I was introduced to a new website that prevented me from getting any work done at all today. (Even without the site, there would have been no shortage of other reasons I didn't do any work today.) Not Always Right is a very funny compendium of stories from people who work in service jobs. After a brief sampling, you will surely agree that the customer is NOT always right.
Not Always Right put me in mind of my never-ending assortment of customer service jobs. I have been a fast food worker, a dishwasher, a movie theater usher, a telemarketer and a salesman of shoes, waterbeds, cutlery and housewares. And that's just the jobs where I dealt directly with the public. But when I think of stories that are difficult to believe, there is one workplace that stands apart from the rabble.
Blockbuster Video.
I have a million stories from that place, but this is my favorite. A man came in one day and growled, "I'd like to see the manager, please." I both dreaded and anticipated hearing that phrase, because although I would be putting up with some nonsense, there was a chance I'd get a good story out of it. Like I did this time.
The man tossed a tape on the counter and yelled, "I rented this movie for my daughter's Sweet Sixteen party! I get it home and put it in, and it's about LESBIANS!" I looked at the tape. The man had rented The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In Love. "I want my money back!" he continued. "It's misleading...it never says anything about it being about lesbians on the box!" I muffled my laughter long enough to remind him that the title was The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls In Love. "Well yeah," he said. "But it doesn't say WITH EACH OTHER!"
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
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11 metawords:
And these people are allowed to breed. Wow.
I applaud you for being able to speak clearly rather than spitting all over him as you laughed in his face, which is what I would have done. Which is why I never lasted long in customer service.
Annnd I agree. The customer is almost always WRONG. I nearly got fired from T.G.I. Fridays for telling someone that to her face when I was bartending. Apparently that sort of thing is not encouraged.
Heaven help those who deal with the public. Thankless jobs if ever there were. Hilarious, Words ... I think Kimizzy's first comment says it all!
Seriously, who allows their dad pick out the party movie. Morons.
Great website recommendation! I bookmarked it.
File this one under DUH! Didn't the fool bother to read the damn summary on the box before renting a video for kids?! Hello. That's rule #1. Or rule #101. One or the other. (wink)
Ha ha! Brilliant! I had no idea Blockbuster carried that kind of thing. And yeah, he really should have looked on the back of the box.
I used to work in a magazine shop back in England, and we had a lot of regular customers who would have their magazine put to one side when it came in so it wouldn't get sold out before they came in to get it (why they didn't get a subscription, I don't know). Anyway, one woman used to come in every couple of weeks and ask "has my copy of the Psychic Times come in yet?"
"You tell me," I'd always say.
Because returning his $3 is going to keep his daughter from wondering what the other team has to offer. Riiiiight.
Hahaha, it's a great site.
You should submit this story to them, it's right up their alley.
Aw man, someone else who worked at Blockbuster and lived to tell the tales. I was an asst. mgr. there for about a year and a half in the late 90s and some of the things I saw I wouldn't have believed if I didn't see them myself.
The ultimate "people are stupid" incidents I remember revolved around "The Nutty Professor". Because Eddie Murphy's remake had just hit theaters, Paramount released the original Jerry Lewis version. Since it was new to video, it was on the new release wall. Even though the cover box had a picture of Jerry Lewis and said "Jerry Lewis as The Nutty Professor", customers would regularly bring it up to the checkout counter thinking it was the Eddie Murphy version!
Another customer (who always had late fees and was constantly bitching about something) had the nerve to complain about the quality of movies she rented. I pulled up her account and damn near everything she rented had a roman numeral in the title. If the first 4 movies in a series sucked, what makes you think part 5 is going to be any good?
The best thing about working at Blockbuster was getting 5 free rentals a week. One of the best ones I rented was "The Incredibly True Adventures of 2 Girls In Love".
I was in line behind a couple at the video store once and the clerk told the man there were late charges. He asked on what? When the clerk said 'Anal Addictions 2', he turned red, started sputtering and the girl with him looked pretty surprised. He said he'd never rented anything like that, paid the charges and left. I really would have enjoyed hearing the follow up conversation.
I love NAR. Great fun!
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