"Hurteded" Feelings Part 2

So a few days ago I talked about a customer that I guess I had "Hurteded" her feelings. This had to have been at least 3 months ago. She's waited til now though to make an issue out of it andI know I've checked her out since then without her complaining. When I put someone's card in it shows their last name. One time when I saw her's I asked if she was related to a girl I used to work at the grocery store with. Turns out she's a friend of mines mom.

If you didn't read the first post, I don't remember this incident but I guess what happened was the store phone was ringing and I answered it before checking her out. She kept repeating that I "Hurteded" her feelings. I asked if I apologized during the incident she said yes. When I apologized to her again a few nights ago she hugged me and I thought that was the end of it.

Tonight this bitch was in here again complaining to another one of my co-workers about the same incident and how she wanted to call corporate about it. I was standing in the next aisle so I heard everything she said. It was all I could do not to go over there and say something.

One question I can't get out of my head is, What the fuck is it you want from me lady?! I have apologized multiple times now! So what, you're not going to rest until you've complained to everyone I work with? I answered the phone, big fucking deal, I know that just makes me such a horrible person but Its a part of my job. What is it I have to do to make her happy?

As I write this I'm thinking of 2 things. I realize I can not argue with someone who's unreasonable. There are some people that it doesn't matter what you do, they're just not going to be happy. I guess this lady is just one of those people.
The second thing, I'm getting worked up and pissed off over something stupid, which means I'm no better than that lady. I suppose what bothers me so much is that I've apologized to her so many times now and she won't let it go. I guess if I can't let it go either I'm no better than her. So I guess all I can do is take my own advice and get the fuck over it. I've been in customer service long enough to know, while I may be pissed off now there's no sense in getting worked up over something I can't change.

So I want to know what you think! Did I do something wrong or is this lady just a crazy customer? Leave me a comment below telling me what you think!

"Hurteded" Feelings

I was outside on my cigarette break chatting with one of my supervisors when this lady comes up to us, points at me and says "I could have got you in trouble" I don't recognize her and have no idea what she's talking about. My supervisor and I just looked at each other confused. The lady continued, "I was in here a few months ago and the phone was ringing and you answered it instead of checking me out first. It 'hurteded' my feelings. I wanted to call the store owner but I didn't" she kept repeating herself saying I had really 'hurteded' her feelings"

Ok...

#1
when the phone is ringing and I'm the only one ringing people out its hard to do two things at once. I'm only one person, I can't help everyone at the same time.

#2
I don't know who's calling, it could have been my boss or a customer. If its a customer and I don't answer they could get pissed off and complain. So either way it seems someone is going to get pissed off because I didn't help them fast enough.

#3
I told her I didn't remember the incident (unless you're doing flaming cartwheels I'm not going to remember one customer I checked out months ago) so I asked if I said something like "I'm sorry for the wait thank you for your patience" she said that I did. Ok so I did apologize, what else do you want from me?

I apologized to the lady again, she hugged me asked if I had an extra cigarette and left. She goes from being mad at me to hugging me. My supervisor and I
were left standing there just wondering wtf had just happened.

Creepy Customer Email

Sometimes at work when I'm talking to customers the blog comes up. It normally goes something like "Oh you must get so bored working 3rd shift" and I'll respond with "Actually I deal with enough craziness from customers that come in after midnight, I write a blog about it. Seriously."

The other night a customer asked me why I don't have an email address on here.
Well once upon a time I did, it was one of my personal ones. I'm going to set one up just for the blog soon.

I received an email that went something like this:



Hey,

I'm not sure if your going to remember me but I stopped in (your store) one night a week or so ago for a few drinks and a Philly. We chatted it up for a few mins about your blog, smoking blunts and then you told me I looked better with long hair lol. Well the other night I read thought your profile which made me laugh btw your quite the funny one haha. I see you really enjoy smoking and I do too when I have the time so we will deff have to some time. I started thinking lol. Maybe if you found me attractive too we could get together hang out and have great causal sex no strings attached every now and then. I found you very cute that night dispute your work out fit and I'd like to see whats underneath that ;) well I stopped in tonight after working very late " which i still am lol" to say hi and I guess you had the night off :/ so I found your blog online which had this email address on it so that's where I got it if your wondering.

