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Two Phrases That Destroyed American Culture

violentacres.com — "And while I was pleased to learn that this particular manager wasn ’t going to fire the new girl based on the whim of some fat ass piece of trailer trash, I was disappointed that he rewarded said trash’s temper tantrum with free food... all due to the ridiculous policy ‘The Customer is Always Right’."

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  • unpurposed, on 10/12/2007, -7/+154Very true. It's sickening the way people take advantage of fellow human beings and treat them like crap.
    • atdigg, on 10/12/2007, -21/+196That's one side of the coin, it might also happen that you want to buy something or ask for some info and the person who is supposed to work there behaves like she's doing you a big favor or even ignores you for as long as she can.

      My theory: there are idiots are on the both sides on the counter.
    • Stonedonkey, on 10/12/2007, -5/+174"My theory: there are idiots are on the both sides on the counter."

      And believe me, the person behind the counter will have to deal with A LOT more idiots than the customer on any given day.

      If you get bad service, you can go somewhere else. If the employee gets a bad customer, they have to stand there and just take it. See how this becomes a vicious cycle?
    • Muyoso, on 10/12/2007, -60/+10Obviously the person who wrote this never had to deal with customer service from a company which makes it quite clear that they are incompetent and could care less about your problem.
    • thezanman, on 10/12/2007, -5/+43People in ANY position, behind the counter or in front of it, need to stand up for themselves. It may not be company policy, but you will get farther in the long run if you do what is right and not let yourself/others get treated like *****.
    • sundancekid503, on 10/12/2007, -25/+13I'd be willing to bet whoever wrote this article has never experienced customer service in one of the many countries that definitely doesn't believe "the customer is always right". While this phrase/policy can and will bite you in the ass, it's still better than the alternative.
    • marmanukem, on 10/12/2007, -18/+8Personally, I use the phrase "you have to earn my respect" when someone isn't treating me with any. Either they are being very demanding and unreasonable or they automatically expect respect because they are in a position of authority. I give respect where it deserves: to people that respect others.
    • floppyparty, on 10/12/2007, -9/+35I think the best way to handle this is from the past. I think everyone needs to carry daggers like in the old days. This way, when you before you berate the person behind the counter, you really must ask yourself if that person will try to slice your neck. I think that also solves the "respect must be earned" philosophy as well.
    • skoles, on 10/12/2007, -1/+40I've defended clerks when they're being given ***** by customers who are just being assholes. I've worked the fast food gig and the retail gig in my past so I know exactly what you wish you could say but couldn't.

      So I happily step in and fire off the comments I've always wanted to unload when in their position. Letting a C-bomb or "*****" drop tends to get the most smiles from the employee.
    • vexter, on 10/12/2007, -8/+22We call it, "The American Way". Most think this is some happy, do the right thing kind of addage. But what it really means is "We will do ANYTHING to stay on top". I live here, I go along with it. I have kids to feed. I dont like it. I think Im the only one that doesnt wonder about why so many of us are depressed. The USA has MANY that would back a revolt.
    • Klisk, on 10/12/2007, -4/+50Watch Clerks, learn from Randall.
    • ThinkBox, on 10/12/2007, -43/+9anyone find it odd how many times this guy said ***** in this article?

      It was very unprofessional. I mean, yeah, its the Internet, but if I wanted to show this to my parents or maybe someone older in a position of power, I certainly wouldn't link them here.

      If you have a good point, don't ruin it by filling the article with unnecessary verbal garbage
    • jus1haz2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17I think this kind of thing only happens in corporate places with alot of stupid rules. I worked in an independently owned pizza place for a couple years in high school and the manger wouldn't take ***** from customers. He would politely ask them to leave if they were being disrespectful or rude.
    • mellon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+28Totally, dude. He should give us all free coupons for a future *****-free blog entry. How dare he use a word like that in his own blog that he's making available to you for free? The NERVE! I DEMAND satisfaction!
    • lulutv, on 10/12/2007, -9/+15It's very easy to deal with the "I said HASH BROWNS" of the world. You bring them what the want, with a healthy dose of complimentary phlegm. On the house. With your sincere apologies.

      Anyone who is this over-the-line with their server, does it habitually, and has probably ingested twice their weight in other people's saliva. There's all sorts of justice in this world.
    • jdb252, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7This is an extreme example of the abuse of "the customer is always right." That cry is a fundamental part of our Capitalist system... Businesses want to serve the customer in such a way consummately aligned with their desires, so that's the very reason the teenager behind the counter WON'T stand up for herself.

      If it wasn't incredibly easy for the management of the bagel shop to replace that worker if she starts getting lippy with a bitchy customer, then that worker would have cause to express outrage and act on principle. But since that worker can be replaced, she needs to learn to deal with that extreme customer and move on.

      If a worker threw a ***** fit every time they got a customer with attitude, they would end up on the streets in every job they took. It's an evil of the system, but it comes packaged with a lot of benefits.
    • Zippo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15So very true. Having worked in retail myself for nearly half a decade, I know all about it. Even though I've moved on from the service industry, I'm always super polite to cashiers. If I make a mistake, I apologize. I always smile and say thank you. If they say "have a good day", I say "thank, you too!" I know what it's like to stand in front of a cash register for five hours, doing nothing but scanning items in and having to serve people... they're people like everyone else and deserve respect.
    • splammo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13@ThinkBox

      I find it funny you assumed it was a guy because of their language, but in the article it says "my husband" now I know you can't assume anything anymore but that makes it sound like its a woman writing the article to me.
    • theojanke, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5To those above referring to the writer as a male... this article was written by a woman.

