Thursday, July 2, 2009

The customer's always wrong (in her world).



Last weekend, I went to The Dollar Tree. I love that store. There aren't many places I can go, load up my cart, and only be out twenty bucks!


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So, I was there with my husband and daughter, specifically to get a gift bag and a few other odds and ends.


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We went to check out, and I noticed the clerk seemed particularly cranky. I didn't think too much about it really, but decided not to give her my usual perky "hi!" She didn't look like she wanted any part of perky.

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I went to swipe my debit card, and as I was doing so and loading my bags into the cart, I realized that one gift bag I'd bought was completely crumpled across at least half of it. Not a little folded, not bent. Crumpled. And it honestly looked intentional. There wasn't anything in the bag that was squishing it; instead, it looked like it had been shoved into the bag with a vengeance.

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Calmly and pleasantly (honest!), I said, "Oh...um, could I please get another bag? This one got crumpled." Notice I didn't place blame--not "YOU crumpled it" or anything like that. I was continuing to be as polite as possible.

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The clerk gives me a death glare (not even exaggerating here), and then slowly takes out the bag to examine it--I suppose to see if my request was warranted. She then tosses it behind the checkstand and curtly says, "I guess. If you want to walk all the way across the store to get another one!"

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I looked at her, blinked a few times, and said, "Oh, really?" (GAME ON, baby. You just crossed the line.)

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Then I asked Erin if she wouldn't mind going "all the way across the store to get another one." She happily took off to retrieve a bag.

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I finished my debit card transaction, then looked up at her and, again in the most polite (albeit semi-disgusted sounding) voice said, "You know, you were extremely rude to me just now. There was no reason to act like that when I was being reasonable and polite."

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She glares at me once again and then comes up with this: "Well, you didn't say you wanted the bag folded."

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(Whatever had I been thinking?! How could I be so foolish as to not request these things?!?!)

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I actually chuckled outloud and said, "You're kidding me, right? I had to SPECIFY to please not damage my merchandise? Seriously?"

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I waited. No response.

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I then said, "You know, you are really something. Thank you so much for that professional, heartfelt apology."

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And then I wheeled away, cussing under my breath.

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And I may have even wished on her a bout of chronic diarrhea for the remainder of the day. Just possibly.

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4 comments:

Busy Bee Suz said...

HA! I hope she gets the diarrhea and a cold sore too. RUDE people just get to me also....as if you are bothering her by shopping and giving her a job. ughhh.

Suz Broughton said...

That's funny. She sounds like a child. That's how a child would react. Must be way she's a clerk at Dollar Tree. I am glad you said something. Maybe she'll think next time.

Unknown said...

I can never understand why some people are so mean when they work in customer service fields. I mean seriously, can't they go get a job working with plastic or assembling something. I want to say to them "Don't bring me your grumpy buddy!" You handled that perfectly. Except for the diarrhea wish. That might have been a tad bit mean. Or not, who knows : )

Live.Love.Eat said...

You know people like that are just miserable and the rest of her days and interactions with people can't be much better. A bit sad.