No Masters Over Me

(Several young men come in and begin playing on the demonstration consoles. After a short period they begin acting very inappropriately: shouting, vulgar language, etc.  I approach the group.)

Me: “Excuse me, but I have to ask that you calm down or I am going to have to ask you to leave.”

Customer #1: “Whatever.”

Group: *sniggers*

Me: “As I said, ‘sir,’ you need to keep your voices down and your language appropriate, or I am going to have to ask you to go.”

Customer #1: “You can’t talk to me like that. I want to speak to your manager.”

Me: “I’m afraid she is unavailable. If you’d like I can call security and you can speak to them.”

Customer #1: *angry* “I’m not going to be talked down to by someone that works in a shop; you need to learn your place!”

(At this my manager had come over and, obviously seeing my anger, told me to go calm down. When I returned, the lads had gone and I went on with my day and forgot all about the incident. Several weeks later, as part of my Master’s, I was working at the university setting up for an undergraduate laboratory assessment, which I was assisting the lecturer in demonstrating. In came the undergrads, and lo and behold there was my stuck up customer sitting at the bench which I am in charge of. We exchanged a glance and at the professor’s words ‘the demonstrators will be marking you on your practical skills during the course of this assessment, which accounts for 20% of your practical marks,’ his expression changed, and this time, the entitled brat did not look as confident.)