It Was A Boring Conversation, Anyway…
(I work at a site that is a major tourist destination, so we get a LOT of people for whom English is not their first language. I am watching a few people pass by, giving them pleasant smiles.)
Customer: “You look boring.”
(At this, I’m pretty sure I look a bit dumbfounded as I try to figure out what exactly happened and how to politely respond.)
Customer: “I’m sorry… Is that… not good? My English is bad.”
Me: *smiling* “Sir, ‘boring’ implies that I am dull or uninteresting, while ‘bored’ is the general term that means I find things to be dull or uninteresting. So, I would be ‘bored.’ Things are a bit slow today, but everything is fine!”
Customer: “Ah… heh. Well, I hope things improve!”
(One of my coworkers was hugely amused and kept retelling the story all day until other coworkers of mine started asking me if I was boring instead of asking me how I was. At least the customer meant well!)
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
