So no, I haven't yet been shot or killed by a dumbass constitutional carry idiot customer. I'm still here. Plus I got a raise so I'm making 13/hr now, pretty kickass. I guess after all the shitheads I've had to deal with, management likes my style. I recently had at least three memorable customer experiences. So for content's sake, let's have at 'em.
"Indecision 2023"
So about two months ago I get some lady who's pretty rude, kinda smells, in the drive through. She gives me a oral history of what she needs and how she wants it. Something like two orders and paying separately with a $20 and exact change for the one she wants. So chicken is taking a little while to cook after the rush we had. It takes about 15 minutes to fully cook.
So I decide I try to help her out and tell her about the wait, I get her the drinks. Around the time it comes up to the end of her wait and I box up the order she changes both orders last minute. So she gets all aggro and shit because I tell her I'll have to cancel the previous two orders I just fulfilled for her and charge her the right price for the meals she now wants.
She was on her break, supposedly, and had to get going and so she's all pissed. Stuff like that is confusing. I told you there would be a 15 minute wait. You knew that, you dumb cow. She wasn't fat or anything but she had the intelligence of one. One of our less than stellar employees had heard from the customer I was attempting to help, that I was being rude in some way.
He felt it necessary to tell me four times. I don't know why that was the magic number for him, but there it was. I told him, there was no way I was being rude. I'm not the one who goes to drive-throughs and fucks with employees for (possibly) psychosexual domination fetish reasons. He promptly shut up. I'm already frustrated by this dumb game this lady is playing.
Ultimately I get her previous orders voided, get the cash back out of the register. I enter the new orders, cash out, get orders made and bring them back to her. I give her the change all mixed, not that it matters as she can see the change on each receipt and hopefully she can count past 5. But still even this is enough to get her still pissed off rage going.
I walk away knowing a I did all I could. All the while her stupid words getting quieter and quieter.
***
It takes a lot for me to respond with the same vitriol. I only ever
once got that pissed off at a customer. But I make it a point not to let these mediocre excuses for human beings get that out of me. I'm better than them. And by that I mean, I'm better than the people who litter blatantly, complain about prices, curse out employees, and do all manner of over-entitled behavior as though even God is blind to their actions.
That's how I'm better, I'm not them, they are not me. 80% of our customers are pretty good about asking for what they need politely and paying promptly for it.
***
"Compensation Nation"
Another was a guy with a big ass truck. Guy was a total stereotypical Deep South type. Except he was Latino. Anyway, he makes two orders and all the while emphasizing I give him the biggest pieces and give him extra pieces without paying for them. I tell him I'll give him the best pieces I could get. But I can't give him extra if he won't pay for them. I let him know I'm not risking my job because he won't pay.
I figure if he has a big ass truck that he obviously threw money into, unwisely, then he had plenty to pay for anything extra. He tells me there's a big fat tip waiting for me if I do what he commanded. I make it point to tell him I can only try to get him the pieces he needs that he paid for. He's not too bad at this point. Annoying prick, if you ask me though.
I bring him back his order eventually and he looks at the boxes and says to keep the change, I think was along the lines of 83¢, "ya ken keep dat shit!". He then revs his engine all pissed that he didn't get extra like he wanted. As I was walking away I heard, "FUCK". He proceed to partially run over a traffic cone we have to keep order amongst the cars in the drive through lanes. He then gives the birdy and drives away.
Upside to this encounter was the adorable Yorkie dog in the cab, reminded me of my dog when she was still around. I had felt conflicted about that poor little dog, a good well behaved dog should have a better owner. I hope he didn't take his anger on the dog. I just remember feeling bad for the dog.
Our traffic cone bent back into shape no problem. So no tears over that haha.
"Fat lady"
I couldn't muster enough creativity for that one. This one was basically a big lady who couldn't order concisely. She wanted a custom drink, but I accidentally rang her up for two. She attempted to tell me I got it wrong. But I showed her my notes as I wrote them down as she told me. So she got pissed, but I told her it was no big deal to refund her by a $1.50.
Then she had a problem with a chicken sandwich that she insists she didn't order. I tell her I wrote down her order exactly as she gave it and she starts bitching and throwing a fit about it. I then tell her to keep the sandwich so she can shut up. I tell my manager she's still having problems. Manager attempts to help her out, since the fat ass lady now insists on a refund.
But it is revealed that the fat lady let one of her kids eat the sandwich. Not much I can do about that. So the charge stays. The lady attempts to throw me under the bus to my manager. But my manager of course knows I've done my best to help this beached whale of a woman. She interrupts the fat lady and says "there's no need for that, ok. You'll be refunded for the items."
Fat lady got shutdown hardcore. Manager fucking won the day on that one. I know I had my issues with this job at first, but having managers who know you're a good worker and coworkers who are great make all the difference. I might just be some autistic 30-something but the fact that they gave me a chance through the long run really makes me feel good not to be treated like an "other". Also the tips are really good.