I just read zev_steinhardt’s thread about belt-shopping.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{zev}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
When I got to the asinine clerk’s unforgivable, firing-worthy comment, I stopped reading and said aloud, “Oh, please, tell us you sought out the manager. Don’t let this be another of those threads about someone being shit upon by a ‘customer service’ ‘person’ and just taking it.”
Unfortunately, it was.
Now, zev, I’m not criticizing you, nor anyone else. But my heart breaks when I read these threads. It’s another little death for society every time a worker acts like that and doesn’t get called on it.
[Rilchiam raises gavel]I don’t want to read any more OPs of this nature that end with “So I left”. I want to read threads that end “So I went back the next day and Asshole Worker was not there, and the workers who were present utterly fawned over me.” I want you people to speak the fuck up the next time someone disses you. You’re the customer. Don’t react passively by merely depriving the store/company of your business. Make your voice heard.[/Rilchiam bangs gavel and glares ferociously]
To be honest I don’t know I damn thing about you or Zev(other then the fact he manages my fantasy baseball league). But the reality of life is that you can not fight every battle of morality that presents itself. Now I have probably been in more verbal and physical fights than damn near anybody around these boards, But there are just just times when you need to save your sanity and your freedom from jail, and just take the shit some worthless assmagot decided to deal out. It sucks monumental ass to do it when you have too, but a good way to deal with it is to suck it up and vent anonymously on a board like this. I can guess your OP was made with the theory of trying to impower and give support to someone so that they have the courage to stand up to bullshit. But most people who stick around here for awhile have the intelligence to to know when it is a battle to fight, and to know when the best approach is to whine and moan impotently, and go on with life.
is, indeed, the purpose of my OP. zev had a viable option right there; he would not have been risking life, limb, freedom or sanity. I was talking specifically of unacceptable customer service.
As I mentioned I know you had good intentions, but, to me, it came off as kind of condesending, as if you don’t give him the credit for know when to pick a fight, and when to let it go. But since he hasn’t posted his view as of yet(which has been like half an hour and he is probably asleep), then maybe you are correct in giving another degree of support , and I am wrong in questioning it.
Either way it’s a very subtle difference and probably not that important anyway.
About 10 years ago, I was working for a dinner cruise company in Hawaii. About once a week or so I’d have to work until 7:30, which meant that the building was officially closed, and they had one security guard who manned the elevator. Being a rather friendly sort, I got to know him slightly. One evening as I was leaving work, I met him as he was coming into work. We chatted for a couple of minutes, standing fairly close, then the next thing I knew he took hold of me by the shoulder, pulled me toward him, then kissed me on the cheek. I’m not sure what if anything I said to the guard (No, it wasn’t a ringing “How dare you!”, though I wish it was), but I certainly walked away shocked, offended, and somewhat freaked out. I called my supervisor who was still at work and told her what happened. I then called my fiance, who also worked as a security guard, asked him if he had ever kissed someone in the line of duty, then told him what happened (it was a good enough relationship that he knew jealousy was not an issue). My main concern was someone I barely knew well enough to say hello to and who would control my ability to leave my place of work had laid hands on me without my permission.
The following day (Monday), my supervisor and I reported this incident to the company which supplied security to the building and, by Friday, the next time I had to work late, the guard had been fired. The guard apologized to his employer, and his employer apologized to me, but AFAIK he never did explain why he kissed me. If he had still been on duty on Friday, my fiance who’s 6’2 and about 3 feet wide at the shoulders and another, larger friend were prepared to provide escort service. I’m sorry he lost his job, but it was a freaky encounter.
Here’s the thing: a lot of people do speak up regularly. They just don’t write about it. Lets face it, it doesn’t make a very good pit thread and it can sound self-congratulatory and smug - “Look what a good person I am” sort of thing. It doesn’t always, but I bet the fear of sounding that way has put off a fair few people from announcing their Deed of the Day.
When a person has chosen not to speak up, for whatever reason (and it might be something as simple as not having the time to), the negative emotions left over can be vented in the pit.
So it’s not that people aren’t speaking up, it’s just that mostly you don’t see when they do.
All I’m saying is, it hurts my heart to hear of someone being insulted, and the person who did so not being called on it. Especially when the person is a Doper.
Actually, the most likely reason Zev hasn’t posted to this thread is because today is Saturday, and, IIRC, he is an Orthodox Jew. He probably doesn’t even turn his computer on during the Sabbath, much less post to a message board.
For my part, I applaud Rilch’s desire to support her pals in this way. Depending on the circumstances, I agree with her. Speaking out and dealing with rudeness as it happens is a customer’s right. And I say this as someone who works in a service industry and therefore is on both sides of the situation at various times.
and Sunday was a holiday, so I was again away from my computer.