      Edit: splammo beat me to it.
    • Hashiro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15So many of you missed the point all together. He's not trying to prove that the customer is right or that the establishment is wrong. He's just trying to rally us against all the assholes out there who abuse the term 'the customer is always right'. We've all been the employee in this story. Some ***** is complaining that it's his ISP's fault that he put his credit card in the floppy drive because he was trying to pay his bill online or some other equally absurd demand. We've all just wanted to tell him to kindly remove his head from his shoulders and save us all from the stupidity that is his being.

      But we couldn't... That would get us fired.

      But now we have an excuse to yell at other peoples customers. Next time you seem some ***** yelling at the waitress because he didn't RTFM(enu), call him an ***** and stand up for the employee who is only doing their JOB!
    • Dempf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+30"We do your laundry, cook your food and serve you dinner. We guard you while you sleep. We drive your ambulances. Do not ***** with us."
    • ZenMojo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+27New rules:
      "The customer is sometimes right."
      "Everybody deserves your respect ... until they lose it."

      I think the world would be a far better place if we instituted these right now.
    • bobbyi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I don't think a man would get away with calling a random woman in the bagel store a "bitch".
    • Mr.RX99, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1I believe that this phrase can work, but only when pared with common sense. Something a lot of people seem to be missing.

      Edit:
      ZenMojo probably puts it best.
    • klept, on 10/12/2007, -11/+0I just glanced at the article but something struck me about the waitress working Sunday morning.

      If she was new to the job and learning, why did management give her one of the busiest days of the week to work. Could it be that she was already given a couple of easy weeks of work, or was the management just incompetent in, well, managing. My bet goes with the management's competence.

      Flame me on this but just stating an observation; did you notice that most of the problems were involving women. Could the problem be most women dont make good managers, like in the restaurant? Just hypothetical thinking and questions. Surely I have a right to do that to all the political correct people reading this.

      BTW I think the person that wrote the article is a woman. The author mentioned "her husband".
    • numb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+28I was watching "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel last night and one of the jobs they showed was cleaning up the animal crap at the SF zoo. The host of the show asked the employee who did the job full-time how he ended up being the guy picking up all the *****. The employee responded "I worked my way up from dealing with the public."

      No, I didn't make that up. It really was on Discovery last night.
    • MelvinSchlubman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Obviously the person who wrote this never had to deal with customer service from a company which makes it quite clear that they are incompetent and could care less about your problem."

      Normally, when I receive bad service, it's the fault of the place's management, not the individuals doing the service. I say that because, almost always, the problem is that a store doesn't have enough people on duty. The people who are there are doing what they can under a high workload. I don't give them crap -- they're harried enuf already. What I do is write a letter (snail mail), addressed to the store management, explaining the problem (and not lightly making "I'll never go there again" threats). Despite the letters being reasoned and written in a mature and constructive tone, I never get a reply.
    • renzien, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4It's true that the examples she gave were people being treated like *****, but we should stop and think a minute. A quick glance at the /definition/ of respect, and you will find that it implies that it must be earned.

      I think the words this writer was looking for are "common courtesy," or even courtesy in general.

      When you "respect" someone, usually you "respect their opinions" and "respect what they have to say." This is something that definitely should be earned. Courtesy should be universal.
    • theehman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Having worked at Radio Shack for 4 years I can tell you that there are a lot of idiot people in the world. At the Shack, what drove me nuts was mainly people who were TOO GODDAMNED LAZY to put their own minutes on their prepaid phones. Had a couple who would get really bitchy about it, too. Hey, I'd put them on for handicapped and elderly people, but if you're going to waltz thru the door and yank out a roll of drug money, you're on your own.
      I think everyone should have to work retail or fast food for at least 1 full year so they learn how to be respectful of the people behind the counters.
    • lemenhir, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Once, I was right behind this total a$$hole at an airport Rent-a-Car counter. He was ranting and raving that the car he was given had full ashtrays and stunk like smoke and he was blaming it all on the ticket counter girl, who had nothing to do with it. He went on and on for five minutes, yelling and gesticulating to the point of making all of us behind him shake our heads and roll our eyes. All of us just wanted to get our cars and get out of there. She finally calmed down this "King-O-Da-World" by giving him a different car. Finally, he stood aside to wait for his new car.

      I stepped to the counter and asked for a car with full ashtrays. She looked up, mortified, and then saw my smirk and wink. Long story short, I got upgraded from midsize to a nice Lincoln Town Car, no extra charge. On my way out to the car I "accidentally'"bumped into him. Kinda hard.
    • ajmeade1, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4It definitely works both ways. We have all been to restaurants and dealt with a half wit that messes up what is seemingly is a simple order. I worked in restaurants all through college and dealt with plenty of *****. If you say anything back you not only risk your job, but it really accomplishes nothing. The worst in people always comes out when they are hungry. It should be mandatory that everyone see the movie Waiting. I've witnessed people's food being ***** with if they are assholes to the employees. Even if you are having the worst day, be nice to the people that handle your food, or you might get an unwanted side order of ass juice.
    • brundlefly76, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1I would really encourage the author to stay out of such conflict though. Employees and managers in food service are very well versed in handling such issues - its an everyday part of their job - and you have to trust that people will handle their own conflict in their own way without you.

