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Paperboy  Posts: 24 Joined: 6 Oct 2008     | |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1331 Joined: 30 Jul 2008  |
Pardon my random aside to say that you have an awesome first post. |
Paperboy Posts: 24 Joined: 6 Oct 2008 |
Thanks. I actually surf the Escapist forums often, but this was the thread that prompted me to make an account. I felt that, being my job relies on the public being thicker than concrete, I almost had an obligation to share my stories. I'm actually always very polite when I'm working, and answer every question seriously, and truthfully, no matter how ridiculous it may be. That is partly what helps keep me sane (...well...safe), and one of the few things that keeps me from getting fired, and banned from every place with a capacity of over 20 people. To illustrate my dedication to this work (I love doing it), I logged 151 hours at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival this year, out of a possible total of 160 hours. That means that in 16 days, with 10 hours each day, I took only 9 hours off. Bear in mind that you are only required to work 4 hours each day. THAT is why I am a zombie due to lack of sleep. I normally don't talk so badly about the people that I educate, but even I have to rant every once in a while. |
Infamous Scribbler  Posts: 605 Joined: 28 Jul 2008    |
Why didn't you keep them for you ? it's lost, and I doubt they were infected with teh ghey or some form of mental retardation... Reminds me also that it makes me boil when I see people open the bags of crisps, bottles of fruit juices and bags of candies they are carrying, even if they pay the whole price in the end when they check out, because I know there is always a certain chance they'll try to hide an empty bag somewhere n the shop. Either that, or when I want to buy a pack of candy bars I have a positive chance of grabbing first the one those morons have opened to get one or two bars, one of them probably will never be paid by the way... HyrdaZulu> Do they agree to sell you mice for your python in pet shops ? I recall an Alice Cooper roadie who had to argue for 20 minutes with a cashier until the manager came in and let him buy the mice for Alice's python... And I don't have a clue what's the official stance for pet shops regarding feeding snakes... Digitalpotato> gherkins is the yiddish name (in fact it's gherkele) for the big "kosher pickles" you put in sandwiches and hamburgers, it comes from the German Gurke, which means cucumber, and the recipe is not originally kosher, it's more or less malossol, a russian recipe for conservation of pickles in a mixture of saltwater, vinegar, onions and herbs. |
Paperboy Posts: 24 Joined: 6 Oct 2008 |
I buy my rodents frozen from a reptile shop. I simply thaw them out before I feed them to my snake, and she doesn't mind a bit. It's safer for the snake (live food fights back), and a more humane end for the mouse (co2 gas chamber versus snake). |
Anonymous Source  Posts: 7 Joined: 6 Oct 2008 | I used to work for a franchise called "Chick-fil-A", and one night I was working register with a friend of mine. So this guy walks in on his cell phone, and buys a chicken sandwich. First off, he complains that it costs $4, and how he paid $3.50 last time... he even spun the "monitor" around to make sure we weren't scamming him. So then he goes and sits down, makes a few calls, and starts eating 5 mins later. He takes a bite and looks unhappy. He goes up to the counter and starts complaining about how he thought that food here was "warm". I say: "No offense sir, but we saw you sitting their for quite awhile before you started eating. If you remember, you almost burned your finger when we gave you the order..." "I'm going to need to talk to your manager!" "He's not here right now, only the junior manager is here tonight." "Well get him!" "That would be me..." (Points to my name tag which says: "Junior Manager") Then he yells: Everyone in the restaurant had heard heard out argument. So these kids who had been throwing their trash out who were about to leave before we started fighting were just standing there. One of them turns around and says "What the FUCK?" College...... |
Paperboy  Posts: 43 Joined: 6 Oct 2008 | I used to work at a Pizza Hut. I was a cook, so I didn't get to see much customer interaction. I was tasked to assemble the pizzas, run them through the oven, slice them, and box them up. My store was in a certain part of town that had... ahem, people of the "Ghetto" persuasion often coming to the store. Well, one day I was busy at my station boxing up a gigantic order of spicy chicken wings. I believe the count was two boxes, 40 wings in all. A huge order. Well this customer gets my attention from behind the counter asking for her hot wings. Nobody else was at the counter and I had assumed that she had already paid for her order, as it had just came out of the oven. I was very busy, distracted, new employee, and also very tired. So, I gave it to her. She then takes her boxes and very slowly and leisurely walks out the door. I shrug and continue with my busy work. About three minutes later, the cashier and the shift manager approach me asking where the customer and/or the hot wings order had gone. I told them what had happened and they both RAN out the door hoping to chase her down or something. Thankfully I wasn't blamed for what had happened, or atleast all I remember. "OH NOES GET DA HOT WINGS!!" About a year later I was working at a Subway. Oh man, what a job. I had mountains of customer stories, but the best one I can think of is pretty short and sweet. I was waiting on a girl that looked like she was about 15 or so, no noticable handicaps or mental condition. Just a normal girl. "Ma'am, what size would you like your sandwhich?" "What size are there?" "Six inches, and a foot long." "..." "..." "Oh, ok. I'll take that one" |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1930 Joined: 15 Jun 2008     |