Well Hopefully I've sparked enough interest for you to email me back. Ttyl

(name withheld)



Lmao, ok where to begin? Uhmmm, well that definitely 'sparked' my attention. I'm not really sure how to respond to that... I mean that's cool he liked the blog but I'm not sure whether I'm creeped out or amused. That is just weird on so many levels...
I'm used to strange guys hitting on me, I seem to have made quite a few 'admirers' working 3rd shift but that's the first time I've received an email like that..
I do remember him coming in, and I remember I ID'd him for cigarettes and made some comment like 'you look good with longer hair', but I don't even remember what this guy looks like anymore. I was just being nice, not hitting on him.
The casual sex thing, not happening dude.
I usually have a lot to say on the blog, but with this I'm just at a loss for words...


...So to answer the original question as to why I took down the email address, that's why!
For anything regarding the blog the email address is now CCSblog@aol.com
Emails about casual sex will not be returned, just laughed at. Then after a few months when I feel it won't be viewed by the sender, a blog post will show up on here about it.

Goodbye Russia

A while back I talked about a guy we call Russia.
This guy is an unemployed heroine addict. He plays this game of hide and seek where he panhandles in the parking lot until we get numerous complaints about some homeless guy harassing people and then he some how knows we're coming to tell him to leave and hides in the bushes on the edge of the property where we can't say anything to him because he's technically not on the property anymore. When we go back inside he comes back and the cycle repeats.
I've talked to other cashiers at the local stores and he plays the same game with everyone.

This guy has even bothered at the local laundromat when I'm off the clock just trying to do my laundry. He tried to "help" me put my bras and panties in the dryer. Dude you're old enough to be my dad, get the fuck out of here.
He always complains about how his life is so horrible, how he's a Russian immigrant and his mom kicked him out when he was 9, how everyone is out to fuck him over, how he see's demons and ghouls but he swears he wasn't on drugs when he saw them. He just wants everyone to feel bad for him and thinks the world owes him something and he deserves handouts while not having to work for anything.

I used to feel bad for him but I don't anymore. There's a quote I love by a Japanese actress named 景子北川 - Keiko Kitagawa. On her blog she once said:

 "You're not alone in struggling alone.
The world is full of people who are struggling as you do.
Each by themselves, but not alone.
Each separate from the other, but by no means alone...
We humans may go through some tough days for a while,
and it may make me wonder if
I'm the heroine in the world's biggest tragedy,
but I'm not the only one who has it tough or has difficulties.
I was made to realize that
everyone of us has to live with their share of troubles and hardships.
All around the world there are people who are suffering much more,
so with my troubles being minute in comparison,
are they even deserving of worry?"

Basically we all have our problems, but we aren't the only ones in the world with problems. You can either let life overwhelm you and feel sorry for yourself or you can do something and try to improve your life.

As fucked up as it sounds, one day when Russia was bothering me I thought to myself "this guy is just wasting his life feeling sorry for himself. If he's not willing to help himself why should anyone else? He's just a burden on society and the world would be better off if he just overdosed and died"

Well I found out the other night he did overdose on heroine about a week ago and he's dead now. Am I sad now that he actually is dead? No. I feel like I can walk around my neighborhood now without worrying about him bothering me.
I am sad that he wasn't able to live a better life, I'm sad for him that he let his life get as pathetic as it was.

So I guess RIP Russia. Maybe now he's in a better place.

Lost in Mentaltown

A man comes in around midnight and asks what town he's in. I said "This is Mentaltown". He says "Really? I've been wandering around for several hours trying to figure out where I am" I asked him where he was heading and he named a town about 20 miles away so I asked him if he wanted to use our phone to call a cab, he said "No I've got the money but I'm a firm believer in what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" I am too, but I'm not going to walk 20 miles somewhere I don't have directions to, in 20 degree weather. I asked the guy if he was sure, and he said yeah and left.

A few hours later he comes back to buy some Red Bull. I asked him how his travels were and he said "I got half way there and decided to come back"

Pain in the ass

A drunk lady comes in and says she wants a blue Philly. Sometimes people confuse the purple grape for blue so I asked if that's what she wanted. She says "I want the blue one are you deaf?" We don't carry 'blue Phillys' so I don't know what the fuck she's talking about. I told her we don't carry that and she gets even more pissed off and says "I said I wanted a Dutch master. Are you trying to be a pain in the ass?" Bitch that is not what you said and now you're giving me an attitude? In my mind I'm saying "fuck you" but as a cashier I'm required to smile and deal with it. It's not worth arguing over and she's clearly intoxicated.

