"Don't Start Nothin', Won't Be Nothin'."
So I’m just coming onto my shift, like I’ve barely just clocked in and I haven’t even gotten on the register yet. The thing is when you’re replacing the cashier, for example at three, you have to clock in at three and they HAVE to clock out at three. We can’t go over, not even by a minute, because then the store manager screams at us and writes us up for making the store go over in hours. Whatevs. So I’m replacing, let’s call her Chick. Chick’s an older woman, she’s a grandma, so she’s a little slower on the till. Well it’s three at the moment and she’s doing a send Moneygram, which although easy, is very slow on the register. So as her customer is quietly counting out his huge pile of 20s, I tell her politely…
Me: Chick, why don’t I got ahead and finish this transaction for you? I can manually sign you off after (since I’m a supervisor) so you can clock out on time. We can’t have you going over in hours, after all.
Customer: (angrily) Why don’t you leave her alone and let her finish my transaction?! I don’t want the person changing on this order so just BUTT OUT.
Now I was standing behind Chick at her shoulder so I could speak quietly by her head, so I didn’t see him say this but my head snaps towards him and I glare at him. He refuses to meet my eyes as he huffingly counts his money, but I know I heard him right by the perfect O on the face of the woman standing behind him.
Me: (cutting my eyes at him) Excuse me, sir?
Me: Did you say something to me, sir?
Customer: (still not looking at me) You heard me.
Me: Listen here, sir. I am the manager on duty here. If I tell this cashier to leave the register, she leaves the register. I am her manager. Do you understand?
Chick: (clearly getting frazzled) I’ll just finish it.
Me: (glaring at him) No, you go clock out now. I will handle this.
Customer: (still not looking at me and grumbling) Come in here like a wrecking ball, trying to mess things up and confuse people.
Me: Excuse me sir?? Speak up! (hissing) Move, Chick.
Chick: (getting panicky) I’ll just finish it.
And she does, his receipt prints as I continue glowering at him. She tries to hand it to him his receipt in the red leaflet we have to give the customers and he tells Chick to throw it away.
Me: We can’t throw it away for you sir, it’s against store policy because of your confidential information in it. You’ll have to throw it away yourself.
Customer: Yeah? You’re still gonna talk to me?
Me: (snottily) Well it is my job.
He snatches it and leaves.
He’s so goddamn lucky he was in the middle of that type of transaction or I would have ordered him out of the store. Just because I’m young, short, and a woman he assumes I have no power and can push me around. I am getting so sick of that attitude from big bad men on the other side of the counter. I will go toe to toe with anyone. Bring it because that’s why i became a supervisor because I don’t start shit with customers but I sure will finish it.
