Well thanks, each one of you, for naturally coming to the conclusion that I say or do each of those with the DeNiro “you talkin’ to ME?!?” demeanor.
In which case, I’d agree, the actions would be rude.
However, I often tend to be grinning madly on those occasions, and with the vague exception of the poor girl with the $10 bill, nearly all of the aforementioned transactions ended with BOTH parties smiling- and the one behind the counter usually wasn’t at the beginning of the festivities.
The kid taking the tickets for TMNT laughed so hard he couldn’t push the right button for a few seconds.
The last time I used the “four party” bit at the local Mickey-Ds, the old lady actually guffawed. She looked slightly embarrassed immediately thereafter. I asked “Feel better?” To which she replied, “Yes, a little.”
One memorable moment at the aforementioned Taco Bell included my getting a free drink. The guy actually said “Teeny usually gets a Mountain Dew, too” when he handed it to me… smiling.
So, I suppose you dour sourpusses with little or no visual inflection to go on, unable to hear the tone of voice and relying on forty-six pixels’ worth of expressions, want to naturally assume that I am constantly being an asshole.
So be it.
But that same attitude has frequently garnered small slivers of free services from those whom you assume I’m browbeating. And nearly all ended the transaction smiling.
Read Penn & Teller’s How to Play in Traffic. The section about the guy with the clown nose on his ID sums it up well.
Someone mentioned cashiers and/or servers not getting the point when asked for butter, or when asked if something would be served with real maple syrup. I think the problem is lack of training. Not everyone needs to be told these things, but enough do that a few minutes should be spent explaining some terminology points to new hires.
One thing to explain to them is that butter and margerine are not the same thing. If a customer specifies that he or she wants butter what they almost cirtainly mean is exactly what they said: butter. Meaning, not margarine. To a new employee who has called margarine “butter” all his or her life, this needs explaining.
It would also be a good idea to tell them what is actully in the syrup pitcher (or packets). It probably isn’t real maple syrup, but the new employee won’t necessarily know that there is such a thing; he or she may think questions about real maple syrup refer to “maple flavored” as opposed to, say, blueberry.
Re sweetener, I think one should assume that a customer asking for sugar actually does want just that, sugar. People who want Sweet n Low or Equal will presumably ask for them by name. I don’t think anyone ever asks for “artificial sweetener,” I think brand names are normally used. People who ask for something other then what they actually want have no one to blame but themselves.
I don’t know if I am really a cashier, but I do operate the cash register at work (that sounds odd I guess). Since I can get in deep trouble if I either short-change a customer or end up short in the register, I count money very very slowly, one bill at a time, and out loud.
Many people appreciate that, but every now and then I get someone who thinks I am mentally challenged or just out to irritate them because I do that. I think that is the case with most cashiers - they are simply following their company’s inane procedures and not trying to irritate you. Thankfully my employers don’t require me to ‘push’ sales at the register - which is what I suspect is the cause of a lot of irritation as well. If sales are not at a certain level, some anal retentive managers point the finger at the cashier who doesn’t suggest the supersizing and all of that.
A lot of people do mean “coke” for all sodas. I have had people use “Hershey’s” as a synonym for all chocolate bars, and I’m sure people do to that with all sorts of brand names. But I suppose people asking for a “coke” should just be given coke even if they mean something else, to teach them not to do it again.
Doc, if it makes you feel any better, I got what you were saying right away!
I have a few customers like that, and I just play along. There’s this one guy who will say, now, I get a discount on this, right. I get a hundred dollar bill back. My answer will be, “You have change for a million?” He laughs, because I play along and don’t act upset! Really nice old guy with one hell of a sense of humor.
He also says, “I get the preacher’s discount-if I don’t get a discount, I preach!” He’s just being funny, and it makes me laugh. Trust me, people with a sense of humor are highly appreciated. Especially as I am extremely sarcastic myself!
I laughed my ass off at Doc’s post. It made sense to me, because I hear that all the time. Paper or plastic, they’d say, “Give me tin!”
Maybe it’s just me, but a lot of customers are getting a lot nicer. I don’t have as many assholes. Maybe they’re finally waking up.
It sure beats the old, “oh, it must be free today!” GRRRR
Ah yes… Just wait 'til you get the customer who, when asked if he wants “paper or plastic”, insists on “Both, I’m bi-sacks-ual.”
It’s bad enough going to more trendy stores where, when asked the same question, the customer pulls out a cloth sack and says “neither, I have canvas.”
Thank you Guin, nice to know someone understands.
At an auto parts store where I’m well-known, I’ll say “I get my regular-customer discount, right?”
“Sure, for you we only jack up the price twenty percent before giving you the 10% discount.”
I once heard a guy in a Subway, when asked what he wanted on his sandwich, said “Got any Umlaut?”
Tengu: Nope, you wouldn’t annoy me a bit. As I said in my second post, I don’t mind being asked a second time for clarification, and reading back the order after it has been entered, as my wife is required to do at McD’s, to me makes good sense. It is just being asked to repeat the same, simple, clear request several times that gets on my nerves.
The local Safeways had a program for the last year or so (may be still going on) where they ask me, 6’2" 230 lbs white male about 40 if I want some help with my one bag of groceries out to the car. Because I use my tracking card to get a discount, they call me “Mr. White”, which is my father’s name. Anyway, I’ve taken to saying that I sure would like some help out to the car. To the credit of these teenagers, they ignore me. My faith in humanity is restored. My faith in corporate idiot marketing geniuses remains rather low. Their instructions to their cashiers are insulting twice (assuming I like to be called Mister and that I am too decrepit to carry my own groceries), and invading my privacy by making me use an id card to get a discount. Fortunately, their teen and union employees are not the complete idiots they are.
