People can be so rude

[kevinm]

So I just got back home. Went out to eat because well, I didn't feel like eating at home and wanted to get away from the house. After eating I went and picked up some movies to watch over the next few days, then went grocery shopping.

 

At the grocery store I had to use the "rascal" or whatever you want to call it... the electric cart. I feel embarrassed to use it 'cause I'm so young, and not in terrible shape. At this point it's not so much crutching myself around the store as much as it is carrying things. Anyway, so I'm using the electric cart thing, get done picking up my things, and go to the checkout.

 

The cashier was really rude. She didn't even say "hello" or "thank you" after my purchases. When I was done getting the receipt I asked for some help loading up my stuff into the car. She sighed and said "I think you can handle that yourself. We don't have any extra people at this hour. And make sure you return the cart when you are done."

 

I just sat there shocked for a second then went outside, spent probably 15 minutes getting everything into the trunk, then hopped back on to the rascal to return it (I was going to do that anyway).

 

It just made me feel so damn depressed and irritated. I couldn't believe she had said those things to me. The last time I went there the staff was super helpful, so I'm trying to give the store the benefit of the doubt. Should I report this cashier? I mean, maybe she was having a bad day or something, but I felt it was completely inappropriate to act that way towards me. It's pretty obvious (cast, crutches) that I'm handicapped right now. What do you guys think?

 

-Kevin

[SunniDee]

I would go back and speak to the manager. That's very rude, and I'm sure doesn't jive with their policy.

[Keyman]

I'm with SunniDee. Ring the store if it's a hassle to go back and talk to the manager. If it's late, go down there in the morning and have a word.

[ResonanceTheory]

Wow. I would definitely report that. While it might be true that they are short-staffed at night, she could've at least apologized or directed you to someone else who wasn't manning a cash register and could help you.

 

Some people think that just because they're paid minimum wage, they don't have to have even a modicum of human decency or empathy...No matter how bad a day I was having, I'd help out a dude with crutches...

[Jpo]

Damn. That lady was a complete * * * * * * * .

[kevinm]

I feel like Michael Douglas in "Falling Down" like I just want to go in there and knock things over... with their rascal! LOL

 

Thanks everyone... I think I'll go talk to one of the managers tomorrow. Little does she know that there one of the managers there is one of my clients at my work. Gotta love small towns huh? I mean, I'm not out for revenge and don't want anyone to get fired or anything... just the way she handled the situation was way out of line.

 

JPO... been meaning to tell you that I dig the avatar. Dexter is one of my favorite shows.

 

-Kevin

[dreamwarrior]

wow..that was totally uncalled for...I have a good one too...the other day a guy was shoveling crap into a wheelbarrow and it was windy and I am wearing my white medical scrubs...I say to him hey can you stop that and I didn't he heard me, so I said it again, and he turned around and huffed and said I have alot of work to do...I told him well your going to stop so I can pass, because I don't want that crap to get all over my clothes...and he started saying something to the effect of this is the way it is in SF...I told him, "oh shut up" and that it's people like him who make this world a rotten place, because they have no courtesy for someone else...and it won't take you but two freakin seconds to stop shoveling so I can pass.

 

It gets better just a half block before my house a guy was pulling up to a place perhaps waiting on someone and another car that was behind him honks, and the guy who is in his 70's said, go around you stupid F**K....I was thinking what is wrong with people today...? Have they all gone mad?

[GoneCrazy]

Thats really rude and yes you should have talked to the manager.

 

Two things come to mind about this girl.

 

1. She had a seriously bad day, but i would think for someone to be that rude you would most have had ONE really REALLY bad day. I've had my bad days and there are nasty things that i've wanted to say to people but held it in.

 

2. You use one of those electric carts cause of your size, and alot of people find that to be lazy cause they didnt take care of themselfs and expect other to take care of them and that leads to money wise and the whole government hand out thing.

 

I would go back to the store and talk to the manager someone who is that rude shouldnt be around people, till they fixed there additude.

[spinstermanquee]

kevin, that sucks.

 

after a surgery i used those carts in the stores for a few weeks and i always felt weird but anyway... never got treated like that (even when my leg brace was under my pants and out of sight so you couldn't see what was "wrong" with me).

 

yes, you should speak to the manager because the checkout person obviously made an assumption about you and treated you accordingly (which they are supposedly trained not to do).

[Xylitol]

Discrimination even takes place amongst animals.

 

 

 

Its of course a horrible joke to put a grim reaper mask over a sheep, but in terms of what happened to you, it shows how people also 'maltreat' everything that is different.

 

Discrimination is actually a form of self preservation, it helps those who discriminate to stay alive, and it roots out and makes the person/animal that is discriminated feel horrible and left out (just like the one sheep) ,

 

If you look at it from this perspective, then you indeed have been maltreated, but its only because those people ' can't see whats wrong with you ', just like those sheep can't see that behind the grim reaper mask , there is a person who is really handicapped.

 

I think therefore that the best thing is to forgive their ignorance, and that you need to keep their ignorance in mind before going somewhere, so that you will be more prepared for the comments that they make.

 

You know it sometimes happens (actually a lot more then you think) that were people who look completely fine, are complete wreckages inside. I do agree with you do that if you would be walking with crutches they should be more understanding. I mean in the other way around if you see someone completely young and healthy and then asks you to 'please help me up the staircase' you would help, but you couldn't help being suprised right? So i think you need to take it in aspect that other people do not have some fortune telling glass ball in which they can exactly see what is wrong with you. Its important to take this in context because you have to understand that there is misunderstanding from both sides that needs to be cleared up.