We couldn't- after I alerted my team leader, he recorded the loss and binned them- health and safety (apparently someone could have put ANYTHING in there, or could have necrotizing fasciitis or some such. I know it's unlikely, but them's the breaks.) |
Beat Writer  Posts: 138 Joined: 25 Aug 2008 | Working at Gamestop has brought me into contact with lots of stupid people, but I usually go about answering their stupid questions with kindness. After all, it is a gamestore... The hilarious part was, the head manager for all of California was visiting that day and helping out. He was the one helping her. Somehow, he was able to keep a straight face until she left the store. I, however, wasn't. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1930 Joined: 15 Jun 2008 |
I share your pain. I've had the same with calenders and diaries at work this week. And I work in the Furniture department. |
Beat Writer Posts: 127 Joined: 29 Aug 2008 |
Oh yep I know what Stir-Fry is. We just can't do it since we lack the proper equipment. (I actually know how to make that.) |
Beat Writer  Posts: 184 Joined: 6 Oct 2008    | Used to work in the grocery section of a Wal-Mart. Cops show up shortly, I'm still in crazy pain. They call an ambulance, but don't arrest the old psycho because she didn't know what she was doing. 2 days later, the same old lady comes into the store again. I see her, and lose it. I walk up to her, start screaming at her about what a bitch she is. She goes white, hits the ground. I call an ambulance and start CPR. Ambulance gets here and takes her away. Later that night, she died from heart failure. I was fired, but have never been happier in my LIFE. |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 605 Joined: 28 Jul 2008 | I fukken lol'd at your story ! You, good Sir, have all my consideration... |
Paperboy Posts: 37 Joined: 28 Dec 2007 | Sounds like you did the old lady a favor if she was that far gone. |
Paperboy Posts: 24 Joined: 6 Oct 2008 |
That's a sad ending, but I don't disagree with how you reacted. |
Beat Writer  Posts: 174 Joined: 18 Mar 2008 | Anyone who works in a restaurant knows that the customers believe your all one person, I work as a busser in NYC and il hear things like "hey, another glass of wine?" so I say "Sure!" and never see that person for the rest of the night. My friend who worked in a grocery store long ago used to just tell every person with a question "Three isles down and make a right", he said eventually he'd get as many people in the same isle as possible, to the point where it was a crowd of confused looking people. |
Beat Writer  Posts: 170 Joined: 30 Apr 2008 | I work at Best Buy (oh the glamour) and we beat the general public over the head with the fact that we do not work on commission, unlike Futureshop. There are commercials, buttons, it's in the flyer, we tell them when we do sales, just everything. One day, a coworker and I were helping a guy with a PS3, and he paused, looked at us, and went "Aren't you two going to fight over who gets the sale and the commission?" Me: No. 1)We don't work on commission. Then there are the countless "Oh, so you and futureshop are the same, right? Hrr hrrr.." http://www.notalwaysright.com has some hilarious quotes from the service industry. XD |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3137 Joined: 13 Aug 2008     |
Is it just me or are people saying "good sir" and giving people stuff in a spoiler alot more than they used to? I wish I had a work story, but my job is looking after mentally hadicapped kids, so telling you about anything stupid they did would just make me look (and feel) like an asshole. I do get some real bastards when I take them places though. People who think they can come over and ask them questions to undermine their inteligence. I would like to think of myself as a fairly non violent person, but I want to beat the crap out of them. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 1595 Joined: 29 Mar 2008   | not two hours ago i took a call from an adviser who needed help sending email i nearly cried |