      In every job we all have to break our balls on something - for this girl is was some hash browns - se la vie, don't make it your problem.
    • djlosch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3anyone who's worked in the service industry knows most customers are ***** idiots. i was a cashier for 3 yrs, and i have so many stories of complete morons that I could write a novel.
    • triple110, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I usually try and stick up for people if they are being treated badly. I understand that we live in the world of "The Customer is Always Right", so you learn to use that power for "good". If another customer is being an *****, say something...the person behind the counter is usually well trained enough to accept their anger and find out what he or she wants. If I think someone is being unreasonable, I have no problem telling them so. Example:

      I ordering at the counter in Der Wienerschnitzel when a customer bust through the door and interpreted me lodging a complaint, stating that he ordered the "All Beef" hotdog and that they gave him the "regular" hotdog. The worker excused herself and checked the log and with the cook and drive-thru attendant. The all confirmed that he got the "All Beef", he now goes into a rage screaming, "I have been coming here for 5 years 4 time a week and the All Beef Hotdog is always bigger. You are lying." The response was, "I can assure you sir that the hotdogs are the same size." By this time I am really irritated at the fact that he is so upset and how he interrupted me and blurt out, "It's just a ***** hotdog". The angry customer storms yelling, "I will never come here again." I return with, "OK". After the door closed the entire place erupted in laughter at what I said. The worker thanked me and apologized for the interruption and continued to take my order.

      This has been a phrase & philosophy I used in all my life. "Its just a ***** hotdog"
  • Cal241, on 10/12/2007, -0/+88When I was in high school, I once worked a fast food restaurant. Some drunk guy THREW his food at me because it was cold. We gave him free food.


    • BrK1, on 10/12/2007, -43/+7Serves you right for serving cold food, unless your job was at Dairy Queen.

      You should've also offered him some aspirin for his hangover.
    • floppyparty, on 10/12/2007, -5/+51Looks like you both got free food.
    • sundancekid503, on 10/12/2007, -3/+51Listen jerkwad, I threw the food at you because I said NO ONIONS!
    • Lososaurus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25"Stupid burger punk!"
      -"Farva, no!"
    • velorz, on 10/12/2007, -30/+5next time don't give him cold food asshat
    • Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -6/+19You should have offered him a blowjob and the keys to your car, you cold-food-serving pigdog!
    • idonthack, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I'd like a sour cream burrito with no sour cream.
    • halavais, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1Ooops, already been said.
    • MelvinSchlubman, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1"Listen jerkwad, I threw the food at you because I said NO ONIONS!"

      At least not those E. Coli green onions...
    • vhcougar, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1"Listen jerkwad, I threw the food at you because I said NO ONIONS!"

      Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said "four onions"!
    • zeroduck, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I worked at a fast food restaurant, Culvers, through high school. When I come back to town, I usually stop in to say hi to the managers, since I had worked with most of them for the entire 5 years.. last time I was there, I talked with an older manager, who was notorious for not taking ***** from customers, about all the times food was thrown at us. The absolutely best time we could come up with was this one time, a few minutes to closing, a van came through our drive through and ordered a strawberry shake. We made it, it was a perfect shake (I'd even say better than most). The lady, obviously intoxicated, bitched about it being too thin (you could turn it upside down and it wasn't going anywhere). We were low on custard, so the manager calmly told her that it's a perfect shake and we wouldn't remake it. After the customer swore at the manager for a few minutes, she eventually took the shake and _attempted_ to throw it back in the drive through window. She, rather humorously, missed and got the shake all over herself and her car.

      The theory for us was always that if it's a reasonable request, we'd always try to make things right. Mistakes happen on both sides of the counter. If we made a mistake, we'd try our best to fix it (and the customer usually got some extra compensation as well). I think that the best advice I could give to any employee that deals with the public is to keep a level head and try to empathize with the customer. And to customers, be realistic. Mistakes happen, you're entitled to get what you paid for, but you're not entitled to free meals every time something goes wrong. Also, be realistic about your expectations... if you order ice cream in the summer, it melts. You're not making it for a 20 minute drive before you get it home. Food gets cold, you cant expect fries to be as crispy as they are when they get out of the fryer or burgers to be as hot as when they come off the grill when you let it sit around.
    • wuxia, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3There is always a way to demand respect and get it (e.g. "Now there's no reason to be rude.. now is there?"). This is not being taught to many employees.

      "The customer may not always be right, but they are still the customer."
    • ray901, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2""The customer may not always be right, but they are still the customer.""
      WTF does that mean?
    • wuxia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@ray901

      It means you dont have to be rude to the customer in return. They are giving the company money. Sheesh.. if you couldnt understand something as simple as that I can only imagine you becoming the rude customer yourself in the future... if not already.
  • whodaman5, on 10/12/2007, -3/+35Companies are so scared that people are going to throw a stink and it'll make it on the news and then the person will sue. They'll be stuck issuing apologies, giving the person money, and treating them like they're their #1 customer ever.

    When will a major company step up to the plate and say "You know what, this guy is a ***** and we don't want the atmosphere of our company ruined by *****".

