Fresh Bread, Stale Attitude

(I work at a piroshky bakery and have just started my morning shift. A customer comes in with a very obnoxious, self-important attitude.)

Me: “Good morning, sir! What can I get for you today?”

Self-important Customer: “What’s your freshest thing?”

Me: “Well, we just opened so everything is fresh out of the oven. I could warm one up if it’s not warm enough for you.”

Self-important Customer: *shakes his head* “No, I don’t want it warmed up.”

(He looks behind me to our rack where we put our piroshkies until we need to set them out.)

Self-important Customer: *points to rack* “What’s that there on the top?”

Me: “Those are our potato mushrooms, sir, although they’ve been out of the oven about the same time as our others so it’d be easier if I just got you one from—”

Self-important Customer: “No, I want one from back there.”

(I mentally sigh but go ahead and do as he asks since it’s a slow morning and there’s only a couple people in line. I turn to grab his order but he stops me.)

Self-important Customer: “Wait!” *points at rack again* “What are those?”

(There are at least 7 different types of piroshkies on the rack.)

Me: “Um, which ones, sir?”

Self-important Customer: “Those ones!”

(I look at him quizzically.)

Self-important Customer: “The ones on the second row!”

Me: “Oh, those are our Moscows. They’ve got Bavarian cream and Cream of Wheat in it which gives it—”

Self-important Customer: “I’ll take one of those.”

(We haven’t set one out yet, so my supervisor has to take out the whole pan and sprinkle powdered sugar on it. I grab everything for him and bag it up.)

Me: “All right, sir. Is there anything else I can get for you?”

Self-important Customer: “No, that’ll be all.”

(He pays and leaves. I run through a couple more customers until I get to a young guy.)

Young Guy: *saunters up to the counter* “Hey so, uh, what’s the freshest thing you got here?”

Me: “Pretty much everything just came out the oven.”

Young Guy: “Yeah, but I want really fresh, and like, potato mushroom.”

(I sort of stare at him then move to grab a potato mushroom. He starts laughing.)

Young Guy: “I’m just kidding with you, man. Did you see that guy?” *begins to imitate him* “I want the freshest thing you got!” *goes back to normal* “You’re in a bakery in the morning, man, everything’s fresh!”

(At this point everyone in the bakery is laughing. I get his order, still chuckling, and bag everything up for him.)

Me: “That’s going to be [price], please.”

(He pays and my supervisor steps up.)

Supervisor: “Wait, give him one for free. That was too funny!”