Inching Past Zero Tolerance

I admittedly shouldn’t work in a sandwich store as I am incapable of dealing with stupid customers with a “customer service smile.” I am usually employed to arrive super early before we open and prep the fresh veggies and other ingredients that would go in the sandwiches, and this suits me just fine.

One day, we get a call-out and my manager begs me to be around for a couple of hours to help customers until a cover can make it in.

Me: “I can, but I can’t handle the customers if they act up or say something stupid.”

Manager: “That’s fine. Just direct them to me if they say something that you can’t respond to in a… customer service manner.”

We open, and within minutes, we get our first customer. They approach me and the first thing they say is:

Customer: “I’d like a six-inch footlong.”

Me: *To the manager* “You’re up!”