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84. I think everyone should be required to work in the service industry at least once..
Sat Aug 4, 2012, 03:10 AM
Aug 2012

It can really reveal so much about how crappy human beings can be. I was a cashier in college, and later did some customer service stuff on phones. People don't think twice about being rude to people. I remember I was working at the front desk of a grocery store once, and this old guy comes in and starts yelling at me, La Seur Peas!!! I was like excuse me? how can I help you? he again screams La Seur peas!! okkk, well I don't know what your talking about.. he says the La Seur peas in the flyer where are they! I said they should be in aisle 4 (or whatever) canned vegetable aisle. Apparently, this wasn't a good enough explanation so he took the stack of flyers on the counter and threw them at me. I just stand there dumbfounded at this man's idiocy. What the hell was I supposed to do? take him by the hand and lead him to his peas?? I was the only one at the counter at the time and couldn't leave so that was out of the question. I was basically assaulted with flyers by this asshole, and he gets to go off and do this again to some other defenseless person. All this and I was paid the hefty sum of 4.50 an hour (at the time this was minimum wage), no health care, no full time, just abuse and crap flung at me. I have no respect for anyone that abuses someone in the service industry. It pisses me off. Now that I'm no longer in those types of jobs, every time I see someone being abused like that, I want to jump over the counter and hug them and then beat the crap out of the abuser.

My daughter works in retail and the abuse she and her co-workers take from customers is repulsive... Scuba Aug 2012 #1
there's something mean lurking in us Whisp Aug 2012 #48
I think some people learn this behavior from their parents flamingdem Aug 2012 #133
+1 Tee-hee. n/t Smarmie Doofus Aug 2012 #126
*Regardless* of the reasons behind it. FBaggins Aug 2012 #2
More than half the people I ever worked with in service jobs were going to college. DCKit Aug 2012 #3
What amazes me is how many people don't seem aware that others will judge you by how you gkhouston Aug 2012 #64
To me, that's a litmus test of a person's character. How s/he treats raccoon Aug 2012 #96
I used to have a boss that would call his wife and just SCREAM at her Trunk Monkey Aug 2012 #101
Poor woman. nt raccoon Aug 2012 #110
I ride by his home every day on my way home from work Trunk Monkey Aug 2012 #114
This message was self-deleted by its author darkangel218 Aug 2012 #4
never screw with someone who touches/serves your food NightWatcher Aug 2012 #5
...with a side of 'Waiting' WilliamPitt Aug 2012 #9
I found the best scene...hold your stomachs folks. canuckledragger Aug 2012 #24
yeah in my case it was drivethrough window experience arely staircase Aug 2012 #70
While generally a fine theory to keep in mind, gracing food with DNA is not as common as the public Kurovski Aug 2012 #10
Thanks but I won't be testing that theory anytime soon! Walk away Aug 2012 #26
Keep right on telling yourself that. 99Forever Aug 2012 #33
I worked in the business for seventeen years. Kurovski Aug 2012 #36
yeah. never saw anything gross in years of working in kitchens. mostly just... Tunkamerica Aug 2012 #88
Thank you. Gormy Cuss Aug 2012 #136
That is a good point, i suppose it's in keeping with the current mentality that there are always Kurovski Aug 2012 #137
"This tastes like piss and flies, doesn't it"? -..__... Aug 2012 #42
Yep or has scissor at your head. nt valerief Aug 2012 #43
I once read a hilarious web page with stories by waiters fucking with asshole customers... Odin2005 Aug 2012 #76
Even without that, people who do so are just assholes. (nt) Posteritatis Aug 2012 #83
My daughter works in retail at an outlet store Redford Aug 2012 #6
It's an incredibly obnoxious thing to do sibelian Aug 2012 #7
NEVER simply WATCH it happen! Skittles Aug 2012 #15
I remember once standing in line behind an exec at our office cafeteria magical thyme Aug 2012 #29
I'm obviously too British... sibelian Aug 2012 #35