After she left I asked the girl behind her "you heard her say she wanted a Philly right?" yeah she did. But whatever I guess I'm just a pain in the ass.

Fuck Obama

I had a lady come in drunk the other night. I've seen her around town for years. She rides around on her bike with this stupid looking plastic cover over it. She usually seems to be talking to herself.

So she comes in around midnight and uses our photo machine to print a bunch of photos. Then she decided she wants to buy a photo album to go with the pictures she printed. She grabbed one that had been misplaced and she thought it was $5.99. That type of thing happens all the time, someone will pick something up, decide they don't want it and put it back in the wrong spot.  We went to the aisle and I showed her the correct spot and the correct price of $14.99 and she got angry. Then she asked if I could change the price 'just for her'. Uhm no I can't. Fuck that, I'm not risking my job over your drunk ass.
I politely told her I couldn't give her special treatment and she told me to go fuck myself. Yeah I don't think I can do that at work ma'am. She said "fuck (my store), fuck me, fuck Obama (not sure what he had to do with it) Then she just looks me in the eye and dumps her drink on the floor and says "Oops it was an accident". Bitch no it wasn't I just watched you pour it out.

As she was leaving she said she was never coming back ever again. Ok that's fine with me.
She was back at 7am.

Oh it's ok she was only attacked at knife point

So a man comes in last night to my 3rd shift job and asks if I feel safe in here at night. I said for the most part yes. There's a million cameras in the store, one of my supervisors knows martial arts and we have cops that sit across the street at random.
The man tells me "oh well in the newspaper a few years ago there was a story about a female worker in this store that got sexually assaulted"
So when my manager came in that morning I asked her what was up with that. She says "oh it's ok she wasn't sexually assaulted just attacked at knife point"

X_x
and that's supposed to make me feel better?

I guess what happened was the girl had let someone into our back room o use the bathroom when the man attempted to sexually assault her and pulled out a knife. A male co-worker who was sleeping in the next room woke up to the commotion and scared the man off. They said he was caught during his attempted escape. I guess the girl had a scratch but was overall fine.

But I love how my managers response was "oh it's ok she was just attacked at knife point"

Ok that makes me feel much better... Fuck that between this post and Crappy Fingerpainting I'm not letting anyone use our bathroom anymore.

How 'bout some fries wih that shake?

Like many stores, ours sells little paper placards for different charities throughout the year. You pay either $1 or $5, and we give you a little paper card to write your name (or anything you want, for that matter) on. We then display all the cards for everyone to see. Remember this. This will come up again in a later post. Pretend you're surprised. Anyway, the charity we're raising money for this month has, appropriately enough, shamrock-shaped cards.

During my shift yesterday, I had a customer who looked a lot like Carl from ATHF. Here. For reference:



When I asked him to purchase a shamrock for charity, he replied, in a very thick and nauseating voice, "I'll buy shamrocks if you tape them on (he gestured to my boobs) and give me a shamrock shake. Heh heh." I kept a completely straight face, looked him in the eye and replied "Sorry, sir. I'm not McDonalds. That's the only shamrock shake you'll be getting. You can find them across the street."

After this, I immediately went to my supervisor and told him that "anytime a customer buys 2 $5 charity placards, we should have to give them a mandatory shamrock shake. And not the kind they serve across the street". I then gave a little demonstration and walked away, leaving him staring open-mouthed at what I just did. Then from behind me I hear "Oh my god. Yes. Please do it."

Artichokes...My weapon of choice.

In my line of work, you'd never think you'd have to contemplate what your weapon of choice would be if you needed to arm yourself in the grocery store. When you're a cashier, you have very limited resources. If you worked as a grocery stockperson, you already get to carry around a box cutter. As a cashier, yes we have guns, but they only shoot lasers. Weak lasers. In the shape of a 3" bar. Not what I'd consider useful. Just saying.

