Mull Over His Condescension

(I’ve worked at this store for five years. I have dealt with this guy every Friday night I’ve worked, as he comes in at 8:00 pm every Friday. At first, I was just a checkout operator and didn’t know much about the store. I’m now a supervisor and am expected to know where everything is, even though I stand in the checkout section for most of my shift. The guy is okay, if you just talk to him normally and have a conversation. But if he wants to know something and you don’t immediately know the answer, he gets very condescending and sarcastic. A colleague has called me to a till to override something with a key only I have. On the way, one of the new employees on self-scan looks to me for help — a literal, wide-eyed, “oh, God help me” look — and I stop to make sure he’s okay. The sarcastic guy is behind him and is asking for help, already looking annoyed that my two-week-old colleague can’t answer his question. I sigh and resign to quickly find out what he needs on my way to the till.)

Me: “Hi. Is everything okay?”

Customer: “I’m after mulled wine. It’s a particular kind of Christmas wine. I can’t find it with the rest of the wine. Do you know if you have it?”

(I know we’ve started to sell mulled wine as I saw an entire side frame of it down near the alcohol only earlier today. I’m trying to remember exactly where the side frame was to direct the guy to. This means there’s a pause of a couple of seconds. Apparently, the concentration on my face and the fact that I don’t immediately answer makes him think the following.)

Customer: “Mulled wine… You don’t even know what I’m talking about, do you?! Do you even know what mulled wine is?! I don’t know why they employ people who don’t know basic things.”

(I blink at him for a second in astonishment.)

Me: “Apologies. I was just trying to remember exactly where I’d seen the mulled wine. I can show you if it’s easier.”

(We silently walk down past the checkouts, and I tell my colleague on the till that I’ll be two seconds, as I just want to get rid of this customer. As we’re heading to the alcohol section just beyond the checkouts, an entire aisle end of mulled wine catches my eye.)

Me: “Oh, look! It looks like they’ve moved some to this end now. Here you go!”

Customer: “Oh, uh. Thank you. Sorry…”

(He looked appropriately apologetic as he had to have walked past the aisle end twice — once to go to the alcohol, and once to find me. Hopefully, the next time he comes in, he won’t be so rude!)