 

In the future you should say ' i am severely handicapped ' so that you communicate to the other people that something is wrong with you, by communicating and telling what happened and what is wrong with you, you clear up the misunderstanding that people have with you. In other words you are also responsible into giving other people a clear image of what is wrong with you, and you do this to avoid misunderstanding.

 

I also think you are overreacting, not that your complaint of being maltreated isn't justified, but think about it. Everyone in their lives experiences a bad day, or even more. Maby the lady wasn't in a good mood, can happen right? So basically you should add more salt to the situation, don't take everything to heart , i am saying this because if you worry and nit pick every bad thing that happens to you in your life, you will go crazy.

 

Its important that you need to let go of situations, stop carrying the world on your shoulders, there is so much negativity in this world, you just need to do your own thing in life, and just let the rest that you cannot handle pass you by. Its better to bend like grass then to break.

 

You know only if this kind of rude behaviour is systematic and would happen on a regular basis i would complain about it. But for just one time not saying hello or goodbye , c'mon that's overexaggerated in my opinion. If you go there the next time , and you explain your handicapped situation, and if they are still not willing to help, then you could file a complaint i guess. But honestly i don't even know if its obligatory for them to help handicapped people, do you know even if they are obliged to help handicapped people. For the supermarkets that i go to i never seen any of the employees help a handicapped person ever. Those handicapped people always take people with them that can help them do their groceries. I think that would be a smarter thing to do in your case as well, isn't there someone else who is willing to get your groceries?

[Tarkan]

Wow it's nice if cashiers are supposed to do that in your country. In mine, you are already lucky if she's smiling to you ( even tough I understand it's not the most amazing job ). But you know, I know alot of cashiers and my mom is one aswell. Usually it's really hard to be kind a whole day because MOST customers treat you like crap. Most people don't say hello, they talk at on cellphone while being at the cash register, they theaten, they insult, ... Being a cashier here isn't a very exiting job because of the way people act generally.I'm sure you can understand that someone can be very pissed after the 1000th unfriendly customer.

 

I agree that she was rude but you were probably at the wrong place at the wrong moment. It doesn't make the cashier behaviour acceptable. But hey, she's just a human too. Even tough appologies would have been nice.

[ResonanceTheory]

Depending on the store he was in, people are SUPPOSED to help you out to the car. At grocery stores here, they have people who are paid to load groceries and bring the carts out to your car for you...not that I use them, but if I was injured, I'd be glad that the service was there.

[Tarkan]

Depending on the store he was in, people are SUPPOSED to help you out to the car. At grocery stores here, they have people who are paid to load groceries and bring the carts out to your car for you...not that I use them, but if I was injured, I'd be glad that the service was there.

 

That sounds nice. In my country they never pack anything for you and they will certainly not help you bring packages to the car.

 

The first time I saw that happen was in Canada, where they pack in for you. In my surprise I was asking the cashier why she was doing that for me And of course she said it was common to do that

[savignon]

Did you talk to the manager? That was TOTALLY out of line/rude/disrespectful and witchy. I worked in a supermarket all through HS and College and would've gotten "reassigned" if I treated someone like that! Yikes!!

Hope she gets spoken to so that the next customer who needs a little help isn't berrated like that.

[iLiveWithMyMom]

I agree with ResonanceTheory, but I kind of think the time has passed to talk to the manager. Should have made a scene right then and there.

 

BTW I dated a German girl, and she pretty much said what Tarkan describes. Cashiers don't bag for you. They don't even say, "Hi". Instead it's like, "Here's your total; now give me your money and leave." lol. Kind of reminds you of some places in the states, actually... *cough Walmart*

[EQD]

well for one that cashier has probably seen her fair share of people who really arent disabled taking advantage of the carts.

 

two they probably couldnt help you because of the understaffing.

 

three; alot of times when i see a person who doesnt have a good day or is being unhospitable its because in their job regardless of what it pays they are being pooped on by the customers and/or the higher ups. Unhappy people are unhappy people, its really hard for some to eat it with a smile.

Then again it could have just been her bad day, car broke down, boyfriend cheated on her, ran out of snickers at home.... anything really.

 

I know ALOT of people dont have empathy or sympathy for people who handle customer service people, but by god they should. These arent machines they are people!!

They have lives that run a different track as your own. They arent the toilets of society. think of how many pain in the butt customers come in there and take their bad attitudes out on them, and we expect them to have a permanant smile and wave for every single person day in and out... its not humanly possible.

 

 

i have alot of sympathy for people having a bad day, except that one clerk at the courthouse.. i could have socked her in her fat face because she told me "chop chop, hurry up!" like i was a kid. no excuse for that sort of shi....

but in those cases they deal with an insane amount of stress, they hate their job, and they are aware of how hard it is to be fired and replaced.

[EJRG]

I agree that she was rude but you were probably at the wrong place at the wrong moment. It doesn't make the cashier behaviour acceptable. But hey, she's just a human too. Even tough appologies would have been nice.

 

I've worked in retail - customers can be polite, rude, arrogant, insulting, abusive, bullying - just like people in the rest of life. You have to have the patience of a saint if you want to be in retail - I don't.

[iLiveWithMyMom]

I've worked in retail - customers can be polite, rude, arrogant, insulting, abusive, bullying - just like people in the rest of life. You have to have the patience of a saint if you want to be in retail - I don't.

 

Although that's 100% true, there are plenty of cashiers who are just plain rude or indifferent to begin with. They couldn't fake charm if their life depended on it.