me and my brother as English school kids Skittles Aug 2012 #61
Oh, which of you is in the kilt? sibelian Aug 2012 #82
yeah, me in the kilt Skittles Aug 2012 #130
YAAAAAAYYY!!! sibelian Aug 2012 #144
I LOVED the kilt pin Skittles Aug 2012 #145
I thought you were American. You talk like one. raccoon Aug 2012 #97
I am indeed American Skittles Aug 2012 #131
What a great photo, Skittles! Cooley Hurd Aug 2012 #98
I don't know what is in my hand in that pic Skittles Aug 2012 #132
When you catch someone out behaving badly to clerks annabanana Aug 2012 #71
yes it IS!!! Skittles Aug 2012 #135
And I can bet you crack open the proverbial can of whoopass on them. Quantess Aug 2012 #95
CORRECT!!! Skittles Aug 2012 #134
Good thread. Nothing makes me madder Populist_Prole Aug 2012 #8
+1 freshwest Aug 2012 #28
Same here, and interestingly enough my kindness is usually returned. I also stick up for them when smirkymonkey Aug 2012 #127
Actually that's a good way to test a person Populist_Prole Aug 2012 #129
Because, eventually, they'll end up treating you that way. smirkymonkey Aug 2012 #141
I worked for a year at a well known pharmacy chain part time Marrah_G Aug 2012 #11
I used to work at Walgreens TheFarseer Aug 2012 #103
Sometimes I wonder if people do HappyMe Aug 2012 #12
Yes they know they can get away with their power trips, so they do it. darkangel218 Aug 2012 #16
If a patient loses it, HappyMe Aug 2012 #19
yep azurnoir Aug 2012 #52
I particularly enjoy giving shots to assholes. I would find an 18 gauge for that one. nt eilen Aug 2012 #102
A lot of these people get pushed around at work, at home, where ever, CrispyQ Aug 2012 #31
h femrap Aug 2012 #62
"I just want to be a hermit." CrispyQ Aug 2012 #63
This message was self-deleted by its author femrap Aug 2012 #74
I feel like I'm living in a different universe than you guys. noamnety Aug 2012 #106
Precisely Sherman A1 Aug 2012 #85
Whenever I was dating, I'd see how my date treated busboys, waiters, cashiers, etc. FSogol Aug 2012 #13
Me too. CrispyQ Aug 2012 #34
Someone who is rude to a waitress Freddie Aug 2012 #39
Yep. Very Telling. n/t BrendaBrick Aug 2012 #47
+1 uponit7771 Aug 2012 #55
A well known test that assholes make sure to pass Tunkamerica Aug 2012 #89
I did that, too! I thought it was a great test of character to see how they treated service IndyJones Aug 2012 #139
NOT ME Skittles Aug 2012 #14
You have also failed... agent46 Aug 2012 #17
The reason people do it is because they know the employee can't talk back to them Major Nikon Aug 2012 #18
Sure the employee can talk back... problem is, most of the employees don't realize it. LooseWilly Aug 2012 #87
I think most retail employees realize they won't get away with it without being fired Major Nikon Aug 2012 #94
I got insulted by a telemarketer the other day. Initech Aug 2012 #20
Never. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I can't even remember the last time I had bad service from anybody Booster Aug 2012 #21
I brought up an incident about this recently reflection Aug 2012 #22
A most excellent on that restaurant manager/owner! CrispyQ Aug 2012 #38
Absolutely. Wait Wut Aug 2012 #23
Agreed. People that seek to aggrandize themselves on the servants this way suck. freshwest Aug 2012 #25
You all did a wonderful thing susanr516 Aug 2012 #59
I always judge a person by the way they treat service workers nichomachus Aug 2012 #27
My business is basically a service business but I am much sought after... Walk away Aug 2012 #30
The Source for All of Our Economic, Political, Financial, and Social Problems Is.... Yavin4 Aug 2012 #32
huh? you have to consume to live. people have always consumed & traded, i don't think that HiPointDem Aug 2012 #46
In the past, we had a balance between consumption and production Yavin4 Aug 2012 #50
oh, i see what you mean. not sure "consumption society" is the right term, though. HiPointDem Aug 2012 #51
It's similar to this stopwastingmymoney Aug 2012 #68
i understand. just saying, 'consumption society' doesn't really express that, imo. HiPointDem Aug 2012 #86
maybe you do. but most people realize they're in the same boat. Tunkamerica Aug 2012 #90