Beat Writer Posts: 174 Joined: 18 Mar 2008 | From working in the restaurant business for many years, I have a load of stories, one that sticks out in my mind was when I was running food at a classy place on the upper west side, of NYC. The food runners would put down the food then offer fresh pepper via a pepper grounder we kept in our back pocket (it was like a light saber to me). So I offer it to one guy, mid 20's, kinda vacant lost in the woods and scared look on his face, and he says "Oh no, il just have crushed red pepper". and then signaled to the pepper already on the table, "unless this is it", "no sir, that's black pepper", "oh, okay". So, it's nyc, and I move FAST, even faster than most, most times I decide to ditch the special request, but, I had time, so I went, down stairs, through the kitchen, down again through the prep kitchen, past a tiny ass space where 5 guys are working to prep food, through this tiny stock area (have to bend over to pass under the low ceiling), pull out the crushed red pepper, put it in a ramekin, and run it back up stairs to the table. So I get there and put it on the table and he says, "Oh, what I actually meant was fresh pepper", man did the two girls sitting with him look at this guy like "you fuckin' retard", I don't know if that guy ever got laid again. I got a hundred, if anyone wants another, let me know. |
Beat Writer  Posts: 187 Joined: 8 May 2008 | My most rescent one is working at target. And for the record we have to wear red shirts, and brownish pants. everyone that works there. And you have a name tag, and it has your name, and generally if you have a special position that too. ----- Now I was in electronics and well it sucks, people really wont accept the fact that you know what you're doing. although the 12 pages here testify to that. Anyway, I'm near the end of ym eight hour shift about to take my last 15, and this 20 something guy comes up to the boat and says simply that his PS3 is broke and he demands I get him a new one. Now this sort of thing happens all the time, however someone else deals with it. So I ask him whats wrong, and he tells me it wont play his games. I immediately think of this thread and figure he's an idiot and he put a 360 game in there or he genuanly has a problem. SO I ask him exactly how it didn't work, tunrs out he had bought it here and when he set it up, it didnt play his PS2 games he had at home. Which is a genuine "feature" for series 2's I tell him that the series 2 wont play PS2 games, and like a switch he goes from annoyed customer to I'm going to kill you it's your fault. "WHy the hell do you sell PS3's that dont play backwards PS2 games. Thats the stupidest shit I ever heard." Now right there my friend nate comes in, and gets him to leave. We alk for a bit, and once nate picks up his games, and I ring him out, and say good bye this guy comes back. "Oh what you cant deal with me with out your faggot boyfriend coming in and saving you. I want a working PS3 now." I just was at the end of my shift, nof past my eight allotted hours, and was dealign with an asshole. "OK, I was lying earlier, your PS3 has the ability to play PS2 games you just have to talk to my TL, I'll call him over, he knows how to work them, you just have to tell him you either have an eye dee ten tee issue or a PEBKAC issue. He'lll know exactly what to do." I left and called justin over to the boat. Justin is the very large, homosexual, angry, electronics teamlead. He also knows exactly what ID10T and PEBKAC are. Now I wouldn't bring up the fact that Justin is gay except, that well, when I came in the next day he was being spoken to about hitting a guest. Now granted, he is openly gay and they made him take a two month no pay vacation, apparently he called nate a fag infront of him and he just knocked out the guy, and went into the break room, took his 45 and left. Point is, justin is awesom, and that guy with the PS3 hasn't come back. PEBKAC problem exists between keyboard anc chair. often accompionied by an ID10T virus. |
Gone Gonzo  Posts: 3903 Joined: 26 Feb 2008  |
Good argument in a thread titled "The customer is always WRONG!" |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 605 Joined: 28 Jul 2008 |
#1 It's partly my fault, I abuse the expression Good Sir as much as I can because I love how it rings. I'm a horrible word molester... #2 http://www.tard-blog.com << when even despair cannot save you... become an alcoholic... |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 3137 Joined: 13 Aug 2008 |
I asked because I too have been saying "good sir" alot. So I shamelessly assumed it might have been spreading because of me. And I'm not even going to bother clicking on that link. |
News Room Contributor  Posts: 4866 Joined: 13 Feb 2008    | And people wonder why the Escapist is so full of angry posts... I'd pay money to hear some of Wilson/Nil's stupid forum-goers comments though ;) |
Late summer 200...7 i believe. I went into Hollywood Video, and picked out a movie. When I went to the counter, and gave him my card, he told me there was a $100 something late fee on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for Xbox 360, from January of that year. I said I couldn't pay that right now, and checked out the movie. Halfway to my car, I realized that I had sold my Xbox 360 late fall of the year before, after getting it fixed from the RROD. I would not have rented a video game for a system I didn't own anymore. Also, I didn't sell my Xbox 360 games until the February-March after the supposed video game check-in. I had owned Oblivion. I would not have rented a video game that I had OWNED at the time. Back to the "present", I returned the movie that I had rented a few days later, and asked the person at the register about the late fee for the video game, and he said he'd remove it for me. Very cool of him, considering I didn't even explain the above points to him yet. Does leave an interesting question in my mind, that I haven't solved to this day: How did this happen?
