Needs To Clean Up Their Act

Customer: “Can you come around to the front of the case so I can show you which steaks I want?”

(I could have gotten the steaks perfectly easily from behind the case, but I do as the customer asks. I put on my plastic gloves and open up the case from the front.)

Customer: *reaching into the case with his bare hand* “I want this one right here and—”

Me: *quickly putting my hand over the steak* “Sir, please don’t touch the steaks with your bare hands.”

Customer: “I just want to feel the texture of them.”

Me: “Texture? Sir, it’s meat.”

Customer: “I mean I want to make sure it’s not all hard, like it’s been sitting out all day.”

Me: “I can assure you these steaks were cut less than an hour ago and have been in our refrigerated case ever since then, sir. But if I let you touch them in there, that would be a health hazard.”

Customer: *suddenly furious* “What do you mean, a health hazard?! My hands are clean! What do you think I am, some kind of slob sicko?!”

(I can tell him several reasons why I can’t let him touch the steaks, no matter how clean he thinks his hands are. But I have a different idea.)

Me: “I’m sure your hands are clean, sir. But let me ask you this. If the person in line ahead of you wanted to put their hands all over the steaks, would you want to buy one then?”

Customer: “Ugh! No!”

Me: “Well, there you go. That’s why I can’t let you do it either.”

Customer: “But my hands are clean! My hands are CLEAN!”