Customer Service Can Be Tricky
By fishtiger58
@fishtiger58 (29823)
Momence, Illinois
September 6, 2017 8:25am CST
Yesterday I was reading a post here about retail customer service, where the customer is always right. That's what they tell you when you are in retail. So what happens is you occasionally take garbage from an unreasonable customer. And it can get ugly on occasion as well.
It reminded me of a customer I had once many years ago when I was working for a large grocery store chain in the Chicago area. I was an overnight baker and usually worked from 3:00 am to 9:00 am. We were a 24 hour store so I also had to work the counter in the bake shop if I happened to get a customer during my shift.
At about 8:30 am this one particular morning a little old lady approached the counter. I asked her if I could help her. She started to tell me what she wanted... in Italian. Well needless to say I'm not Italian nor do I speak the language. So I said in English " I'm sorry ma'am I don't understand you and raised my hands a bit and shrugged my shoulders. She tried to tell me what she wanted several more times, each time getting more angry and me shrugging my shoulders. Finally she left my area.
About 10 minutes later the store boss comes walking into the bake shop and asks me what happened. I knew he was talking about that Italian lady. I explained what happened and by the time I was done he was laughing. He told me she had come up to him and complained about me. Now he doesn't speak Italian either, so I was curious how he knew what she was talking about. He told me she was carrying a loaf of break, and was very angry and described me using hand motions. He knew immediately who she was talking about. Apparently she showed a women using the curvy women motion, and showed I was short with curly hair. Yup my boss knew it was me
Of course I wasn't in trouble and my boss I think just wanted a good laugh to start his day. It's just one of the funny things that happened to me while I was working in retail. Something I will never ever do again. But it makes for a great story.
Photo from Pixabay
20 people like this
19 responses
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
6 Sep 17
It is funny that he knew who she was talking about fishtiger lol
3 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
6 Sep 17
Yea we both laughed about that.
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (169973)
• United States
6 Sep 17
I guess she was fed up with no one speaking Italian..lol.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
6 Sep 17
I'm thinking she was in the wrong country for that.
2 people like this
@velvet53 (22528)
• Palisade, Colorado
9 Sep 17
@fishtiger58 You did the best you could and that is what matters. I would of been helpless trying to understand her.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
Yea lol he knew who she was talking about even if he didn't speak her language. I felt bad for her not getting what she wanted and would have been happy to help, but we were at an impasse I don't know Italian. And apparently she didn't know English.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
10 Sep 17
@velvet53 It was to me as well, I only know English. I don't ever want to leave this country so I don't have to know any other language.
1 person likes this
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
17 Sep 17
Maybe she should have learned English? That would have solved her problem. I have had my fair share of rude customers as well, not always easy that's for sure.
1 person likes this
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
17 Sep 17
@fishtiger58 Yeah, if your going to live in an English speaking country I kind of think learning English would be a good idea. Just my opinion. I wouldn't go to any other country and expect them to know my language.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Sep 17
She doesn't have to learn English but she shouldn't have expected me to know Italian, she should have brought someone along to the store who knew both languages and then there would have been no problem,. If she is going to live here however English would certainly make her life and those she has contact with easier.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
17 Sep 17
@LovingMyBabies I wouldn't either, but at my age learning a new language is not on my agenda, so I will stay here
@LadyDuck (458212)
• Switzerland
7 Sep 17
Surely a Sicilian woman who followed the family and was more than unhappy not to be in her country anymore. English speaking people always address to us in English when they come here, I suppose they assume that everybody speaks English in every country of the world.1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458212)
• Switzerland
8 Sep 17
@fishtiger58 In most countries you can chose the second language you want to learn, some choose English, but English is still not mandatory in Europe. Here in Switzerland you must learn two of the three official languages, here in the south we speak Italian, you MUST pick up French or German as second language, a second one is free, you can choose what you like.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
I have heard that many countries across the world teach their children English is school. In the US that is simply not the case. I think the lady should have brought with her someone who spoke English to help her along. I would have to say that of American born Americans I am betting at least 60 % or more only know English.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
@LadyDuck My son had to have a second language once he got to college. He knew that so took 4 years of Spanish in high school and that was good enough for his college. So he didn't have to take a language in college. He simply didn't have the time for that with his other studies. He knew this and that's why he took Spanish in high school. But he doesn't use that language and I'm sure has forgotten all he learned.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Sep 17
I work part-time at a large home improvement store, and one morning an angry customer tried to return a very expensive item that was a competitor's brand. The cashier tried to explain that he needed to take the product back to the competitor for a refund, but he insisted he had bought the item at our store. He just kept getting angrier and angrier. Finally a manger stepped in, and still couldn't convince the guy he was at the wrong store. I was hanging out close by because it looked like the guy would possibly get violent, and sure enough, he picked up a gallon can of paint from a nearby display and threw it at the manager. That's when I stepped in. I said to the manager, "I got offf duty 5 minutes ago. You want I should take this guy outside in the parking lot and beat him into a pulp?" The manager, not missing a beat, said "Just make sure you take off your work shirt and name badge first." I said no problem and started moving toward the customer to escort him out the door. The guy finally got the message and left, cursing us the entire way out the door!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118449)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Sep 17
@fishtiger58 I could understand him just fine, but he was so angry that he just could not be reasoned wth, He just couldn't get it through his thick head that the product he was trying to return was a competitor's brand, not ours. If he would have been thinking rationally, he would have realized all he had to do was go across the street to the competitor's store.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
lol very funny. But at least you could understand the guy, or maybe it would have been better not to
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
10 Sep 17
@moffittjc People often let their anger get the better of them.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
7 Oct 17
Yes, at least he was laughing about it, and not upset. I worked with some who were never Happy with anything so something like this would have set them off even worse.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
7 Oct 17
I can understand that, I have had some horrible bosses in the past. Now I'm retired so I don't take garbage from anyone.