    I'm sure it happens on occasion, but someday a company with some gall will do it with impunity and the gain will more than cover the loss of a single customer. Probably by 1000-fold.
    • whodaman5, on 10/12/2007, -4/+23Now that I think about it, the Soup Nazi guy pretty much does this. While he wasn't a big thing when he started doing it, look how it's worked out for him.
    • crawfishsoul, on 10/12/2007, -2/+24Southwest Airlines is one such company. I read one good article in their in flight magazine that talked about how they will routinely tell out-of-line passengers to not fly with them anymore because of the way they treated their employee.

      Not the same article but same topic.

      http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/news/pressreleases/barrett_wrap.asp
    • Stonedonkey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Any company that's willing to sacrifice its employees' dignity in the name of commerce is not one I want to work for -- or do business with.
    • halavais, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3Yep, and Southwest has such excellent customer service, I can't imagine people becoming upset. </sarcasm>
    • ejm508, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Southwest owns

      They don't waste time with a bunch of *****, they just get everyone onto the plane quickly and fly, which is what everyone really wants anyway.
  • sinner0423, on 10/12/2007, -101/+7I stopped reading after I read "My husband and I..."

    Yeah, it's pretty obvious who wears the pants in that family.
    • Azur2, on 10/12/2007, -6/+67@sinner: You're a moron. I don't mean that in a bad way, I just felt I should tell you, since realizing you're a moron will help you make sense of your life.
    • z23rdhsuan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+40@Azur
      you seem to have taken the meaning of this article to heart!
    • Elranzer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6"Yeah, it's pretty obvious who wears the pants in that family."

      Um, could have been a married gay couple from Canada. Don't assume anything.
    • doyadigg, on 10/12/2007, -5/+0the author is a woman
    • maffiou, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@Sinner: What's that got to do with anything ?
  • othersomethings, on 10/12/2007, -7/+6I appreciated this post...have tried on occasion to be the good samaritan in similar circumstances.

    However, and I need to say this because I've been holding in it for several days now with no outlet....I took severe issue with her Christmas Tree episode.

    It's not a poor dead inanimate tree's fault that she owns those pet devils known as felines.
    • merreborn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3If she really wanted a tree, she'd lock the cats out of what ever room she put it in.
    • fjc8, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Do you think she writes so you'll agree with everything she says? No! She writes because people read it (and because readers = ad revenue).

      A nice post about how much she loves christmas would be boring. An angry post about how she doesn't like christmas trees isn't.
    • othersomethings, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I read whether I "agree" or not because she's often informative and nearly always humorous. I certainly don't disagree with her views on trees, that's her right. It's blaming the tree when really...she should be blaming the cat. And since she is uninterested in interaction with her readership, I found it excruciating to not be able to say anything about it. And thought "hey, why not here. who cares anyway?"
  • z23rdhsuan, on 10/12/2007, -4/+64i fondly recall a waitress i worked with in one of the busiest french quarter dive restaurants. when an overly demanding fat old white trash woman got snarky over something missed off her order & instantly demanded to see her manager. the waitress responded with "yeah what if I am the manager? then what? who the f*ck does that make you? get the f*ck outta here!" and the sour customer scurried off. later she said all her other tables tipped her really well after seeing that.
    • leffunov, on 10/12/2007, -44/+4Wow, if she was my waitress I wouldn't tip.
    • WasabiBomb, on 10/12/2007, -2/+51@leffunov: "Wow, if she was my waitress I wouldn't tip."

      I'd tip extra, personally.
    • Crass22, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17Mad props to that. I used to work in customer service and I constantly got grilled by rich old assholes, I wish I had the sense back then to stand up to them. It seems sometimes the biggest assholes are just people in disguise, and when you call them on their ***** it uncovers their true cowardice.
    • marmanukem, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15I love seeing douchbags get their comeuppance.
    • velorz, on 10/12/2007, -37/+1This is why I don't eat out. Self-important ***** servers who don't seem to realize their job is to "SERVE" I wonder if the restaurant you worked at is even still open.
    • BabyTofu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12@velorz

      They're called servers, not servants. There's a distinction. Be cool.
    • bebop717, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@velorz
      Just because your job is to serve doesn't give anyone the right to treat you like sh*t. Maybe customers should remember that they are being served instead of having to *gasp* god forbid, get up and get it themselves. If someone is willing to work in a job that requires bringing food to a bunch of jerks, then I think they deserve medals.
  • toekneebullard, on 10/12/2007, -2/+31Well written, and worth the read. The only thing it lacked was a call to arms for people to stick up for eachother.
    • plncrzy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+29... It's kind of sad that people *need* a call-to-arms to stick up for each other.
    • taylorhayward, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Double Digg.