I was cleaning my anger while waiting in line at Starbucks- and it just went off! nt Poll_Blind Aug 2012 #37
It's bullying plain and simple 4th law of robotics Aug 2012 #40
Spending a night or two in jail for it would correct the problem... Comrade_McKenzie Aug 2012 #41
A head waiter recently told me of a story about a customer. geardaddy Aug 2012 #44
That's kind of sad and submissive sounding :-( Walk away Aug 2012 #77
Sounds more like a "Power Bottom" Kurovski Aug 2012 #107
I think what he was saying was that the guy should go fuck himself. geardaddy Aug 2012 #142
"Rachel Needs a Vacation" fund raiser... -..__... Aug 2012 #45
The real trick is being the customer behind them when it happens and SAYING SOMETHING. cecilfirefox Aug 2012 #49
Same here! LeftofObama Aug 2012 #56
I was in that kind of situation recently... begin_within Aug 2012 #73
Reminds me of a story a friend told me years ago. He was on an out of town job as a painter with a Citizen Worker Aug 2012 #53
funny Tunkamerica Aug 2012 #91
Much Of It Is Race Based Too Boot DallasNE Aug 2012 #54
'Pretty in/Pretty' out. (as opposed to 'garbage in/garbage' out). chknltl Aug 2012 #57
It's karma in the micro stopwastingmymoney Aug 2012 #69
Almost like they're real people... maybe they'll give you free pie. Tunkamerica Aug 2012 #92
I used to work at the county appraisers office; measuring houses in Kansas. Blanks Aug 2012 #58
I'm a lunch lady in an elementary school Cairycat Aug 2012 #60
Sounds like you are on the front-lines there Cairycat, BrendaBrick Aug 2012 #66
I got out of the service industry because I realized that the customers GoneOffShore Aug 2012 #65
I Used To Tell My Fellow Service Workers... "We Are Here To Serve Them, But... WillyT Aug 2012 #67
D.Z. Akin's has a note on the menu, "Too much aggravation to server, $1 surcharge." begin_within Aug 2012 #72
I have noticed that more money a person has, the more likely they are to shit on waiters. Odin2005 Aug 2012 #75
One of THE most revealing behaviors ever. patrice Aug 2012 #78
I only berate when needed. . .like when my service is shitty, my server has an attitude problem and Suji to Seoul Aug 2012 #79
I was for ten years a ticket agent at National Airport in Washington, DC. SheilaT Aug 2012 #80
I've never understood people who feel the need to act badly. Stonepounder Aug 2012 #81
There is a *LOT* to that HillWilliam Aug 2012 #120
I think everyone should be required to work in the service industry at least once.. siouxsiecreamcheese Aug 2012 #84
Yes, it's a real eye-opener slackmaster Aug 2012 #93
"La Seur peas" oh that made me laugh nadine_mn Aug 2012 #146
My daughter Doc Holliday Aug 2012 #99
I work as a security guard Trunk Monkey Aug 2012 #100
I learned fast that as a Civil Servant you have even less rights ... bayareaboy Aug 2012 #104
Respect and a Hello/Good morning elbloggoZY27 Aug 2012 #105
I have zero tolerance for petty tyrants. Zorra Aug 2012 #108
+1 n/t area51 Aug 2012 #109
It happens on both sides of the aisle IMO lunasun Aug 2012 #111
I have never harassed, berated or insulted a service worker. RebelOne Aug 2012 #112
Agreed. I'm in telephone customer service. mwooldri Aug 2012 #113
I've worked burger-flipping jobs myself when I was younger. backscatter712 Aug 2012 #115
I don't think JonLP24 Aug 2012 #116
You mean like this? crazyjoe Aug 2012 #117
^^^^^Precisely Like THAT^^^^^ NYC_SKP Aug 2012 #143
I always tip well and the wife didn't get it at first. sarcasmo Aug 2012 #118
Agree. nt Honeycombe8 Aug 2012 #119
I only berate them when they're incompetent. TransitJohn Aug 2012 #121
I agree - Zax2me Aug 2012 #122
People in the service industry OWE you good service. Bonobo Aug 2012 #123
Nobody getting paid $7.50 an hr owes anyone who abuses them anything. Zorra Aug 2012 #124
Yes they do. Bonobo Aug 2012 #125
"Western sense of entitlement"? LOL. Yeah, I suppose that's true... Zorra Aug 2012 #128
It gives me a tremendous sense of pride in and gratitude for my fellow DUers WilliamPitt Aug 2012 #138
I've never understood people who belittle service workers. Lone_Star_Dem Aug 2012 #140
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