Fortunately for me, I learned that artichokes can be useful weapons. No, really. How did I discover this? An old man attacked me with some. About 12 of them actually. For you educationally challenged folk, yes, 12 is a whole dozen! I was nearing the end of my shift when an old Italian man with a heavy accent came through my line with a hibiscus plant and an armload of artichokes. First I scan the hibiscus, and I hear "No! No much!" Um, what? Apparently he meant that I was charging him too much. I pointed out the little price sticker that said $14.99. "No! Is $2.99!" The hell it is. To humor him, I got the floral department manager over. She politely told him that the hibiscus was $14.99 and that maybe he read another sign by accident. Surprise surprise, the guy decided he didn't want the plant. Fine by me. Whatever. So I ring up his artichokes. Being out of season at the time, they cost $2 each, so his order came to $24. "No! Too much! You no make it $24! Not pay that!" I respond with "I'm sorry, sir. They really are $2 each and I'm not allowed to change the price." At this point, he starts to leave and I assume I'll just be voiding his order and taking the next customer. Life is never that easy. He turns back around and begins throwing the artichokes at me and yelling god knows what in Italian. Not only are artichokes solid objects and not fun to get hit with from the get-go, but they have these tiny little prickers on them like cacti! After being hit with 4 or 5 of the dozen he threw, he makes a face at me and leaves the store.

So, if you ever find yourself in need of a way to defend yourself in the produce section, artichokes make great weapons and and should be your projectile of choice!

Greetings from the new guy. Erm...new gal!

Hello faithful readers! My name is Anita, and I've been in the retail game for almost 15 years. (Kill me now. Please. Anyone? Bueller?) Anywho, I'm a 30ish year old female and I work as a cashier with MJ in Mentaltown. I've worked in various retail positions, including customer service at a department store, jewelry department manager, head cashier of a grocery store, etc. So as you can imagine, I've seen my fair share of things at work. I've been assaulted with groceries, I've threatened to kill a manager, I've been hit in the parking lot. What I'm trying to say is that I've got stories and you've got free time. Let's get together and waste some time, shall we?

Potty time

I was cleaning up behind the counter in the photo area when I stumbled on a left behind picture. At first I thought "this would be great for twitter and the blog" so I took the pic and tweeted it but on second thought I realized I could potentially get in trouble over it so I deleted it from twitter and my phone.

However I see nothing wrong with describing the picture.

The picture was of a little girl that looked wasted. I'd guess she was between 2-4. She had fallen into the toilet and the caption said 'potty time'

My first reaction was lmfao.
Thinking about it, the pic was cute but as a parent why are you taking a picture instead of helping your kid put of the toilet? That's some great parenting lol.

Drunk lady wants douchebags

This drunk lady that reminded me of an older trashier Snooki came in last night. Because I wasn't at the counter she yells at the top of her lungs "yo where y'all douche be at?"  I showed her to the aisle and she's standing there zoned out staring at it when my male supervisor comes over and asks if he can help her. She looks at me like she's embarrassed about it now that there's a guy present. So now you're embarrassed even though you yelled it when you walked in?

Why just eat the candy bar when the wrapper is the best part?

A lady comes up to my register this morning with a bunch of Dove candy bars, already half way through eating one. There all the same so I just scanned one 5 times while she's enjoying it, when I notice she's eating the tin foil wrapper too. I pointed it out and said "Ma'am I think you just ate part of the wrapper too." She says "I know. It's cool."

I guess why just eat the candy bar when the wrapper is just as good.

Empty Beer

During 3rd shift the store was pretty dead so I was going around doing my work. I come back to my register and someone was nice enough to leave an empty clear plastic cup of beer on my counter. Who walks around with a clear plastic cup of beer at 4 in the morning? Yeah, you're cool.

Next time a beer is left at my register I hope it's an un-opened Bud Light.

 

Personal chats with Satan

A dirty looking man comes through my line carrying a large bag that probably carrys all his possessions. He's been in line for a while and keeps staring at the floor muttering to himself. He hands me a bunch of bottle reciepts and asks if I've been 'saved'. I told him I was atheist, he asks "so you worship the devil?", I told him no I don't worship anything, I don't believe in religion. He starts rambling about how the world is full of sinners and how we are all going to Hell. I will say I agree that the world sucks.

Suddenly he stops and looks down, muttering to himself. He says  in all seriousness "I talked to Satan." "Oh really?" I replied. He said "Yeah, he told me you're going to Hell"

Right...