      I think a better title for this article would be, "We're all in this together, so don't act like a douche."
  • mustafya, on 10/12/2007, -2/+38This is so true. It warmed my heart the day I was in TGIFriday's and saw a couple acting like assholes. The manager came over and told them they could leave or he could call the police and have them escorted out.
  • animo47, on 10/12/2007, -24/+3i hate wordpress
  • MalaysianMafia, on 10/12/2007, -10/+31Here's a good phrase: "The customer is always an idiot."
    • toby34a, on 10/12/2007, -3/+30Have you worked tech support? Because that's our true philosophy.
  • TheUngod, on 10/12/2007, -12/+7I can't say I agree with the fact these quotes are awful all the time. People are assholes and would be assholes whether the customer was right or not. Some people treat others like ***** no matter what. Earning respect is important as well. Respect doesn't have to be given, but you still should be nice to people and all. But again, people are assholes and no matter what theres always some that will act like it.
    Personally, the phrases that are ruining America if I got to choose would be "Git R' Done" and "Vote Republican"
    • Jamminpotato, on 10/12/2007, -11/+2I think you mean "Global warming" because it is a myth and "speaker of the house: nancy pelosi" because she is about to try and make America the second soviet union
  • lokier, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2Your not wrong Walter, your just an a$$hole
  • floppyparty, on 10/12/2007, -9/+4I have to agree, I hate assholes on a power trip.

    Btw, what was the second phrase that ruined american culture?
    For shizzle my nizzle? lol.
    • lokier, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9the respect must be earned thing
    • dicroce, on 10/12/2007, -13/+3doggie fizzle televizzle iz off the hizzle fo shizzle my nizzle.
  • DMDBeezies, on 10/12/2007, -21/+15Angry customer + tiny sprinkling of choice pubes = problem solved.

    Digg Me Down Beezies!
  • jer2eydevil88, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5http://www.violentacres.com/archives/59/two-phrases-that-destroyed-american-culture

    For some reason I got a wordpress error from clicking it above but it worked fine when I pasted it in. Maybe this will help someone else.
  • illegalamigo, on 10/12/2007, -34/+5OMG one time i was getting a bagel and i saw a mean person and i wrote about it on my blog and then i submitted it to digg
    • blflm, on 10/12/2007, -19/+1are you ok?> how can you ever survive in the modern world?
    • NerdWeasel, on 10/12/2007, -21/+0...and I said the F word a lot and it made it more cooler...
    • theone3, on 10/12/2007, -11/+2I think he may be referring to this http://digg.com/design/The_dullest_blog_in_the_world
    • illegalamigo, on 10/12/2007, -23/+2My point, really, is who gives a rat's. Get yourself a Rav 4 and a "Mean People Suck," bumper sticker. Why would you publish this online? We've all had this experience.

      P.S. Most (including this) blog posts on digg are lame.
    • Daedalus81, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13"We've all had this experience. "

      Isn't that the problem? Jackass.
  • BigSlacker, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3I'm not real sure insulting someone on a web site is leading by example when it comes to polite behavior.
    • academician, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Retaliatory insults are sometimes justifiable.

      Initiatory insults are most often not.
  • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -15/+12i went to florence Italy, and all i wanted was to sit down and have a quick meal. Little did i know, there is no such thing as a Quick Meal in Italy. Those people take their sweet ass time doing everything. took 3 hours to get pizza and a glass of wine. so dont bitch about america so much. we have the best customer service in the world by far.
    • barneytoe, on 10/12/2007, -4/+36Um, some people would consider the fact that Italians/French/Spaniards can sit down and relax at a meal for 2 hours plus a positive. It's terrible the way we Americans rush around with our heads cut off, barking orders and flipping off grandmothers.
    • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -14/+5yeah, because we all know it is Impossible to sit down for 2 hours in America. Its all about Freedom of Choice. At least we have to option of quick food if we need it.
    • gboodhoo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15many civilized people like to call that enjoying life. Turns out there's more to it than sitting in front of a screen
    • kingofthisnight, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Think about what you just said. You were in Italy not Pizza Hut.
  • slowth, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12I worked in the food business for a few years. While it was not a fast-food establishment, I nevertheless experienced the horrific depths of depravity some people will reduce themselves to while obtaining food. Some customers would act as if death was the only appropriate punishment for the minor mistakes that occurred from time to time. If you want to lose all hope for humanity, then work in the food business for a couple of weeks.
    • velorz, on 10/12/2007, -40/+2maybe its the fact that you mediocre food handlers screw up our orders 95% of the time and we're just tired of your ineptitude. Also we use curse words because you're to stupid to realize any language above a sixth grade level.
    • arfox, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13@velroz: I logged in *just* to dig you down

      asshat
    • arfox, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2God damn double post...
    • wheel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17velorz - "maybe its the fact that you mediocre food handlers screw up our orders 95% of the time and we're just tired of your ineptitude. Also we use curse words because you're to stupid to realize any language above a sixth grade level."

      I'm not one to give advice normally, but your comment incensed me. My advice is simple. When you are attempting to deride someone for their lack of intelligence, in this case, specifically, their lack of language skills, you probably shouldn't commit egregious grammatical errors in your own sentences.

      Also, chill the ***** out! You would get much better service if you weren't a complete douche bag. The irony of it all is that you get angry at bad service, which is understandable, but instead of going about it in a civil way, you yell and swear, which only decreases the level of service you'll ever receive, creating a never ending cycle. The problem isn't your server/cashier/ordertaker/whatever. The problem is you, the inconsiderate prick.
  • scabbers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2This kind of dehumanising of service staff reaches it's pinnacle in that 'fake cop instructs mcdonald's staff to abuse girl' story.

