You must be a........

Sad Professor

I work in a supermarket part-time and I have experienced a lot of abuse and rudeness from customers. It just goes with the territory, I guess. The Celtic Tiger has created a population of stuck up bourgeois types who think because they have a little money now that they are royalty and expect the most ridiculous things.

Then of course you have your usual line-up of ignorant morons who talk to you like your dirt. I've experienced every kind of stereotyping, insult and stupidity in the job. What's worse is that management look down on you almost as bad as some of the customers do so you get no backup whatsoever.

Fair play to anyone who works in the service industry full-time as I don't think I'd be able to stick it. I'd end up killing someone eventually. The only thing that makes it bareable for me is that its just a job. I don't have to rationalise and bull***t to myself that I love it.

veXual

Work part-time in a DIY shop. One day a woman & her husband asks me for a certain item (cant really remember what it is) but told them to follow me and i'd find it for them no problem.

Got to the section where I knew it was and said "Ah, it must be knockin round here somewhere".

Upon this husband says to her "God thats dreadful English isn't it", she nods in reply as if i had ceased to exist.

FIGURE OF SPEECH for christs sake. The amount of restraint I had to use unbelievable.

BlitzKrieg

Well... been working in Starbucks in Cambridge for the past month and a half (not long.) leaving at the end of this month cause I'm coming home (woohoo!) but will prob work in Starbucks there as well curse my entirely useless degree.


But yeah, before this job, I had like Bug I worked mostly in the back cleaning dishes, stocking etc.

Made it a b*tch when I wanted to work with customers because no one would hire me cause I didnt look like a peoples person.

So working in Starbucks (I hate the food industry, any kind!) and I finally get a chance to work with customers.

The good news is it turns out I have a natural friendly customer relations sort of personality, which coupled with the best advice I was given for such work has made my experiance fault free except with one minor gripe (with a drunk.) I handled complaints well and am friendly.

But the advice, thats the main thing, very simple, no matter how wrong the customer is, never tell them they are wrong, if you can figure out what they actual want (easy in a coffee shop.) just nod and write the real order. If you cant gently ask them details until you can figure out what they want. I've seen the people on the till beside me getting chewed apart by customers because they corrected them.


Though on the 'you must be a...' comment, I find how some of my workmates feel towards me a bit unsettling, my bosses are fine because they can tell the job is only a stepping stone and that while I will put as much energy as I can into the job, if they demand too much from me they know its no skin of my back if I walk away from it, hence its a friendly polite back and forward game of I do this, they give me that, I do that, they allow me time off for this. But some of my co-workers.

They're nice people.

But one seems to have detest for me because I am not a career starbucks employee, just only here for the brief moment, so she seems to grill me for a mistake more because she thinks I dont care. (which is an oxymoron, I care because its my job and income and I dont want to make mistakes, I just dont care about the company much.)

The other is in the other end of the spectrum, we are both stopping off to work here moving on to greater things, and the unspoken tension that builds up over the idea of 'who deserves to move on' just builds and builds,we'd talk about our aspirations, but far too often he would point out dire personality faults such as I dont take 'responsibilty' or how I *cheated* through some aspects of life. which granted some are true but its worse just to give up because I havnt climbed from the bottom.


I think i'm just ranting, time for a PI thread.

kahlua

Worked in McDonalds all through college, it really teaches you to be nice to others in similar jobs. Please and thank yous were rarely heard.

Once i finished college started working in a tech support job for financial traders, every single one of the traders was an asshole. Like having a highly pressured job was any excuse to treat another person like crap..... :mad:

Our man in Havana

c - 13 wrote:

I'd say nearly everyone has come across people like that sometime in one or more of their jobs.
Long one here lads.
I used to work for a well known hardware store franchise, some really really ignorant customers but some really sound ones too. Anyway one sunday evening during the summer this old cow comes in with her daughter and son at 5.55, starts wandering around (place closes at 6). Decides she wants a BBQ worth about €700 manager asks me to get one. Went to the stock room, none left, came back said so she starts off at me saying "Your only not getting one because its your finishing time blah blah blah", called the manager, showed him we were out of stock, he tells her and she demands the display one at a reduced price.
After a bit of argument the manager agrees to give it to her, but shell only take it if it works so we had to get a gas cylinder and demonstrate it working. Then it wont fit in her car so it has to be taken apart. We explained to her it was "sold as seen". As I was taking it apart she was making smart ass comments to the son and daughter about "people working in these kind of places".
Finally got it apart, boxed, no one else around so I ask the son to give me a hand with the box, the thing was nearly 50KG, the whole family looked at me like I asked him to suck my dick or something.
Wouldnt carry it with me, got a trolley got it to the car. Put it in no thanks or anything. So I told them I forgot to give them the user manual, and helped myself to a few hard to replace screws and the starter wire (hard to replace) when I put the manual in.

