I just complained about a grocery store employee who was rude to me

[Anonymous]

I worked in a deli. People make all sorts of requests like this every day - 1/4 pound, 3 ounces, 3/4 pound, etc. And they want their meat sliced to specific widths - from shaved to thick.

This is very basic and a part of the job. I can not see how someone could do that job for long w/o figuring out these basic measurements or running into problems with the customers.

But customers can be unreasonable, too. If you ask me for 1/2 pound of ham and I give you .48 or .52 - that is close enough for 99.9% of the customers out there. Occasionally, you will run into the one odd duck who wants .50 EXACTLY. These are the people who like to fight with the clerks....so annoying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spoke with a manager at Whole Foods today about an employee in the butcher section who did not know what the number on the scale should say when I told him "one third of a pound". He got the scale saying .74 and when I said "Oh, you're going in the opposite direction - it's one third, not three fourths" he STILL didn't know.

I told the manager maybe they could put a chart on each scale that has a chart for how to translate what people say to what the scale should say. Embarrassingly, the manager said "I recognize you - you've said this to me before." I didn't remember that and just said "Oh, well, it's still an issue."

BTW, I am OP and this was not me.

What did the clerk do?

Sometimes online complaints are warranted.

[Anonymous]

I emailed a complaint about the deli section of our local Harris Teeter. Later that week I got a call from the store manager who was genuinely interested in my ideas for improvement. He implemented a few of them, and that section of the store has become a much better experience.

I say - if you see something, say something! It's always best (and most productive) to offer criticism in a constructive way. Good for you for speaking up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When someone is rude to me at a grocery store, I ask how they are feeling and chat a little about what happened. After a few minutes we laugh and both walk away

I don't feel good about it -- only a way to be human

I suppose OP handles rudeness in another way

I tend to react this way too. I have no thin skin, no chip on my shoulder, nothing to prove, and I do life like Mister Rogers. We don't need more negativity in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't be difficult, just buy half a pound! Jeez!

It's Whole foods, a third of a pound is like buying 5 pounds at a regular store.

Lol. Anyway, common or not, it's basic math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I emailed a complaint about the deli section of our local Harris Teeter. Later that week I got a call from the store manager who was genuinely interested in my ideas for improvement. He implemented a few of them, and that section of the store has become a much better experience.

I say - if you see something, say something! It's always best (and most productive) to offer criticism in a constructive way. Good for you for speaking up.

That's about terrorism, not retail customer service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And it felt damn good and cathartic. I've never done that to anyone who is working minimum wage before, but this person was so egregious, so I went on the website and followed the "give feedback" instructions.

Feels great!

You're such a giant asshole. I hope the soon to be fired employee ends up stalking you and your kids.

PP-- take a look in the mirror. What OP did is perfectly reasonable. What you have wished upon the OP is shameful.

We still have no idea what happened to OP to make her complain, so no one has any idea if it was perfectly reasonable. For all we know, the employee asked her to stop helping herself in the produce aisle.

[Anonymous]

I have no problem complaining about bad service because I also make a point to call up and compliment employees to their manager.

[Anonymous]

Let's get a struggling minimum worker fired because they were having a bad day and you crossed their path. Hope you feel omnipotent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I spoke with a manager at Whole Foods today about an employee in the butcher section who did not know what the number on the scale should say when I told him "one third of a pound". He got the scale saying .74 and when I said "Oh, you're going in the opposite direction - it's one third, not three fourths" he STILL didn't know.

I told the manager maybe they could put a chart on each scale that has a chart for how to translate what people say to what the scale should say. Embarrassingly, the manager said "I recognize you - you've said this to me before." I didn't remember that and just said "Oh, well, it's still an issue."

Was this is the friendship heights Whole Foods? I've had similar problems on the pasta section, but didn't realize it until I got home. I like your suggestion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's get a struggling minimum worker fired because they were having a bad day and you crossed their path. Hope you feel omnipotent!

Being a struggling minimum wage worker does not give you license to be an asshole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's get a struggling minimum worker fired because they were having a bad day and you crossed their path. Hope you feel omnipotent!

Being a struggling minimum wage worker does not give you license to be an asshole.

+1

PP acts like if you make minimum wage, you should be held to no standards whatsoever. And if you dare to expect a minimal level of decency and curtesy from a minimum wage earner, you're an asshole who deserves to have her house burn down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I worked in a deli. People make all sorts of requests like this every day - 1/4 pound, 3 ounces, 3/4 pound, etc. And they want their meat sliced to specific widths - from shaved to thick.

This is very basic and a part of the job. I can not see how someone could do that job for long w/o figuring out these basic measurements or running into problems with the customers.

But customers can be unreasonable, too. If you ask me for 1/2 pound of ham and I give you .48 or .52 - that is close enough for 99.9% of the customers out there. Occasionally, you will run into the one odd duck who wants .50 EXACTLY. These are the people who like to fight with the clerks....so annoying.

I was waiting to order lunch meat from the deli at Harris Teeter one day and encountered one of those 0.50 EXACTLY unicorns. Seriously, buddy? Take your 0.49 of a pound of lunch meat and GTFO! One slice more made me 0.51, which made him furious to pay for more than he needed. 0.49 made him feel like he was getting cheated. How are you getting cheated when you're still just paying for 0.49 of a pound?!?

I could never do any job in which I had to deal with the general public in that type of capacity. I'd be the person on the news arrested at work for throwing sliced ham in an a-hole's face.

My roommate in college worked at a Giant grocery store all through high school and was able to transfer to the store in our college town where he was promoted to one of the assistant managers. He said that 99% of the time, they just laugh about customer complaints once they leave the store and nothing ever happens. That 1% is reserved for those really bad situations, like when a cashier raised their voice to a customer. Or he had a deli person who didn't understand the safety issues with cutting lunch meat and cheese on the same slicer. But complaining to him made the customer feel better and then the employees getting to mock the customer after they left made the employees feel better, so everyone ended up happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone is rude to me at a grocery store, I ask how they are feeling and chat a little about what happened. After a few minutes we laugh and both walk away

I don't feel good about it -- only a way to be human

I suppose OP handles rudeness in another way

I tend to react this way too. I have no thin skin, no chip on my shoulder, nothing to prove, and I do life like Mister Rogers. We don't need more negativity in the world.

I agree with you. I like your attitude.

[Anonymous]

My problem here is not that OP or anyone else voices complaints. It's that OP seems pretty pleased with herself and is hoping that something bad will happen to the worker. I detect a heavy dose of disdain for the "minimum wage worker." Well, who the F are you that you are so special? The worker is still a human being trying to make ends meet and here you are patting yourself on the back for being a total jerk. I hope karma bites you back HARD.