A stupid costumer story of my own is coming up, but first an explanation of what I do:
I volunteer for a group that goes around to various places (schools, events, etc.) and show reptiles and amphibians, teaching the public about them, and letting them pet them. I am one of the snake people. We sit, holding snakes, and answer questions, and allow people to pet the snakes. My job wouldn't exist if the general population had the accumulated IQ of anything smarter than a grapefruit. My primary snake that I work with, and bring to places, is my personal pet Ball Python. She is about 2 feet long, and very laid back.
Here is an answer sheet, covering the most common questions and comments that I have to deal with:
-Yes it's real. I don't spend over 200 hours a year, VOLUNTEER, going around to places, and dealing with THESE sorts of people, with a fake snake. My life may be pathetic, but even I have better ways to kill time before my end.
-No, it's not poisonous. I would not be owning it, holding it, bringing it to highly populated places with no barriers between it and the population, or letting people pet it, if it was.
-No, this, a Ball PYTHON, is not poisonous. Which rock do you live under, again? I hope it's warm there.
-Yes, it does bite. CONSTANTLY. Can't you tell, by how it's just sitting there, sleeping (viciously)?
-Yes, it CAN bite. It has a mouth. I'm more likely to bite you than she is though (especially considering how my respect for the patron is spiraling down towards the ground at terminal velocity, by now, and my practically infallible temper is beginning to flare.).
-No, I'm not concerned about her eating me. (Keep in mind we're talking about a 2 foot 4 and 1/4 inch long snake, that is just over an inch thick.)
-No, the 2 foot long snake cannot kill you from 30 feet away. There's no reason to stand that far away, especially since you just plowed through 5 people running away after you spotted me. The table between where I'm sitting, and where you are is longer than the snake itself. You could stand as close as you possibly could, and you'd still be safe.
-No, it's not slimy. If it was, I would be soaking wet.
-(At the Renaissance Festival) (Usually exclaimed from women, but i've heard variations from both genders) KEEP THAT FILTHY THING AWAY FROM ME! (S/he obviously doesn't see the humor in his/her statement, let alone the fact that I washed my hands more times in the past few hours than you have in the past 2 days, simply because it's the RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL.)
Keep in mind that as I'm writing this, the vicious Ball Python mentioned is curled around my neck, dozing (viciously).
So there you go. My job 1.)Relies on people being stupid, 2.)Requires me to spend hours and hours talking to said stupids, and 3.)Is something that I don't even get paid for. I do it because I want to educate people, reducing the number of stupids in the world.
There are parts that I really enjoy though. Convincing somebody who is deathly afraid of snakes to come up and pet one, then talk with them for about 10 minutes, and watch as they walk away with a smile on their face, is something that makes this job worth it. There's always the intelligent people (Usually 1 or 2 a day), that are actually fun to talk to. Talking with them is an absolute joy. There are also the people, while not particularly intelligent, are not stupid either. The thing that makes them not stupid is the fact that they ask real questions, some of which actually challenge me. It's a nice brain exercise, and the only thing stopping my mind from atrophying (sp?) away from lack of use (thanks to automated responses, and general autopilot, brought on from lack of sleep).
Apologies for the poorly formatted post. I pretty much just wrote things down as they spewed forth from my demented, twisted mind.