Apparently people in the service industry know fuck-all about customer service these days. Saturday night I head out with a short list of things to accomplish. First, the video store, where I’m greeted by a no-good, know-nothing weasel who is too busy on the phone to answer a question about a video game I’m renting for my son. Fuck it, I left empty handed. Next, to Meijer’s to look at a BB Gun for Junior’s birthday. I wandered for ten minutes to find help, HousewaresBitch tells me the sports department guy is out on his break and will be back in a few minutes. I wait. In the meantime, Manager FuckFace stops by to tell me Sports Guy is on his way back, he’s the only one with a key. I shuffle around and wait some more. Next thing I know the register is ringing away and I walk around the corner to see Sports Guy and Manager FuckFace waiting on a customer who just walked in (I’ve been there fifteen minutes). I park my basket next to the register and state (loudly), “Way the keep the customers happy, fellas” and walk out. Things are not going well.
Last stop, Arby’s, for a coupla roast beef sammiches and one of those new market fresh clubs. I place my order at the drive-through, pay at the window and collect my grub. I head home to watch the ballgame and eat and, lo-and-be-fucking-hold, no club sandwich. I take the entire order back (nearest Arby’s is ten minutes away) and ask to speak to the manager. I explain the situation, demand my money back and, on my way out the door, I ask her if she’s ever seen “Falling Down”. Manager MissFuckFace misunderstands (she thinks I’m chatting her up), and say’s, “No, I heard it was good though”. Fucking dimwit! I told her to rent it and be thankful that I’m a pacifist. My wife tells me I have anger issues. I tell her I’ll promise to be nicer if people will promise to be smarter.
If you “shuffled” yourself out of sight of the manager then you can hardly blame them for dealing with someone else first.
Over react much? You make a thinly veiled threat to come back and shoot up the place, because Arby’s screwed up your order? And she deserves to be call MissFuckFace for that?
Everybody has those days were evrything pisses them off and interaction with pea brains is all that takes place. The only thng to do is say fuck it, by a bottle of your favorite liquer and lock yourself in your house and enjoy the company of a more intelligent crowd. Or just get shit-faced, pass out, and try to forget about the crappy day…
I was at a particular women’s clothing store recently, looking for a specific top. I told a salesgirl that I’d seen the same shirt in brown in another store, and asked if they had any. She said she’d go and look in the back for me. So I’m waiting around, still looking at stuff, when I see that salesgirl and a coworker head out the door for lunch! I almost snapped right there, but instead I waited till she left and went up to the counter to speak to someone. I said “excuse me, I don’t want to be snippy, but one of the girls that just left was supposed to be helping me” and the girl replied “oh, I’m sorry, she’s just got a lot going on right now.” Okay that is NEVER a sufficient response! I don’t care how bad her day is, you don’t leave in the middle of helping someone. At least this last person was very nice and helpful, but ugh.
As much as I hate bad service (I’m a very young-looking 19, so I am treated like dogcrap that has learned to shoplift in many and/or most stores), I can’t help but agree with samarm that this was rather an overreaction, especially the bit about “Falling Down.” What did you WANT her to say? Leave out the “I heard it was good” bit? So you don’t think she should pass on the knowledge of others when she herself doesn’t know? I don’t get why you said “be glad I’m a pacifist.” Where you THREATENING her for having not seen a movie??? That’s way over the top.
You know, this is actually the kind of thing you see on the news, he’s actually lucky he didn’t get the cops called on him.
“Local boob soandso was arrested at a neighborhood Arby’s today after witnesses reported he was making threats. ‘He mentioned Falling Down, he was screaming, and all because we forgot his sandwich,’ said manager suchandsuch.”
Regarding the “be thankful I’m a pacifist.” remark: You know, for a man to say that to a innocent woman is pretty fucking nasty. Thats almost like saying “You’re lucky I don’t punch your face in for forgetting my sandwich”.
It’s a movie with Michael Douglas where he plays this guy who goes apeshit and starts killing people for really petty annoyances-like having to wait in line at the post office, or someone messes up his order at McDonalds or something.
but Jesus H. Christ on a Pogo stick, people. Life’s too damn short to let those petty things get to you.
While I agree that customer service is an oxymoron, it isn’t worth the rise in blood pressure to get bent out of shape over a missing sandwich or taking another customer out of order.
Take a deep breath and don’t shop at those stores anymore. If you want superior customer service, you aren’t going to find it at Meijers or Arbys. They survive because they are working on a very small margin with low paid help. Most of us don’t want to pay the price for superior service so we accept the dipshits behind the counter.
You know, I have to take exception to that extremely inaccurate description of Falling Down. It’s about a defense industry worker who loses his job and abandons his car in a traffic jam and walks around LA, getting into increasing mischief. He DOESN’T kill anyone except a neo-nazi who owns a surplus store, and that guy was trying to kill him.
The McDonald’s scene is merely a hissy fit over the fact that he can’t get a breakfast sandwich after 10:30 (or something). He scares the hell out of a Korean corner store owner who won’t give him change for a pay phone. He shoots the phone. The entire point of the movie is that he doesn’t do anything that bad, that his anger isn’t that unreasonable – except that it IS unreasonable, and potentially disastrous, for your own sense of entitlement to be your standard for other people’s behavior.
Sorry to nitpick further, but wasn’t the nazi guy just trying to cuff him so he could call the cops? I don’t remember him attempting to kill Douglas’ character. I could be wrong though.