She was on the phone the next day crying about how it wont go together, the manager told her that she must have lost something as it was all working when it left here.

Moral of the story
c - 13 : 1
Snotty Cow : 0 and minus €700

//Feels good to get that rant out

Legend!

Black Swan

Not a job, but on a particular macho man forum where most of them treated me as an equal for several weeks until they found out my gender.

Big Nelly

You think Irish are bad, I used to work on a support desk for a well known computer maker and we supported the US.

They are the most ignorant people I have ever met. From one person losing the rag with me because I laughed when he was trying to convince me that his computer turned itself on every night at 3 in the morning and there must be a "ghost in the system":p he heard that phrase in some film. Thick

Then had one guy who rang in, was after pulling out the memory, graphics card, HDD, systemboard etc out of the PC. Rang up because when he turned it on smoke came out of the back. This was a 5 year old box and well out of warrenty so I told him not to plug in again and bring to shop to get fixed. 30 min long ranting session at me cause I was calling him "thick" according to him cause he couldnt build a PC.

Then had a person, rang up. Asked wat part of America I was in, said Ireland and he took 5 mins then asking which state that was in. Finally figured out it was in Ireland. Then had 20 min long rant about I was taking American jobs and that I was too thick to help him fix the PC. I just replied at end "Well if America is so good why do you think they have to move a PC support desk all the way to Ireland? says something about the education over there!" knew I shouldnt have. He lost it completely. I though was so funny but after 3rd abusive comment.....release.....much to the amusement of my manager who had been listening in and recording in tears laughing.

There is many more, Some just pure stupid but most calls ended up with me being called every name under the sun. One funny was was ag colour blind man and the half deaf women putting a PC together, me trying to tell the colour blind man to get on the phone so the half deaf woman could see the colour cable goes into the colour port

Etc Etc Etc.

c - 13

Big Nelly wrote:

One funny was was ag colour blind man and the half dead women putting a PC together,

LOL

Dan133269

fair play c-13 that was class.
I used to work in Tesco giving out trolleys, but seeing as this was in an area where trolleys were often not returned and dumped everywhere, they had to bring in a 5 euro deposit for a trolley rule, and of course I had to explain this to the customers. There were 3 reactions
(i) regulars from the area who were fine and knew the system and even once or twice I got a tip
(ii)those who would literally look at me for 5 minutes thinking I was joking, and keep saying "ah good one, seriously how much for a trolley?"
(iii)people who thought it was the decision of a 16 year old secondary school student to charge 5 euro for a trolley and give me an earful as to how it was too much.
Nice insight into human behaviour though

ambro25

scouser.tommy wrote:

But when I finish college and have my fancy job I'm sure I'll get all the usual inverse-snobbery.

Then you should get out of your way to play on it and/or avert it

I can't say I've had any bad experiences such as yours Boardsies (some here are so bad they're really good! ), but then I did start as a general labourer on building sites way back when. I'm now a professional, after many years and qualifications.

All the same, since I can't be arsed to do the brand thing or grow my hair (I'll have grid size 1 coz it's in winter, 'ta very much ), needless to say I don't exactly portray/advertise the higher professional or wealth achievements when chilling in town at the week-end. Not that I'd want to, mind. I'm just me, reasonably fashion conscious, but conspicuous and not really bothered all the same: I drive a '97 Impreza because I want to, even though I could 'do' the 06 Beemer or Merc thing that seems so indispensable to professionals all over Dublin Hey, it's their ego and I can understand that

Whereby in some stores... many in Dublin center, actually (let's not talk about Dundrum/Liffey, wherein if you're not dolled up to the 9s for browsing in a mall, then surely you must be a lesser lifeform :rolleyes: ) I get the very exact reverse snobbery you Boardsies are referring to, e.g. "surely he can't afford to even look at them shirts, never mind buy one". 'Tis funniest when at its worst, whereby I'll take the time to get the offender to sweat it out and bring out everything, then be about as ignorant as humanly possible and get a colleague over to make the sale

[I do say please and thanks in McD and Tesco ]

The Hill Billy

Slightly different, but along the same lines...

