I work at a pack-and-ship store that is almost always VERY busy. This afternoon has been slower than usual, and when this particular customer walks in, she only has about four people ahead of her.
The second she walks in, she starts sighing dramatically and glaring at the people in front of her. I don’t want my new coworker — who has been working here for less than a month — to have to deal with her because I can already tell she’s going to be a problem, so I try to watch my coworker’s speed and adjust mine to time it so the rude customer will have to come to my register. Everyone’s transactions are relatively quick — mostly drop-off packages — and by the time the rude customer gets to the counter, she’s only been waiting about two minutes.
Me: “Hi! How are you doing today?”
Customer: *Sarcastically* “Oh, juuuust great.”
Me: “Great! So what do we have going on today?”
She wordlessly holds up a sweatshirt and glares at me.
Me: “Okay, is this something you’re shipping out or is it an [Shopping Website] return?”
Customer: “Ugh! I’m shipping it!”
Me: “That’s perfect! Did you want to ship it out in a box or a bag?”
Customer: “Which is cheaper?”
Me: “The bag.”
Customer: “Then, obviously, I want the bag!”
Me: “Okay, there’re bags right over on the retail wall there. If you want to go ahead and grab one, then we’ll take care of getting all your shipping info.”
Customer: “Oh, no, I’m not doing that. Whatever. How much is the box?”
Me: “I’ve got one this’ll fit into pretty perfectly; it’s $4.50 plus tax.”
Customer: “Fine, do that.”
While I put the box together and cut it down to an appropriate height, the customer starts looking at the greeting cards we have. This isn’t unusual, and the vast majority of the time, customers tend to buy the cards to take with them, instead of putting them in the box to ship with their item.
Customer: “Hey! You!”
She waves a greeting card in the air.
Customer: “How much is this?”
Me: “Um, I think that one is $3.99? There should be a price on the back of it.”
Customer: “It’s $3.95. You don’t even know y’all’s prices. Oh, my God.”
Me: “Did you need that to go with the sweatshirt or is that something separate?”
Customer: “Obviously, it’s going with it! Why else would I pick it up?!”
I come back up to the counter with her box and start to get her shipping information. More people have come in now. My new coworker is working on a customer with multiple packages going to different locations, so I know she’s going to be tied up a while. The store owner comes up to help anyone who needs copies done or faxes sent, but without a computer, he can’t help anyone with ship or drop off packages.
Me: “What’s your phone number?”
Customer: “Why?”
Me: “I need it for our shipping program. If anything were to happen to your package, it would come back to us and we’d give you a call.”
She gives me her phone number and nothing comes up, which means she hasn’t shipped with our company before, so I have to get her name and her address. This annoys her, as well, but after some moaning and groaning, she finally just hands me her driver’s license. I input the info we need and hand it back to her. She gives me the info for where it’s going to but sort of mumbles over the recipient’s last name.
Me: “Could you spell that last name for me?”
She mumbles the spelling.
Me: “And was that M like ‘Mary,’ or N like ‘Nancy’ in the middle there?”
Customer: “It wasn’t no Mary or Nancy, it was [Last Name]! Ugh! I don’t know why I came here. Y’all are never nothing but rude!”
I take a guess at the spelling and print off the label. She’s writing in the card she wants to send.
Me: “Please just take a glance at this paperwork here and double-check my typing on where it’s going. If anything needs to change, let me know. If it all looks good, I’ll get your signature down at the bottom.”
Customer: “You’re not gonna rush me.”
Me: “I’m not trying to. Since it looks like you still need a minute, I’m just going to suspend this transaction. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll be right back with you to ring you out.”
Customer: “No!”
She spreads her stuff over my entire section of counter and moves so she is standing in front of the card reader.
Customer: “I’m the customer and I’m the one at the counter, so I am the most important person to you right now!”
Me: “Okaaay. Can I go ahead and ring you out so we can use the register for other customers? Your total was $22.”
Customer: “What’s the breakdown?”
I provide the breakdown quickly.
Customer: “Why are you acting so offended?! All I did was ask you a question!”
Me: “I’m not offended; all I did was answer your question. We’ve just got a bunch of people waiting, most of whom just need to be rung out for copies or faxes… so if you’ll just insert your card, then you can take as much time as you would like to fill out your greeting card there.”
Customer: “I’m not gonna be rushed! Y’all are so rude here!”
Customer #2: “She isn’t the one being rude.”
Customer: *To [Customer #2]* “Well, it’s rude to eavesdrop on people’s conversations, so you’re just as bad as them!”
Me: “Ma’am, I just need to be able to use this register to help other customers, as well. If you don’t mind, either step aside and I’ll ring you out when you’re ready, or I can go ahead and get you rung out now and then we’ll put the card in the box when you’re ready.”
Customer: “No! I’m the most important person right now! I’m the customer at the counter!”
I turn to the line of about twelve people waiting.
Me: “I’m so sorry, guys. We’ll be with everyone as soon as we can!”
Customer #3: “It’s no problem, sweetie. It’s not your fault that some people think the world revolves around them.”
Other customers in line murmur in agreement. My coworker has finally finished with her customer and is able to start getting the line down pretty quickly. Her register is just a little further down from mine, so people have to walk past my customer to get to the other register. Most people make snippy remarks as they pass her, and with every comment, she starts writing slower and slower. She FINALLY finishes.
Customer: “Now you can ring me out. Was it really that hard for you to be polite to the customer who was directly in front of you? I just want you to know that I don’t like you, and if I had a business, you would be fired. Actually, you wouldn’t even be hired because you’re so rude and you don’t know how to act around customers!”
[Customer #2] has just been hanging out in the store, talking with our store owner.
Customer #2: “Well, I do have a business, and if I had hired her, I would give her a raise for keeping such a level head while dealing with an entitled a**hole like you!”
My customer finally paid. I handed her her receipt and told her that I hoped she’d have an absolutely wonderful day. She shot eye daggers at me, my coworker, my boss, and the other customer, and stormed out without another word.
Related:
My, Aren’t We Feeling Entitled Today?, Part 4
My, Aren’t We Feeling Entitled Today?, Part 3
My, Aren’t We Feeling Entitled Today?, Part 2
My, Aren’t We Feeling Entitled Today?