    The test for these stores should be:
    If the customer's behaviour would get them arrested if they were (for example) screaming at and insulting a cop, they should be thrown out and banned.
  • gell7, on 10/12/2007, -10/+0ya-tell me all about we the homeless being discriminated against here in little rock

    http://www.geocities.com/gell7/lrsuck.html
  • psients, on 10/12/2007, -18/+2The customer is always right in her rape fantasies.
    • gboodhoo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5grow up, or at least pretend
    • psients, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Rape. This woman fantasizes about being raped and spat on, and you're telling me to grow up for reminding you of that when she complains about rude customers.

      Well, alright.
  • WaltDismal, on 10/12/2007, -12/+2"Bev, ya want fries with that? Huh Bev? Huh?"
    (glaring) "I want a manicure. Don't they do manicures here?"
    "Fries, Bev?"
    "Where's the stylist?"
    "No stylist, Bev. You want fries? Huh Bev? Fries?"
    (stares at cellphone) "I want a Shetland pony."
  • Kemo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16I totally agree with this blog!

    "NO SOUP FOR YOU!"
  • majisto, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I think that people are forgetting another phrase that EVERY company has the right to employ in such situations: "Right to refuse service to ANYONE." I don't think that enough places use it, or even realize that they can.
    • apsudraconis, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3When my Grandmother owned a restaurant in Middle of Nowhere Northern Minnesota, she kept a big sign posted above the kitchen that said just that. Its something I wouldn't mind seeing more often, if only to remind people that a little bit of respect goes a long way.
    • Elranzer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I think the reason it's often overlooked is because most were abusing the policy with racism.
  • RC2k6, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I think the author makes a point when he says that people act like this because no one stands up to them.

    I have worked with customers in both of my adult jobs and I have had to deal with my fair share of assholes. Now I have had the priviledge of being the manager and I didn't really worry about losing my job. What I do when a customer acts out of line is say:

    "Sir/Mrs. I am not being rude to you so I would appreciate you not being rude to me:

    It has worked every time.
  • WickedEEE, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Beautiful. That was the best thing I've read all week. Though that isn't limited to American culture.
  • steve693, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I may be falling in love with this Violent Acres chick. . .


    • meepus, on 10/12/2007, -13/+3She's married, and you don't even know what she looks like. Go fall in love with the girl next door.
    • psients, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1She'd probably love you back, if you told her she was a bitch you'd like to rape.

      Don't actually do it, though.
  • WavyLayz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I worked in customer service for 5 years and I've come to learn that CUSTOMER SERVICE is A TWO WAY STREET. If you act like a bitch, you get treated like one. If you act like you deserve something without explaining the situation clearly, you get confused service and another attempt to solve your problem.
    Once, I had to call my mother out for being short with a customer service agent over the telephone that I sympathized with. It wasn't their fault the luggage was lost. I understood my mom was mad, but being rude to the person on the phone reminded me of all the hours I used to work as a CSR.
  • SwornPacifist, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8In case you're like me, and wondering both what the phrases were, and why, god, why did they use Wordpress, here's one answer:

    The phrases are:
    'The Customer is Always Right.'
    and
    'I don’t give respect freely. You have to earn my respect.'
  • T3hl33tg33k, on 10/12/2007, -13/+1Who peed in his cheerios?
  • mannymix03, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14food service is by far the worst industry i have ever worked in, at 17 years old i used to work at a large chain restaurant called cheeseburger cheeseburger, a customer complained to my manager, behind my back and said that i was rude and didnt take her order correctly. She ordered a medium rare burger but it was cooked like it was well

    So my manager talks to me, and then i go over to the table nicely (holding in the rage from her going above my head, instead of just asking me), and i showed her where i wrote down her order, and it clearly said medium rare, and i assured her it was just a cooks mistake, and offered to bring her out a new burger cooked medium rare. Her response "oh gosh, how long is THAT going to take now!", so i bring her out a new burger, made sure it was medium rare and perfect. I bring it to her and then, "FINALLY, ITS ABOUT TIME.....", then she started making a scene right there, being very loud saying how i should be fired and other stuff, and i told her straight up "Mam, i'm 17, its the middle of the dinner rush and i have been here since 12, i'm sorry your burger wasn't cooked correctly, that was a cooks mistake and we rectified it, please do not try and make a scene in front of the whole restaurant" then of course "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT", like she is better then me in some way.

    Long story short, i got sympathy from the other customers, and got a better then average tip for the night, my manager afterward told me i handled the situation well and that i was right.
  • master_of_fm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12this old lady had picked up her computer that I had just fixed and took it home connected it up and for whatever reason something (cant for the life of me remember what) wasnt working properly. so she called me and said I just had my computer fixed and you fixed the problem, but broke something else. I tried to offer to walk her through the problem over the phone, but she chose to berate me instead. after about 2 seconds of her mouthing off i hung up on her.

    about 1 minute later she called back and said that we must have gotten disconnected, i corrected her and told her no, I hung up on you. when she asked why I kindly explained to her that i didnt appreciate the way she was treating me and that I would not tolerate it. she thought about it for a second, realized she was in the wrong and then politely asked me to help her through the problem.

    like the author in the article said, by not letting people know that they are being rude and incosiderate to someone, you are basically condoning their behaviour.
    • master_of_fm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9also between working for blockbuster and doing computer repairs i have about 8 years of customer service experience. because of that whenever i go shopping i try to be the best customer possible and not a dick. granted there are cases when you run into schmuck kids who are rude and cant even act like the give 2 ***** about a customer, where being a dick is warranted
    • velorz, on 10/12/2007, -27/+1Luckily I handle all my families computer issues so self-important assholes like you have no access to them.

