m still more taken aback than annoyed, so I keep my customer service face on and say:)

Me: Sorry about that ma’am. Sure, I can–

Customer: Oh NEVER MIND.

(She storms off in a huff. Now I’m irritated as well as confused, so I get back the only way I can and call out in the cheeriest voice I can muster:)

Me: Have a nice day!

(I talk to a friend in produce later about the customer, he says he thinks one of the newer hires probably sent her over to me. Apparently we’re not technically supposed to slice produce for customers, but if they ask nicely sometimes the PRODUCE department will cut fruit for a customer. No idea why possibly more than one person thought taking fruit to a meat and cheese area made sense.