So I go to my supervisor a little freaked out and tell her what happened. Her response "Where's your name tag?"

Buy One Get One Free

The night of the super bowl, after it's ended 2 men come in around 3 am. We had a special Super Bowl sale where you bought a bag of Doritos and got a second bag free. We also had Tostitos dip next to the display. However a sign clearly stateted it was buy some chips and get the second bag free.

The man comes up to me and the conversation went something like this:

Customer: So what's this sale? I buy something and I get something free?
Me: Yeah, you buy a bag of chips and you get the second for free.
Customer: So I buy a bag of chips and get some dip for free?
Me: No sir, you buy a bag of chips and you get the second one for free.
Customer: So I don't get any dip?
Me: If you want to buy it seperatly then sure.
Customer: But it's not part of the sale?
Me: No.
Customer: So why's the dip here?
Me: Because people like chips and dip? The store assumes you'll just buy it since you're buying chips anyway.
Customer: But I don't get the dip for free?
Me: No.
Customer: So what do I get for free if I don't get the dip
Me (ready to bang my head against the wall): You buy 1 bag of Doritos. You get a second bag of Doritos for free.
Customer: You know I'm just trying to understand the sale and now you're giving me a hard time..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know how else I can explain you buy a bag of chips and get a second for free. X_x
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Finally the man buys one bag of chips and decides to start hitting on me. He's chewing with his mouth open, now spitting Dorito's all over my counter and floor. I know every woman finds that so attractive...

To top it all off this man thinks he's in a different town which is about 20 miles away.

Customer: By the way isn't this Waterbury?
Me: No sir this is Mentaltown.
Customer: Nahhhhh you's fuckin with me right? This is Waterbury
Me: No this is Mentaltown
Customer: Nah you're lying.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok sir, just to entertain myself I'm 'lying' about what town you're in.
Ever heard of a GPS dumbass?
Sadly that's not the only time someone's came in thinking this was a totally different town. X_x

Condom Lady

My first over night. A woman stumbles in around 11pm, she's an obese redneck with food stains all over her shirt and pants, her fly down and a lazy eye. She looks kind of like this:

She comes up to me reaking of booze and whispers in my ear, as if it's the biggest secret in the world "Hey kid go get me the cheapest condoms". "Yes M'am" I replied  internally disgusted. I go get the condoms and checking her out when she says to me "These aren't really for me. This guy knocked up my daughter so I'm going to chop off his dick and then give him the condoms as a joke present! Isn't that hilarious?!" lol.

She continues talking to me about various subjects for another 40 minutes, asking me every 5 what color her eyes are. Did she think they were going to change in 5 minutes? Next she explains how Native Americans, eye color and Saint Patricks Day are all connected which I still don't understand.

I had work I needed to get done and wanted to tell her that, but as if she could read my mind she starts talking about how she has a horrible temper and so-and-so knows that no one should ever fuck with her. This woman reminded me of Jabba the Hutt and I think if she really wanted to she could break me in half so I concluded I was technically helping a customer and it gave me an excuse to stand around and not really do any work, so I continued listening to her continuously changing topics.

The woman continued  talking to me (more of a monologue) about how her and my co-worker are really "in love", a love she doesn't understand is one-sided. She says how she calls and they flirt on the phone. Also, fuck her kids, fuck her husband her and my co-worker are going to run away together back to her home state down south... the state of Maine. They're just going to run away together with a $100 and live happily ever after.

Finally this woman raps up our conversation (her monologue) with how she wants to pretend to be dead and hide in a coffin, covering herself in fake blood. She's then going to go to her own funeral and listen to what everyone has to say about her and then at the end jump out and tell them all to go fuck themselves.

I haven't seen this lady since. Part of me is a little scared of her, but the other part wants her to come back in for lolz.

First Post

Hello world! My name is MJ. I work 2 customer service jobs, as a cashier at a grocery store and a 24/7 pharmacy. I live in a  town us locals call Mentaltown. My first job is just daytime cashiering in a grocery store, my second job is 3rd shift as a cashier at a 24/7 pharmacy, less than a mile away from a mental institution called CVH.

In my line of work I see alot of crazy things, enough to where I think I could write a book just about the more bizarre side of customer service.  That's why I decided to start this blog, to share my stories of past and current crazy customer stories. I hope you find these people as entertaining as I do.

Enjoy