Warning: Do Not Give Retail Workers Your Attitude When It’s Their Last Day, Part 2

I used to be a shift leader in a pizza place. We had this regular who was very rude. The first time I helped him, he ignored me when I read his order back to him, so he didn’t know that there was one part of his order I didn’t hear. When it came time for him to collect his pizzas, he gave me an earful about how bad I was at my job to screw that up, and how he wasn’t going to tip as a result. Most people didn’t tip, so that didn’t bother me half as much as he thought it did.

Fast forward three years. It’s my last day. This guy has come in on a regular basis. He calls me “girly” even though I’m a fully grown middle-aged woman, and he is just generally rude and condescending. Today is no exception. 

As I’m finishing taking his order, he makes a remark about how I’d “better get everything right, or no tip”. Normally, I’d just say, “Yes, sir,” and continue on my way. But it is my last day. So, I stop and look him straight in the eyes.

Me: “[Customer], I don’t give a s*** about the tip.”

He is taken aback for a moment by my language because I never, ever swear in front of customers.

Customer: “Sure, you do! You people all care about that!”

Me: “No, I don’t. If that was all I cared about, I’d be disappointed, because only maybe one in four customers actually tips. If how hard I worked depended on that, I’d never work hard. It’s my last day, so I’m being honest with you: I’d rather have a nice customer who thanks me but doesn’t leave a tip than have one like you who is rude but tips if we’re perfect. I usually don’t keep any tips you give me anyway, so you can keep your money. I just want to know that your pizzas are hot, fresh, accurate, and beautifully made. Oh, and stop calling me ‘girly’; I’m a fully grown woman, thank you, not a girl. Your order will be ready in fifteen minutes.”

He was stunned into silence, surprisingly, and didn’t speak to me again until I called out his name and showed him his pizzas. He was very humble and thanked me as he handed me a ten-dollar bill, the most he’d ever given me.

I’ve heard that, since then, he no longer berates the cashiers, he has stopped calling the employees “girlies”, and he is generally one of our best-behaved customers. I’d like to think it’s because I got brave on my last day and told him some hard truths. I just wish I’d done it sooner.

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Warning: Do Not Give Retail Workers Your Attitude When It’s Their Last Day