Rude Customers

fedupnow

A few years ago I went to my local Tesco to pick up some photos from an old film I found in the kitchen drawer. (Don't try telling me you haven't got a kitchen drawer filled with old junk - I don't believe you.)

Anyway, I was really looking forward to seeing what was on the film and trotted along to stand and wait (patiently) to be served. Nobody else was waiting, just me. I heard some giggling so moved along the counter so I could see through a door 'into the back'.

There were 3 members of customer service staff looking through and laughing at some photos. I waited and watched until one of them spotted me.

1st woman - "oh !!!!, look we've got a customer." (gives me a look of pure irritation)
2nd woman - "Tut ... !!!!!!! 'ell"
Me - I can hear you, you know.
3rd woman - "What do you want?"
I waved my slip in the air.
1st woman (more quietly) "Oh !!!!, hope these aren't hers."
lots of giggling and faffing about as photos were returned to envelope.
3rd woman, comes over and snatches the slip out of my hand and takes it through 'to the back'. All three were now out of sight and giggling like 8 year olds.
3rd woman returns with my photos.
Me - "Well, were they mine that you found so amusing?"
3rd Woman - "Do you mind, the back room is private, staff only."

Excellent service at my local Tesco.

Lirin

Drop in a complaints to their customer services

Googlewhacker

Lirin wrote: »

Drop in a complaints to their customer services

If you are on about the post above a few years down the line is a bit late........

fedupnow

Lirin wrote: »

Drop in a complaints to their customer services

naaaaa - I thought it was funny.

Still do.

I don't think it was my photos they were laughing at though - mine were all black.

Gemmy_2

Comyface wrote: »

I've never worked in a supermarket, but laughing at 'stupid' customers gets me through. And being super sweet to them winds them up a treat when you refuse to rise to their bait, lol.

I work in a hotel and this is exactly what i do.
The thing is with customers if they spoke to me nicely I'd be more than happy to co-operate with them and pretty much do what they want me to do.

At least from working in an environment where you provide a service for customers your slightly more understanding to other people who also do. Hence the fact i never get irate with things, i talk calmly until my problem is sorted. Apart from Indian call centers. I can't understand them and they can't understand me. Downwards spiral effect.

shelly2jn

I'm sorry, I'm going to have to disagree here. I work in a so called low end supermarket part time. I also work full time in a reasonably well paid job. I choose to do my part time job to save to put my super bright daughter through uni. (She's 14 and wants to be a doctor) It also helps pay for the nice things in life like our holidays to Florida without having to save from our full time pay. I have an IQ of 142, 10 GCSE's, 4 A-levels and a degree. I would hardly call myself the lower end of society. Sweeping generalisations about retails workers are plain wrong. The person serving you may be putting themselves through school or they could be someone like me. There isn't one member of our staff that I would call unintelligent. Oh and just as a side note, I enjoy my retail job for the most part. I particularly enjoy seeing the look on customers faces when the realise that I am an intelligent person who won't take their abuse and thanks to my degree, is very well versed on the sale of goods act!

ciderwithrosie_2

DH has worked for Tesco for the last 15 years. I hate the way he and the other staff get treated by customers. He's got so many stories that'd make you cringe about bad behaviour from customers. One Christmas, despite already apologising (for something that was beyond his control anyway) he got laid into by an old lady just because the milk she wanted hadn't arrived yet. He said he wouldn't have minded but she had one of those 'old lady handbags' with the hard corners she was swinging at him!:eek:
Resent the comment 'you don't have to work there' no he doesn't but needs must and most people would rather be working and have pride in that and so they should given the cr*p they have to deal with and not get paid for.

kirstle99

woody01 wrote: »

Congratulations on your 'very good job'......How is McDonalds btw

I am very offended by this remark. I work at McDonalds and I work very hard. It's not all about 'burgers and pop', just as Tesco (which I have also worked at in the past) is not all about the people serving you on the checkout.

I can honestly say that working at McDonalds is the best job I have ever had. They are flexible with people who have children, they actually reward you for hard work, and they value their staff.

Someone has to work in places like this, and I think it's very rude to make assumptions about their social background etc because of their job. (I already have 1 degree and I am studying for a 2nd so I don't think that fits me into your category of a low under-educated background now does it).

It seems to me like you have made these comments to get a reaction and you enjoy seeing others getting angry about them, thus making you feel like you are somehow above us all.

fedupnow

shelly2jn wrote: »

I'm sorry, I'm going to have to disagree here. I work in a so called low end supermarket part time. I also work full time in a reasonably well paid job. I choose to do my part time job to save to put my super bright daughter through uni. (She's 14 and wants to be a doctor) It also helps pay for the nice things in life like our holidays to Florida without having to save from our full time pay. I have an IQ of 142, 10 GCSE's, 4 A-levels and a degree. I would hardly call myself the lower end of society. Sweeping generalisations about retails workers are plain wrong. The person serving you may be putting themselves through school or they could be someone like me. There isn't one member of our staff that I would call unintelligent. Oh and just as a side note, I enjoy my retail job for the most part. I particularly enjoy seeing the look on customers faces when the realise that I am an intelligent person who won't take their abuse and thanks to my degree, is very well versed on the sale of goods act!

To be honest, it doesn't enter my head to consider how well qualified or intelligent the person serving me is. Some of the rudest people I know are incredibly clever. Some of the daftest are lovely.

When I am a customer I do expect a certain standard of service. The incident I wrote about above was an example of, what I considered to be, poor service. Even though I thought it was funny. I have more .

I could also give many examples of staff, in the same store, being nothing other than polite and helpful .

I'm not sure claiming that you are all super clever is enough to convince me you offer nothing but excellent service. I'm not saying you don't .... I have no idea, but telling me 'but I have a degree' is not going to make me think, 'oh well, she must be right then.'

Lirin

Sorry fedupnow, didn't see the 'few years' part of your post!

I agree- the topic is about rude customers/ poor customer service, not base generalisations and class distinctions. It's manners being discussed, and I've seen some incredibly rude people- and they're not the 'lower end of society' always....