As a young buck may years ago I was flying back to Dublin from Heathrow after a few days working in the UK. My company paid for a business-class seat & I was dressed casually - biker jacket & jeans. Anyhoo, when we landed in Dublin I got up to take my brief case from the overhead bin. I said quite clearly to the well-dressed businessman in the seat below - "Excuse me - Mind your head there while I get this out of your way."

He thought that he'd have a bit of a laugh & make sh!t out of a young lad who obviously shouldn't be travelling in the same section as a man of his own importance. He stood up & deliberately banged his head off my case. In a loud voice he said something along the lines of "You stupid, clumsy fool - you've just hit me! Idiot! I demand an apology!"

I explained quite clearly that I had already warned him that I was taking the case down & I was not going to apologise for his actions. He then launched into a rant about ignorant kids & looked around to see if anyone would back him up. No one did. I tried to leave, but he grabbed me & shouted that he insisted I apologise. Again, I point out that it was not my fault & that he should get over it. (At this stage the doors were open & no one could get off because he was hanging on to me & blocking the aisle. Passengers are getting p!ssed off & the cabin crew are getting edgy.) Little-Sh!t continues to rant & try to make me look like an eejit to all & sundry.

I'm pretty pissed off myself at this stage & consider delivering a swift smack, but am aware that there are rather harsh penalties for doing this on an aircraft.
To counter his ranting for all to hear I say, "Hang on! I know what the problem is!"
He shuts up - a bit taken aback.
"What's that?" says he.
"You haven't had a good ride in ages, have you? That's why you're an up-tight little sh!t."
Cabin crew & passengers crack up, Little-Sh!t picks up Financial Times & legs it.
Yours truly gets round of applause.
(And 2 miniature Jemmys from a stewardess on the way out.)

coffee_cake

Yeah, I used to work in mcdonalds when I was in the 3rd&4th year of my degree (theoretical physics ftw). The amount of people who assumed I must be stupid because I was working there was amusing.
As well as their own stupidity... "can I get a cheeseburger with no cheese" "can I get a latte with milk" "my artic coffee (coffee with icecream) is cold"... :rolleyes:

c - 13

Actually I was just thinking and this doesnt just happen between the customer/worker. Managers are notorious for it too (as another poster stated).

This was the cause of me leaving Dunnes when I was 18/19 in college. I got moved into the Cold meats/Deli area and the manager took a disliking to me used always get on my case.

The final straw was one day when he told me the chicken fillets werent laid out straight enough for his liking - not boxed ones mind, the bloody loose ones. At that point I told him to get fucked and where to stick his job. Only time I went back in was the next day to give my written notice to HR.

ambro25

Kind of reminds one really bad one many years ago, come to think of it. I'm sure I've posted this in motors already but wthell...

Years back, I was struggling to start a small business and shamelessly running one of my dad's company cars (his company = nothing to do with mine) to cut down my own overheads.

Just got my license at the time and was still a bit 'young' with the whole car thing -as we've all done :rolleyes:- and getting a bit of a rep for raising running costs/breaking things (mostly cars under me, mechanical/not crashes) at the local dealer...

Anyhooo - the car in question gets a service at said dealer, I picks it up and what do you know, 20 kms down the road (on the motorway, in a road works section and thick fog 75 meter visibility, actually), the engine blows up. Turns out the car had been serviced by a trainee, who'd replaced the driving belt and mounted it the wrong way around (go figure how :rolleyes:). So recovery guy tells me (that belt wrong way around), and my engine is a now big puzzle and it's gonna cost thousands to fix.

So I get car towed straight back to garage, have a moderately 'gentle' go at them for their mistake, demand they fix for free and gets them to call my dad to pick me up. Then to my utter amazement, the car guy proceeds to tell my dad that 'I've broken the car again' and whatnot - essentially, that it's my fault :eek:

Not really an object lesson, this, but straw & camel back connection = big reaction. About the size of a transit van in their dealership main window

So there, in reply to OP - people have a go at me undeservedly, my reaction is usually disproportionate. And f*ck the consequences.

Mr Magnolia

Done some electrical maintenance when I was going through college.

There was a table of about 18-20 people in the local one night, they were all sound bar 1 woman who had serious 'airs and graces' about herself (they're all from Belfast, try and imagine the accent).

"Can you come and look at my toilet there's an awful smell coming from it."

To which I immediately replied " It must be what ever your putting into it" and walked off.

It took her a moment to realize what I'd said as the rest of the table went into hysterics laughing.

