I know it’s terrible work spirit, but I just had to gloat about how I got to show up a rude customer, and my manager supported me!.
He was one of those fat, end-of-middle-age men who think they should get special treatment over anyone else. As you all know, I work at a theatre. Our new combo offers those York Peppermint Patties, but we don’t have any in stock, instead we provide 2 other kinds of candies.
So, he orders this combo, and orders a Coke, getting minorly indignant when I ask him if Pepsi is okay instead. Then, I hand him a little pack of twizzlers, and he sneers at them: “I don’t like these. Your sign says Peppermint Patties.” So, I hand him a little pack of Jolly Ranchers, and he whines about not liking them either. I ask my manager (who is currently scooping popcorn because it was rather busy) if we have any more types of treats. We don’t, and he mumbles something about us misrepresenting ourselves. So I tell him politely that all combo treats are “subject to substitution depending on availability.”
Thinking he can show me up and prove that I’m just some insolent little punk, he puffs up not unlike a hairy blowfish and asks me where it says that. I turn around and run my finger under the (relatively) fine print at the bottom of the sign - those exact words. He glares at me and informs me that he’s very disappointed with our service. I refrain from rolling my eyes at him, and hand him his popcorn with a smile, and inform him where the straw/napkins.
Soon, he comes back and asks for my manager, again thinking to get me in trouble. I turn around and tell her he’d like to talk to her. He looks stunned and asks if any others are available, I guess he was hoping to talk to one who hadn’t been there during the entire exchange. She tells him essentially what I told him, and that we are in no way bound by the sign because of that clause. He then tells her he probably won’t be coming back here any time soon, and she tells him she’s sorry to hear that, but by her tone I’m not sure if she was sincere :).
He stormed into the theatre and I didn’t see him again. I was proud of how I handled the situation.