      You didn't fix the computer and test it correctly so obviously you're incompetent and she was right to berate you.
    • master_of_fm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12@velorz - you are exactly the type of self important ***** that the article addresses.

      btw - i forgot to mention that the old lady had neglected to either connect something or input an incorrect setting. she had done something that had caused the new problem and it was no fault of mine.
  • Legopirate, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5i was working late night one time at a food joint. a guy came in drunk and started freaking out after he got his food because we didn't give him enough pickles. The guy threw his food at me.. I walked into the back called the police. 2 days later the guy comes back into the store, Shaking and apologizes for his actions.

    His black eye and the welts on his face indicated that he probably ran from the police when the found him. We all got a good laugh at that. ;)

    Point being, if you play your cards right when someone starts a temper tantrum, they end up with more then they bargained for. But yes, most people that are employed in ***** jobs are spineless :{ and should just go die.
    • velorz, on 10/12/2007, -22/+3Some rapist went free because the police were busy investigating your pickle incident.

      Congratulations you're a drain on human society.
    • arfox, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@velorz: I somehow doubt that...
    • cypherz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9*blocks velorz*
    • ch33sehead, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@cypherz

      Thank you for reminding me of this oh-so-awesome feature =)
  • VTmruhlin, on 10/12/2007, -6/+6I remember feeling the same way that one summer when I worked at kroger and had to deal with some real dicks. Like the guy who would act all smug and superior when I couldn't tell which type of peach he was buying.

    Then he proceeded to fail horribly at paying with his food stamp card (because he lied and told me it was a credit card). When I asked him what the screen on the card scanner said, he informed me that he couldn't read. Don't pretend you're better than somebody else when you're freaking illiterate!

    Course I've had plenty of experiences with totally incompetent employees also. "No cheese? On your taco? OK here it is with extra cheese."
    Generally the summer job kids have a clue, but are prone to being dicks. The career employees are just total morons. If Taco Bell is your idea of a career, you'll get no respect for me; because you don't deserve it.
  • ShadySpace, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7THIS is what destroyed American Culture? Maybe the culture of the service industry, but man if that title isn't hyperbole, I don't know what is.
  • Jack9, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1Inaccurate BARELY beaten out by the possibility that the premise is correct, so I dug it.
  • Archeologist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Well, the Wegmans logo is “Employees first, customers second”
    • velorz, on 10/12/2007, -19/+2Is this Digg or a cry baby emporium? Waaah people treated me badly when I worked at a crappy job. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

      Get lives. These people aren't paying you for your smile they're paying for your product. You're a facilitator. This is why I can't wait for robots to replace all these fast food employees I'd much rather deal with a machine then a punk kid or a spanglish clerk.
    • dext3r, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2my friend and I got kicked out of a New Jersey Wegmans because we were arguing over cans of tunafish for some reason. The manager came over and asked us to stop making a scene and my friend flipped out and told him 'Go ***** yourself'. Then we had to leave. What a bad story.
    • SoupsMan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3So Velroz, do trolls really live under bridges?
    • cptn_cardboard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@velorz

      Well, actually, I cant wait for a robot to take my job (pushing carts at Target)

      That would be a magnificent achievement for mankind!
  • Buga, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4This article is great, I've been preaching this for years. Sometimes I just assume people that do this kind of crap have never worked in an industry that's had them on the receiving end of what they're dealing out. I've worked in restaurants and delivery service and the food industry is the WORST. People are so rude and the biggest ***** assholes it sickens me. I'm so glad I'm a web developer and in a position to tell the customers, "no thats stupid, I wont do that to your website".

    Every time I see someone talking ***** I always speak out. These people are serving you, you should feel privileged. There will always people trying to take advantage and get free ***** and I can't stand it. When I order something and it's wrong, I take it off. If I can't take it off or fix it myself, then I'll ask to have it remade...which never happens. ***** is going to be wrong but just because my .99 cent cheeseburger has pickles on it, big ***** deal.

    I also hate people that use allergies as an excuse. Who the ***** is allergic to lettuce, I mean come on. Dont let any lettuce juice touch my sandwich, I'm allergic to water. ***** morons. Oh, then the people who go through the grocery line, paying for their groceries with "food stamps" and having to be assisted out because they just had their nails done. *****!

    People ***** suck, thats all there is to it.
  • tmesis, on 10/12/2007, -11/+1It's true enough that nasty assholes should be punched in the crotch.

    With that said, this blogger is terrible. The best she can manage in real life is a mousy "Well, I beg to differ" before she logs on the net with a scathing, venomous post?

    Bitch, please.
    • meepus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7This woman spent some time homeless: I'd put money on her being at least 85% brutally honest in her blog posts. Once you've seen a hard time like that, you probably couldn't give two ***** about what anyone thinks with regard to what you have to say.
  • BuddhaChu, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6Did anyone else read the "About" link?

    "I'm a married woman in my early 30's with so much sand in my vagina that I give myself burns walking across my living room floor. But hey! It sure beats being you."

