Out Of Office, Literally
I’ve recently been promoted to district manager at my store. I step outside the store to take a call with another manager at one of my stores about a rather serious matter. I’d walked outside for privacy, which I think was clearly conveyed by the fact that I’m walking back and forth on the other side of the parking lot, next to the dumpsters.
Though I’m actually a salaried manager who doesn’t clock in or out, there’s no way of knowing that just by looking at me. A reasonable assumption would be that I am on break, so I was pretty startled when a customer walked outside and waved at me, yelling:
Customer: “Helloooo?!”
I’m not gonna lie, I knew she was addressing me, but I pretended not to since it was rude as s***.
Customer: *Yells.* “Helloooooo!”
I turn around and start my pacing in the other direction, but I’ll be d***ed if I don’t hear her walking up behind me. As I turn around again for my return journey, we come face to face, and the woman looks very aggrieved as she bluntly states:
Customer: “I have cash!”
Once again, I act confused, as though I didn’t hear, so she repeats herself. My inquiring look is my response to her, and she replies:
Customer: “I need to pay cash!”
Pretending to finally understand, I smile and tell her:
Me: “The cashier inside can help you.”
She is only stunned into silence for a moment, though it’s long enough for me to go back to my phone call… which she interrupts AGAIN.
Customer: “The cashier is busy.”
Me: “With what?”
Customer: “Another customer.”
Me: “I suspect the cashier will help you as soon as they finish with the customers ahead of you.”
She opens and closes her mouth a few times like a fish, and walks away with a huff.
As I mentioned, it was a serious phone call, so when the woman left five or ten minutes later after receiving her order, I had only just hung up. I’m still outside, about to walk back in, and pausing briefly to read a text.
She walks right by me, goes to get in her car, but changes her mind and walks back to me. Again, oblivious to the fact that I’m outside the store and otherwise occupied, she plants herself in front of me and demands to know:
Customer: “Are you a manager?!”
Me: “I am.”
Customer: “I wasn’t very happy with my visit! Surely you know why.”
Me: “I have no idea. Was there perhaps a problem with the food?”
Customer: *Huffs and snorts.* “It wasn’t right that I had to come outside to find someone to wait on me, and when I did, you were rude to me!”
Me: “Why did you feel you had to go get me when there are plenty of staff inside?”
She tries to avoid the question, mumbles about a wait, and then says:
Customer: “It looks bad when you aren’t all helping customers!”
Me: “Everyone inside was helping.”
Then I fib and tell her I’m on break. That stumped her, so she clearly hasn’t even considered that possibility. She recovers and says:
Customer: “I still didn’t like the way it was handled! You didn’t tell me you were on break!”
I just looked at her and said:
Me: “You didn’t ask.”
