Category: Customer Experience

So, today a woman and her son (around 3-6 years old) came into the store I was working at today. I know I’m probably being a little childish, but I don’t care. That lady can go stuff her head in a chamber pot filled with the smell of week old urine. I don’t wish her worse just because she had a late toddler-aged son with her who didn’t do anything to me. But yeah.

So, I’m at the register busy doing what, I can’t remember. But point was that I was busy enough to not be able to help her immediately. So, the other employee took care of her, and I thought her transaction would be complete by the time I was done so I put her entire existence out of my mind. She no longer existed to be helped. Few moments after I’m done, I think I hear someone yelling so I look around and the female dog is at the last register looking at me. So, I walk on over to her and ask her if she wants some balloons because she’s standing in front of the register in front of the balloons and not at the first register, WHERE I WAS AT. So, fine. She then proceeds to tell me she wants a Spider-Man balloon so I take it out. Then, I ask if she wants any other balloons, and she says that she wants the happy birthday balloon, “like I told you” she says. Here, I get a little irked because I think to myself [Female dog, I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but you sure as death didn’t say anything about no “happy birthday balloons” to me. Literally had to ask you if you wanted balloons in the first place], but ok. I ignore that little crazy-talk comment she made there. So, I grab the balloon and start asking again if there’s any other balloons she wants and she starts asking me about how the color of the balloon doesn’t match the color scheme of the spider man balloon, right? [Lady, just pick one and tell me. Don’t ask me about whether it matches. I didn’t even know how to match my clothes for the first 13 years of my life.] Anyways, I tell her no and she decides she doesn’t want the balloon, so I put the happy birthday balloon back. When I go back to the first register, I see there is a two l person line so I take care of the first person and she proceeds to skip the second person. I usually tell the customer that is skipping that there is a line and to go to the back, but this time I just wanted her to leave quickly, so I said nothing when the customer just let her pass without saying anything.

After I ring her up, I go back to the helium tank and start blowing the Spider man balloons up. I now see there is suddenly a longer line, about 5-7 people. I, slightly panicky because of the line that is steadily growing longer, inflate the balloons and give them to her.

Here’s where she really got on my nerves and I slightly become confrontational. I handed her one balloon and she begins to tie the balloon string. I’m still holding my hand towards her, still clutching the second balloon. And she’s taking her sweet time tying the balloon string. All the while telling me absentmindedly, perhaps, that it’s my job to tie the string to make it easier for her to hold the balloon. I’m really irked now, because no, that is not my job. You can hold the balloon perfectly well without a beautiful, intricate knot. But, whatever. I ignore her comments because I don’t like talking more than what is considered politely necessary when I’m at work. As I’m holding the balloon, I notice the line is growing steadily longer, so I put a heavy object on the balloon string and start walking towards the first register where I’m logged into. She then begins to yell at me saying “You’re not done here. This is your job. You’re supposed to tie the knot.” And I can no longer ignore her absolutely self-centered comments and start arguing like the 20 year-old child that I am.

I start interrupting her complaining by walking towards the first register and telling her in a very dismissive and rude voice that that isn’t my job and when she says the same annoying thing again, I repeat the same thing I said back. “No, that isn’t my job.” Because it’s true. My job is to ring you up, blow up the balloons, and give them to you. If you want some customized shit, do it yourself. That is NOT MY JOB. Fucking hell (gonna have to tag this for the curse words). I usually try to be neutral in all aspects, but this bitch really pushed my buttons.

I just feel bad for the kid now. The kid was just standing there and trying to help his mom out when she sent him to get my attention. Hope he grows up to be a better person than his mom… Customer that I was trying to help while she was being her useless and self-centered self was an older man who was pretty cool about it. I wasn’t being soft-spoken in my little outburst, so he heard the commotion and scoffed when he found out why she was showing signs of throwing a tantrum. Told me he agreed with me and that he couldn’t work at the place because he slapped someone who got rude with him. Really liked that dude. Cool dude.