r/retailhell • u/Appropriate-Box-3163 • 1d ago
Customers Suck! Difficult customer
I had such a wild interaction at work today I honestly just have to vent about it. Im a barista and we have out half and half and oat milk for people to add to their coffees any other kind of milk is behind the counter for barista use. This guy wants whole milk and instead of asking for it he reaches back in the barista space I’m unaware of this and almost hit him with a hot canister I just frothed milk in. Because of this I told him verbatim “if you need a different milk next time you can just ask us and we will hand it to you”
That statement set him off for whatever reason I said it in a very neutral tone so I’m genuinely confused as to how something like that could put someone in an erratic stage but it did. He starts getting rowdy, saying that this is ridiculous, and then condescendingly asks what am i in your way. I shortly reply “ we need this space to prepare our orders and I’m working with hot cups so it’s just not safe”
He continues to yell and slams the milk and I don’t pay him any more mind once he sees I’m ignoring him he goes to my coworker and demands a manager to force me to apologize to him. I know I should’ve just apologized and keep it moving but it also just felt like a jab to my self respect in the moment so I looked at him and said “sir I did nothing to you”
He continued to yell and cause a scene while we have customers and I tell him if there’s no way we can help him further I’m going to have to ask him to leave this obviously upsets him more so he continues berating my coworker and I until he gets the owner of the building who doesnt really do much but ask for a coffee for himself lol.
I told my manager all of this and she said I did nothing wrong initially but I should have just apologized to him to make him happy.
I don’t know like I’d understand getting mad for an actual reason like a bad drink or something but this man literally got mad because he can’t reach behind the counter and just grab stuff like it’s his kitchen.
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u/AccomplishedPath4049 1d ago
"You did nothing wrong but should have just abased yourself and begged forgiveness from the customer thereby encouraging both him and other customers to treat you like shit."
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u/Appropriate-Box-3163 1d ago
Exactly it didn’t sit right with me to apologize to him it felt like he just wanted his ego stroked and when he saw I wasn’t doing that his behavior became more aggressive
Even other customers who witnessed it said he was being ridiculous and woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
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u/AccomplishedPath4049 1d ago
Even as a customer, I'd rather eat/shop at a place where the employees are treated with respect and allowed to stick up for themselves. I wish more managers would realize that nothing sours the customer's experience faster than seeing people behaving like assholes and getting away with it (or even rewarded for it).
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u/ChocoHorror 1d ago
Yeah fuck that guy and fuck apologizing. He could get you hurt pulling that shit too, if he can't bother to consider his own safety. He was wrong, a thoughtless ass, and being a fucking bully to boot. Slamming shit when he couldn't get you to self-flagellate is an indirect threat of aggression, and that would have been over my line, where I say to leave. People are allowed to be upset or a bit unpleasant, but they're not allowed to be scary or threatening.
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u/Trace_Reading 1d ago
screw apologizing, it just confirms to jerkasses like him that they were right to act up.
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u/prince_theory 1d ago
Im also a barista at starbucks
And honestly? Fuck that guy. I wouldn’t have said sorry either.
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u/bewitch1n 1d ago
Some men are seriously on one rn. Some privileged people are absolutely on one or two or three and maybe should add a couple more so they calm tf down. >.>
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u/Waerfeles How can I hunt you today? 1d ago
I'm pissy if a customer takes one of our tissues or uses our hand sanitiser (BOTH are on our side of the counter, purchased for US). I'm also not very patient with people breaching the staff zones, e.g., leaning around the side of the counter or stepping partially behind it.
But him doing it in food service??? Around a big-ass boiling water and steam machine??? While someone is OPERATING it??????
I have a mate who flails when startled. Things could've gone differently for this guy. He clearly hasn't been corrected enough in his life.
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u/Appropriate-Box-3163 1d ago
Exactly like I was dodging his hand trying to make drinks during a rush like that’s completely unacceptable and he’s lucky I even looked over before I put the hot canister down
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u/Trick-Molasses-1480 1d ago
My daughter is a Barista at Starbucks. It happens there quite a bit. Some customers have a sense of entitlement. They need to get over themselves. Sorry you had to deal with this