Richiam,
Firstly, thank you for your thoughts. In reality, there were two reasons why I didn’t raise a ruckus:
(1) I’m not a “ruckus-raising” kind of person. I’m the type who would rather blend in with the background rather than stand out. Sure, sometimes, it means that I keep my mouth shut when I should open it, but that’s the price I pay for my personality.
(2) Even if I had raised a ruckus, it still would not have accomplished anything toward my goal, which was to buy a belt. Regardless of what the sales clerk said, they still didn’t have a belt that would have fit me. Spending time and energy on a sales clerk who was rude was, IMHO, simply not worth the energy and time expendeture.
In reality, I had not expected such a reaction in the other thread and was simply looking to vent a bit (which is unusual for me. I’m ususally the type that holds it all in), and am a bit embarrassed at all the attention the other thread received. While I am thankful for all the kind responses, on restrospect, I probably should have kept my mouth (or keyboard, as the case is), shut.
And I could have started a full scale fight in the dairy aisle too. We should not forget that. For anyone who’s wondering I think my balls have returned to normal size and I won’t need any custom designed support devices.
Zev… I can see why you had a need to vent as the clerk in question was an assmunch of the highest order. We don’t want you to keep holding things in either as that can lead to people perching atop high buildings with high powered weapons.
Of course, every once in a while one may just has to say or do something to address a situation that was very obviously wrong.
That’s something we all have to decide for ourselves.
Rilchiam, obviously one has to take each situation individually. I don’t know that I would have done any differently from zev. I mean, really. One guy’s comment? Why bother causing a stink? Zev thought enough of it to post a thread here, but was it such a big deal that he had to say something? Apparently not. And then there’s the possibility that raising a stink would have exacerbated the problem - maybe the manager would have been on the employee’s side, maybe Zev would have been barred from returning, and so on. Sometimes complaining’s just not worth it.
And a lot of times those who do complain do so unjustifiably. These are the people who bitch and moan because they got coffee at 7-11, and it was HOT. Those of us who are Good People don’t want to be thought of as whiners, especially when there’s not a hell of a lot for us to gain.
Here’s some perspective, too. When I was young, I was picked on endlessly. Did I speak up? Yep. What do you think happened? I was labeled a “spaz.” I was told to “calm down.” Sure, it’s not quite the same as the situations you’re talking about with customer service, but one similarity is that one must weigh the consequences of “speaking up.”
And for the record, if I were incredibly wronged by an employee - not just a snotty comment, but seriously wronged - I would certainly speak up. Might not be right on the spot, but I’d do something.
zev, you made your decision, and I’m not going to question it. I just want to say this, since it seems that my intentions have been misinterpreted.
Asking to speak to the manager, and telling hir, “Your employee was rude to me” is not raising a ruckus or causing a stink. The clerk is the one who caused a problem. I myself think it would be worth the energy, for the sake of other customers who might otherwise get equally rude treatment, and for the sake of the store, who might otherwise continue to lose business.
The manager would side with the clerk? Well, I don’t live in Brooklyn. Maybe in order to get fired in Brooklyn, you have to physically assault someone.
You might not think it’s the same as causing a stink, but perhaps the manager would. Like I said, you have to weigh the consequences, and if you’re at a place where it looks like speaking up would be counterproductive, then you probably shouldn’t bother. Sometimes it’s easier just to shrug it off. In fact, if you get home and are still as pissed as you were at the store, then calling the owners of the company is certainly a good idea. By why say anything unless you’re convinced something positive will come of it?
dan, I just can’t wrap my mind around a situation where announcing that you, the customer, were treated rudely, could have negative consequences. I’ll just have to take your word for it that it’s possible. :smack:
In the meantime, here’s another point. The employee cursed! How did he know zev was okay with that kind of language? I once had a job where the manager told me, on my first day, “If you ever say a swear, out front where customers might hear you, even if they’re not right in front of you, you’re history.” Even if the exchange had been:
zev: Well, I need a 44, and you only have up to 42…This sure is some fine leather, though.
Clerk: No shit. They’re imported from Milan.
that’s still crude.
But again I say, zev made his decision, and that’s his business.
All I’m saying is that it’s best taken on a case-by-case basis. Let’s say it was a super-snobby mens’ clothier. If the customer doesn’t look like he’s worth a million bucks and the clerk makes a comment like this one did, I’d be willing to bet that the manager would side with the clerk, complete with a nose in the air and haughty “hi-yo, Silver!”
Now, I’m not saying that’s likely, I’m just saying it’s theoretically possible. You couldn’t think of a situation, so I came up with one.
And anyway, I’m not saying you’re picking on poor zev.