Beetlebum

c - 13 wrote:

I'd say nearly everyone has come across people like that sometime in one or more of their jobs.
Long one here lads.
I used to work for a well known hardware store franchise, some really really ignorant customers but some really sound ones too. Anyway one sunday evening during the summer this old cow comes in with her daughter and son at 5.55, starts wandering around (place closes at 6). Decides she wants a BBQ worth about €700 manager asks me to get one. Went to the stock room, none left, came back said so she starts off at me saying "Your only not getting one because its your finishing time blah blah blah", called the manager, showed him we were out of stock, he tells her and she demands the display one at a reduced price.
After a bit of argument the manager agrees to give it to her, but shell only take it if it works so we had to get a gas cylinder and demonstrate it working. Then it wont fit in her car so it has to be taken apart. We explained to her it was "sold as seen". As I was taking it apart she was making smart ass comments to the son and daughter about "people working in these kind of places".
Finally got it apart, boxed, no one else around so I ask the son to give me a hand with the box, the thing was nearly 50KG, the whole family looked at me like I asked him to suck my dick or something.
Wouldnt carry it with me, got a trolley got it to the car. Put it in no thanks or anything. So I told them I forgot to give them the user manual, and helped myself to a few hard to replace screws and the starter wire (hard to replace) when I put the manual in.

She was on the phone the next day crying about how it wont go together, the manager told her that she must have lost something as it was all working when it left here.

Moral of the story
c - 13 : 1
Snotty Cow : 0 and minus €700

//Feels good to get that rant out

Fair play to ya....that's a f*cking great story. I hope she had a big bbq planned that all fell to **** aswell: )

c - 13

Beetlebum wrote:

Fair play to ya....that's a f*cking great story. I hope she had a big bbq planned that all fell to **** aswell: )

LOL, yeah she was mouthing off to the kids about great uncle cecil-on-thynesborough-somesuchwhat* coming over from england and stuff so I think it could have been a family event. I bloody hope so anyway.

* May not be actual name

Beetlebum

You can be damn sure her kids will grow up to be narrow-minded brats aswell, Jesus I pity her poor husband!!

I was working as a waitress a few years back in a restaurant/bar in town. We got paid cash in hand on a weekly basis. After my first week in the job my boss hands me my wages in an enevelope. When I got home I opened it only to discover €150 plus a post-it saying 'I.O.U €150'. That's all it said!
The next day I went into work and confronted my boss. He actually had the audacity to act as if he knew nothing about it. His exact words were 'Sure there's no signature or anything on that, you could have written that yourself'. There was nothing I could do about and I remember feeling so helpless and cheated.
F*cking charlatan....I called him a wanker and told him to shove his job up his tight ass...grrrrr...prick!!

Big Nelly

c - 13 wrote:

LOL

Yeah classic, she sounded half dead but was only half deaf

c - 13

Big Nelly wrote:

she sounded half dead but was only half deaf

I know how it is, was she one of the ones that tells you no need to shout when you raise your voice so she can hear you ? I bloody hate that.

Gordon

Ouch at the IOU, love the BBQ story though!

I worked in a recording studio when I was younger and was on a session with a couple of producers that are pretty good at making people famous by writing catchy pop songs for them.

A particular English soap star came in to show off her demo song in hope that they would take her on and turn her into a music star. I, being the runner at the time - did my job of making tea and coffee for everyone.

I brought in a massive tray of cups, teapot, coffee, sugar bowl, milk jug, biscuits and brought it into the studio. They were listening to this girls demo song, which sucked to be honest, and her voice wasn't great either. So I went to put the tray on the desk and suddenly the song stopped playing. I was struggling with the heavy tray so I didn't quite notice the song had stopped. Then I realised that I had clicked the stop button with my knee as I was putting the heavy tray down.

"Aww, ****'s sake, watch what you're doing there" she said, quite snidely. It wasn't quite a "You must be a" phrase but she showed quite an obnoxious side to her towards an underling like myself.

So she left and the conversation afterwards was centred on the way she spoke to me, I told the guys that it didn't bother me but they decided not to take her on because of the way she acted. I think they were in two minds originally but the mild verbal abuse tipped them over the edge.

Dan133269

Ambro, that took serious balls fair, play. What happened afterwards did they bring you to court?

Zambia

Excellent thread Dragan ...

I worked as a doorman for a while and hated moving people out at the end of the night. The worst was I approached a couple sitting at the bar which I had left for a while. They looked like some work colleagues , and the bloke was making a move for the first time. I was thinking to myself give him a chance to get some where while the music is off. So after clearing everyone , I went up to him and asked politly could they move to the door.