    Also, the website's description:

    "I’m just like you, only I’m interesting and my life isn’t devoid of meaning"


    This woman likes power trips it seems...
    • meepus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7She's being facetious. She really is a bitch and a half, but she's also a good, moral person judging by the body of her writing.
    • emptysea, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3met a woman that doesn't?
  • crazybrit, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1That guy did the right thing... but honestly, calling one of your customers a bitch isn't a good idea. There's standing up for yourself, and then there's just being rude.
    • shanaravendare, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Actually, the person that called the customer a bitch was another customer, not an employee.
    • crazybrit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I know that, but the writer was encouraging the employee to do the same thing.
  • da5id, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Jerks are nothing new. A teen learns to deal with all kinds when dealing with the public -- a valuable lesson best learned early as possible. "The customer is always right" separates a DMV experience from one with a well-run private enterprise.

    I am not trying to justify the jerk's conduct.
  • djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -14/+3"So, I say some *****."

    One of these days, someone is going to say something back - in the form of a bullet.
    • fatham, on 10/12/2007, -12/+5Stupid Americans and their gun obsession.
    • whereisian, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Comments like that are what's destroying with American culture. Can't disagree without reaching for your gun.
    • meepus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Yeah, I'm sure lots of people bring guns to crowded restaurants and then shoot people for disrespecting them... in rappers' wet dreams. The majority of gun owners aren't this stupid. You however, are. So, now that I've disrespected you, are you going to hunt me down and shoot me?

      @fatham: your comment is just as ignorant and disrespectful as the one above yours. Get off your high horse.
    • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Only if you're a gang member.
    • cypherz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5An armed society is a polite society.

      Jefferson said being armed is part of the dignity of a free man.
    • themetree, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0actually.. guy down here in miami got shot and killed over a parking spot at Houston's... crazy.. why?
  • Dogpupkus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Its about time someone stands up for people who cant do it for themselves. This is a very nice, and I congratulate the author. I only wish I could stand up to people like that.
  • xXBassXx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4When I used to work as a server my managers didn't take to much ***** from the customers. I once had a table that we think came in looking for a free meal complaining about anything they could find. At the end they did end up not paying but a picture of them ended up at the front counter so anyone working at the restaurant knew they were not allowed back. I also was tipped really well from all of the tables that saw the ordeal that my manager at the time and I went threw with this table. Whenever I go anywhere dealing with retail now I try my hardest to treat all the employees with as much respect as I can. Oddly it seems most don't know how to deal with it since respectful customers are few and far between.
    • whereisian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I would like to introduce you to my good friend, the comma
      ;)
  • kiwiboyus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4My Sister n Law is a Waitress and I can't believe the crap she has to take from people, I think tipping has a lot to do with it. I come from a country that doesn't tip and I am used to good service but seeing how service industry people are treated here just blows my mind.
    I am also a Manager in a US based call center, I started as an agent on the phone with people and I swear there are some serious a**holes out there. Where does this attitude of being entitled come from, where do these people get off thinking they can talk to someone who is only trying to help them like this? I love nothing more than to put these jerks in their place when they are transferred to me. They are always much nicer when they get the Manager but they don't know that I heard how and what they said to the agent and know exactly how full of BS they are when they start crying about a rude agent.
  • Plant11, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What would be nice is every time you see a customer being impolite and offensive to one of these poor souls behind the counter; say something, do something, cause a scene. they need to be taught that its not okay to pick on those at a disadvantage. This needs to happen more often for this to not be a problem. I think that cashiers and others in similar positions should set aside that last day on the job for a little violence. The most constructive thing that could be done is to terrify any weak minded peice of ***** that might like to verbally berate their local mcdonalds cashier over french fries.
    • lulutv, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I agree. The front end manager at a restaurant I worked at took an angry rhino to task once. This dude could not be pleased, and got something free every time he came in. One Mother's Day, he brought his family in, and their matriarch (who had apparently taught them this little scam, since she was the queen bee of bs complaints). They *all* started in. Like they were getting paid for it.

      Yelling at the waitress, complaining loudly about everything they ordered, the silverware was dirty, the soda was flat, everything was too salty or not salty enough. One of them even tried to send back 1/3 of a steak, b/c they decide they'd rather have the chicken. Even though they had eaten most of it, and expected the steak to be comped and wanted the chicken to go since they weren't hungry after eating most of the steak they didn't want.

      Mother's Day is Christmas to most restarants, and so the place was packed, giving these assheads a full audience. At the "give me a free steak" request, the manager said "excuse me, I'll go make this right"... he returned with a bus tub, and with one arm wiped the entire table's worth of food and drinks into it, said "the steak is free, and the rest of your meals are on the house", and threw them out. They left to amusement and applause of the other patrons.
  • BradC, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1A-*****-men to that article!
  • dvfreelancer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'll be the first to admit I've gotten wrapped around the axle over something stupid. It was a long road getting to the point of being able to keep perspective.

    Dude's got a point about behavior. It's okay to say something as long as it doesn't add fuel to the fire. Sometimes a subtle line, "I think your behavior is rude and if you're half the person I think you are, you'll relax." Not threatening, not hostile, just enough feedback to let them know you think their behavior is beneath them. The pace of life we live these days is really stressful and sometimes a legion of minor annoyances pile up and some little thing causes people to vent way out of proportion to the incident you see. And unless they're a genuine complete *****, it's probably the case.

    On the flip side I've been on the receiving end of really bad service. When I knew they were just trying to get rid of me and could have done something more. It sucks and I've got a right to be annoyed, even at the person providing the bad service.
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