One Day You Will Learn The Baker’s Patience

(On the 401, the travel centers can get very busy from time to time. But this day not many people are out and about because of the weather, and the atmosphere is quite calm. While I am manning the sandwich station, there are two other cashiers: our supervisor and a trainee that has been getting used to doing cash on his own. We have a line of maybe four or five people. Everything is going well until a man near the end of the line becomes impatient.)

Customer: “Oh, my God. Why aren’t you taking customers’ orders?! What the h*** do you think you’re doing?!”

(He is referring to the trainee, who has just finished a customer’s coffee order and is getting a filter to make a new pot of coffee.)

Me: “Sir, he’ll be with another customer in a moment. He needs to make a pot of coffee.”

Customer: “He’s supposed to take our orders first before he starts restocking. This is insane!”

Supervisor: “Sir, as she just explained, he needs to make coffee first before he takes another customer. If he doesn’t, he won’t be able to give anyone coffee.”

(I’ve noticed the trainee starting to shake slightly. I don’t have any orders, so I tell him to go back on his cash while I make him more coffee. The customer is still loudly exclaiming how this is all unacceptable. While I ignore him and try to help the trainee, our supervisor keeps going.)

Supervisor: “Sir, you need to stop. You will be able to order shortly. He needs to restock his coffee in order to take customers. If that is too confusing for you and you continue to berate him, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Customer: “I’M ALLOWED TO BE HERE!”

(This creates the start of the trainee’s anxiety attack, so I tell him to give me his swipe card and to go talk to the baker. This is usually how we calm down: by complaining to the baker.)

Me: “Sir, there is no need to yell. We can all hear you. And once my supervisor or I am done with our current customers, we can take your order.”

(He continues to grumble, but stays silent otherwise. I finish up the customer the trainee started, and call over the man to take his order.)

Customer: *grinning widely* “Yes, I’d just like a coffee, please, Miss—“ *looks at my name tag* “—[My Name].”

(He acts as though he hasn’t just screamed at our frontline staff, and makes me severely uncomfortable with how nice he is acting. He even leaves a five-dollar tip! Once he leaves and our line is gone, I tell my supervisor about the tip, and one of our managers overhears.)

Manager: “Go give it to [Trainee]. I heard the guy screaming from the office. I wish he got a punch to the face, honestly.”