He looked at me sniffed and made a "talk to the hand"(put his palm up) gesture that actually touched my nose and ignored me completly.

More than annoyed , I lowered his hand and said "Mate you been trying all night if it hasnt happened now it aint gonna happen , now please move towards the door and let the staff tidy up" !!

Personnally I would love to work back in the service industry but my mortgage wont let me !!!

marcsignal

I worked as a rodent exterminator with one of the big companies for most of the 90's.
In 1992 i was called to a very posh restaurant in the city centre (which I cant name, but it was on Chatam St.;) )that had a rat problem because of nearby construction.
We began treating the premises with rat poison and sticky boards to trap the little bstd, but there were so many food scraps around the kitchen floor that the rat wouldn't eat the bait.
Consequently the problem dragged on for over 2 weeks. At this point the manager was having a 'hissy fit' calling us every day.
When i tried to explain what the problem was, she berrated and insulted me in the kitchen in front of her staff and more or less told me to stop making pathetic excuses etc etc, and said in the most condescending tone :

"what the f*ck would you know about a rodent's lifestyle preferences? you're just The Rat Man"

I promptly left and reported the incident to my supervisor, who then told the manager on the phone the next morning (when she called us whinging as usual) that under NO CIRCUMSTANCES would ANY of our technicians deal with her problem unless she apologised to me personally in front of her staff.

The next morning SHE ate humble pie, and had to follow my instructions to the letter about cleaning the smelly kip up.

12 hours later the rat was as dead as the crab meat on their menu.

sometimes Little Hitlers need their own 'untergang' to take them down a peg or two, and it pleased me enormously to do so i can tell you

imeatingchips

I worked in [big burger chain] when I was a young lad (16 or so). One day and the place is jammers and in between it all I got some oul lad's order messed up. This was an eat-in order so he's at the counter with the tray so it's not as if he had to come back for it or anything.

Anyhoo, I said "oh very sorry about that" and turned to get him the missing [signature burger] and he says out real loud "fuc*in stupind c*nt. can they not get anything but thicks and retards to work in here".

I was feckin BULLING. I'm by no means thick (but even if I was, I wouldn't be able to help it anymore than if I could if I was born with an IQ of 200??) but one thing's for sure, I'm certainly not thick enough to abuse the person who's getting my food.

You now what happens next... I give the nod to my comrade in the back and say "can I get a fresh [signature burger] here please" and the cleverest man in the restaurant got the juciest burger he ever had in his life.

The moral of the story is: NEVER bite the hand that feeds you!

Zambia

imeatingchips wrote:

You now what happens next... I give the nod to my comrade in the back and say "can I get a fresh [specialist double burger] here please" and the cleverest man in the restaurant got the juciest burger he ever had in his life.

The moral of the story is: NEVER bite the hand that feeds you!

should have given him a complimentary milkshake

ambro25

Dan133269 wrote:

Ambro, that took serious balls fair, play. What happened afterwards did they bring you to court?

Nah, (company) insurance job. I 'underestimated' the length of the van, see...

marcsignal

imeatingchips wrote:

[specialist double burger]

Brilliant !!:D

ferdi

TheGooner wrote:

I was working in a video store....Anyways long story short after proving every single way possible that the dvd was late, she turned around and told me that I didnt know what I was talking about being just a shop girl. She turned around and said she had a degree in english and who was I to ask her for her fine..

i have this image of the woman spinning around in circles as she complians

:rolleyes:

Degag

I'm a barman in a bar/ restaurant. One evening i served 2 families who were sitting together, but were paying seperately. Anyhow one guy came up to pay me, i went through the order and he told me what his family had and paid, no problems. The next guy came up, and by process of elimination he obviously had everything else on the bill. I added it up and gave him a receipt and the handwritten order sheet. He complained that the font on the receipt was too light (which it was) and that he couldn't read it. I pointed out that the totals on both receipt and order sheet were the same. He then told me to go through it with him. He found fault with it immediately. He did not have a childrens dessert and he had already paid for drinks on the bill. His friend had had the dessert and had neglected to tell me, and i am still certain to this day that he did not pay for those drinks. Of course the customer is always right and i apologised for the mistakes made. Most other peope would accept this, but this guy just laid into me with abuse, saying that i was trying to rip him off. Nothing was further from the truth, i didn't want is ratty €10. Needless to say when he came into the bar for the rest of the week he was staying he got a frosty service.