The customer is sometimes a fucking asshole, trust me.
Why they feel the need to come into the store where I work and give me shit about the bread which was baked in the bakery where I work I have no clue.
If I was permitted to then I’d say “Get a fucking life.”
I guess it was my choice to work in retail so I bring it on myself.
I worked for a nationwide shoe store chain when I was in college (rhymes with “Shmayless”). We had some of the worst customers on the planet. I still remember the woman who yelled at us because she thought the shoes were ugly. My coworker’s response? “I’ll go have a talk with the elves, ma’am.”
Why are you using a rhyme to identify the company? Do you think that would protect you if they somehow saw your post and decided to sue you?
Honestly, I get what you’re saying, but , when I did retail/restaurant work in my 20’s, I never thought the customer was an ass for expecting decent service, and, knowing the basic product is really a good thing in any endeavor.
There’s a technical literary term for that technique. It’s called “a joke.”
I see it often in a humorless context all over the place online, and have seen people explain that they really do think that companies might sue them for comments online but not if they use easily-deciphered code.
Libel is no laughing matter. I know because I did a whole bit about it one open mic night, and it bombed.
A customer has a complaint about the bread that was cooked in the bakery where you work, and you want to tell them to “Get a fucking life”?
That’s some real customer service there.
Yes, but when the rhyming name is “Shmayless,” it’s a pretty safe bet that the author is lampooning that attitude.
I disagree. I’ve seen no less silly formulations defended as completely serious attempts to protect from litigation. You could be right, which is why I asked if that’s what was meant instead of just going off about it, but you might be surprised at how many people really would think it was clever obfuscation.
Wow. Where were you seeing this? You were either mega whooshed or were dealing with some dumb mutherfuckers. That said I’ve always found it funny that people won’t say where they worked. I can see not saying where you work now but saying there were some batshit crazy customers where you used to work isn’t libel.
Vinyl Turnip: FWIW, I laughed.
I’ve seen things a lot like what Ensign Edison reports, although with fewer rhymes and more abbreviations and geography references (there is only one major software company in Redmond). It seems to stem from the larger misconception that the law is magical and is controlled by magical phrases and taboos. As long as you do all of the rituals and observe those taboos, you are safe and no judge could ever decide against you. (Also, judges apparently don’t ‘decide’ so much as look for violations of the magic.)
Well, when I tell you I used to work for a major online retailer in Seattle I’m not trying to be clever, I am in fact trying to lampoon the attitude.
If I say I worked some batshit crazy customers that isn’t libel. If I start naming them, perhaps that would be.
I don’t think bored corporate lawyers looking for libel suits are searching for “Shmayless.” Now, if someone were to post “Payless libel in this thread, here!” they might find it more easily.
Well, you know, in this country, truth is usually an affirmative defense in libel actions.
So just don’t call them batshit crazy unless they really are, and you should be okay.
I see, it is now possible to provide poor customer service purely by thinking nasty thoughts at the customer.
Well, it’s probably not that stark, matt_mcl. But given the truculence I sensed in the OP, I’m willing to give about 75% that he can’t maintain enough of a poker face to hold those nasty thoughts and not let them shine through non-verbally.
I think the point is that since the OP has only given us sketchy details as to the situation that prompted this burning desire to tell a customer to “get a fucking life”, I’m going to assume that it really gets his goat that people would dare to complain to him - the guy who works in the bakery - about the quality of the product in the bakery that has presumably been made in store.
Hmmm… yeah, what will those crazy customers think of next? Boy howdy, they sure are nuts, thinking they have the right to kvetch about a substandard product they have to pay for.
Well, that’s the thing, see, they don’t have to pay for it. They can vote with their feet, as it were. There’s a line between giving a business useful feedback and being an entitled douche (telling them that you’d love to buy wholegrain bread there is useful; telling them that they’re idiots for not having the extremely rare specialty item you want is douchy).