@Debscrochet (1947)
• United States
17 Sep 17
LOL. I never went by that rule. I went by my own-treat people the way they treat you. Oh yes some where told exactly where to go when i worked retail.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
18 Sep 17
I would have been fired right or wrong if I was rude to customers but each place of business is different. The way we in the bake shop worked it out was when a customer came to the bake shop we didn't care for we would go stand in the cooler and one of our co workers would wait on that customer. We all had one or two customers we couldn't stand and so that worked well for us.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
8 Sep 17
i'm glad your boss saw the humor in it. some customers can be pretty stubborn and set in their ways, which can be unreasonable.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
I felt bad I couldn't help the lady but I simply didn't understand her language.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
8 Sep 17
lol Yes that is pretty funny, seriously, did she really think you would be fluent in Italian?
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
I guess she did lol. I of course couldn't and the really pissed her off
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
10 Sep 17
yes ... as a waitress I was often told the customer is always right... but sometimes... they are not... and occasionally I told them so... 
I only worked as a waitress a short time... but never again... lol...
I only worked as a waitress a short time... but never again... lol...1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
10 Sep 17
@fishtiger58 they can be... that's for sure....
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
10 Sep 17
I have never been a waitress and surely would not, people are so darn rude.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
I did too, I would have been glad to help her if I could have understood her.
1 person likes this
@just4him (306266)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Sep 17
@fishtiger58 I'm sure it was.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
Yea that 13 years in retail was way more than enough for me.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
15 Oct 17
I have worked in retail for many years of my life. It is not always fun. Glad your boss was understanding.
@Juliaacv (48447)
• Canada
7 Sep 17
I do customer service over the phones for US customers ordering checks. I take everything said to me and how its said with a grain of salt, yes, the customer is quite often correct, but also quite often incorrect. I stand my ground when I know they are wrong, otherwise I'm very generous and willing to discount what I can. Last Sunday I had a retired US Army officier confess to me that he lost his checks, about $100 worth of them, and needed to reorder them. He said that he had the starts of dementia, so I cut his total in half, and he almost cried he was so grateful. But I knew that he was telling the truth and that he'd order more in the future.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
I would have been more than happy to help the lady but couldn't understand her. I'm not saying she was wrong not knowing English it's that I didn't know Italian. With the diverse population that the US has it's not possible for anyone to know all the languages that encompass the US today.
1 person likes this
@lookatdesktop (27129)
• Dallas, Texas
6 Sep 17
Sign language or pointing might do well in such a situation. I have a next door neighbor who always talks to me in Spanish and I don't understand a lick of what he is saying but I go along with him, smiling all the while. I am forced to be in agreement with whatever he says. I use some hand gestures and look and point at whatever he is looking at. It is the funniest thing. God bless that man. He knows I can't understand but he talks to me anyway.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129482)
• Israel
7 Feb 18
That was very funny. I am glad your boss got a good laugh instead of yelling at you.
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
6 Sep 17
Wow, perhaps the Italian lady was suffering dementia or something? You can hardly be angry at someone for not knowing Italian if you're not in Italy....
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Sep 17
I wasn't angry at her at all, wish I could have helped her with whatever it was she wanted. I just don't know Italian.
