Reply #12: You're a good manager LeftyMom. Share this story with her...

[grace0418]

When I was in retail most of my managers would never have been so nice. If the customers weren't making you cry, your managers were. So thank you for your kindness from someone who's been in that girls shoes.

Anyway, I do have one really great story from my days in retail. Maybe you could tell her this one.

When I first moved to Chicago I worked in the Art Institute gift shop. Words cannot describe how insane this job was. If you have ever been in that gift shop on a Saturday near closing time, you would maybe get an inkling. Wall to wall people, many of whom didn't speak a word of English. Although the foreign tourists were almost never the problem (it just took longer to wait on them). The people who paid for a membership to the Art Institute were the real problem, and it was AMAZING how badly they behaved. Membership at the time cost something like $40 a year. Not cheap but not *that* expensive. It got you and a guest free admission as often as you wanted to come, plus many extra perks like sneak previews, discounts at the gift shop and the restaurant. But for some reason, many folks thought their membership entitled them to a team of personal shoppers, no lines, and all manner of extra ass-kissing. If they had to wait for one minute in line they started bitching.

Well one Christmas I was working the front register on an insanely busy day. We had as many people stationed at each register as possible (one ringing, one bagging, one wrapping, etc.). Still the lines were incredible, the store literally had to be close or over the legal fire capacity. If it were me out shopping, I would've taken one look at that shop and said "NO THANK YOU" and moved on.

Anyway, I was at the register ringing away, and most people were being fine. But one woman (a Member!) was bitching from the moment she got in line. First she started with the usual "Well, I'm a MEMBER and I shouldn't have to wait this long!" but soon she graduated to "You know, I'm ON THE BOARD of this museum and blah, blah, blah...." I was just about at the end of my rope with this woman, when I looked up to see the PRESIDENT of the museum walking toward her with a few purchases of his own in his hand. He approached her and said "Hello, I'm John Doe (I can't remember his name), and I'm the president of the museum. I don't believe we've met..."

I swear, in my head it was one of those movie moments where a crowded room falls completely silent and looks at the person making an idiot of herself. She looked completely stricken, totally busted in her lie. It was great. The museum president then calmly walked to the back of the line and waited like everyone else. She finally shut the hell up and waited her turn too. I went back to ringing up customers with a satisfied (and shocked) smile on my face. A few people winked at me knowingly as they approached. It was great. When she got up the the front, all of us were soooooo sugary sweet to her, and it was hilarious to see how uncomfortable that made her.

When the president got up the front, I thanked him profusely. He said that he was just sorry to see anyone behaving that badly when they knew what the were getting into as they walked into the store.

I found out later that he had actually been *ahead* of her in line but gave up his spot to prove his point to her. I didn't even see him in all the craziness, but that is one class act.