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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

+1 I get that attitude from a lot of DCUM posters actually, they think retail workers and grocery store workers etc are the hired help and should kiss the ground they walk on because they have a degree and make 6 figures.

[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."

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.

Nope, different one.

[Anonymous]

Why is everyone here assuming the worker makes minimum wage? Was it a union shop?

I worked at a large chain grocery store when I was in college in the early 90s. The pay and benefits were actually pretty good. The category of "Food Clerks" included cashiers, produce department, Dairy department, Frozen foods, and those that stocked the grocery shelves. Pay was $15/hr--this was back when minimum wage was $4.25/hr.
Time and a half on Sundays. Triple pay on holidays. extra 50 cents per hour for time worked between 6pm-midnight. Extra $1/hr for time worked between midnight and 6 am (mostly those stocking the shelves.)
EXCELLENT medical insurance benefits including dental, mental health, and chiropractic.

[Anonymous]

I complain when I feel that it is necessary. Employees are not being paid to be rude. They should also be trained well enough to know what they are doing. I feel no guilt whatsoever about complaining. Use customer complaints to learn from your mistakes, so that you do not make them again. And yes, I have been a manager.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is everyone here assuming the worker makes minimum wage? Was it a union shop?

I worked at a large chain grocery store when I was in college in the early 90s. The pay and benefits were actually pretty good. The category of "Food Clerks" included cashiers, produce department, Dairy department, Frozen foods, and those that stocked the grocery shelves. Pay was $15/hr--this was back when minimum wage was $4.25/hr.
Time and a half on Sundays. Triple pay on holidays. extra 50 cents per hour for time worked between 6pm-midnight. Extra $1/hr for time worked between midnight and 6 am (mostly those stocking the shelves.)
EXCELLENT medical insurance benefits including dental, mental health, and chiropractic.

Because DCUM likes to assume that everyone not a doctor, lawyer, fed, or office worker is making pennies.

My uncle was a grocery store manager and made $119k/year before he retired.

My best friend worked at Victoria's Secret to to help put herself through college. Started as a sales associate and worked her way up to store manager during her 4 years in college. She was making $60k/year her last year of college. She couldn't find any job once she graduated making anywhere near that in her field, so she kept working at VS and applying for jobs. She then got promoted to district manager and made $90k/year as a fresh-faced 23 year old recent college grad. She worked for VS for about 8 years as a district manager before quitting to have kids and was making $113k/year when she left. She was out of the workforce for 2-3 years and went back as the district manager of another retail store. She's never once used her degree and was able to pay off her student loans in just over 2 years after she graduated.

[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 am not a therapist and do not feel comfortable asking a stranger who has been rude to me how they are feeling. I assume they are feeling good now that they dissed me.

By supposing every human interaction requires being a therapist shows how in need of a therapist you are, PP

[Anonymous]

I have to say that I was out of the country the last week or so. And, all wait staff, service people, BnB owners etc. are so competent and pleasant. It is so relaxing and satisfying (this was Europe). Quite literally, within 5 minutes of landing and trying to grab a quick bite in the airport during a long layover, I encountered a restaurant who got my order wrong twice and then had the nerve to tell me that I was wrong (I wasn't; the person in line next to me as well as my DH heard what i asked for). Then the surly guy at the ticket counter. Then the grumpy taxi person. American customer service has taken a deep nose dive in the last 20 years or so and it shows. OP did the right thing. Why should incompetence, be in the individual or the store in how it trains its employees, be tolerated? Since when is it rude to point out that someone did something wrong when you're in a SERVICE position (for the record, I'm not some rich snob- I worked in the service industry since I was 14, all the way through high school, college, and as a second job while in grad school).

[Anonymous]

PP here, and I should note that when mistakes were made on my recent trip (definitely the exception), people bent over backwards to make it right. There was no defensiveness or telling someone they were wrong in what they ordered or things like that). And, I'm no way saying the customer is always right. But, in my experience, the tie should go to the customer. In clear situations where the customer is wrong, or when customers are jerks, then fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Yeah, I found the self congratulatory tone of her post a bit off putting, too. But we don't know what the rude store clerk did and maybe her complaint was warranted.

[Anonymous]

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 a creep. You feel empowered because you might cost someone making $7.50 an hour their job.

F'ing disgusting creep. That's what you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Not OP, but would you consider a clerk rude if they Don't say Hi or Thank you? They did say sign here though.

[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."

This is so pathetic on two levels. First, of course, that an employee cannot utilize elementary math skills. Second, that the manager appears to have done nothing about it. Oh well. Perhaps robots are on the way.

Please. What's pathetic is that original PP didn't just help the employee by stating the decimal value of 1/3. Probably because she doesn't know it herself.

[Anonymous]

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

Buy extra that will go to waste so the person behind the counter doesn't have to do basic math?

Way to set the bar pathetically low.

[Anonymous]

OP here:

I didn't expect this to blow up and just went to bed last night after posting.

Anyway, here's what happened:

I was in the self checkout section, of my fairly large neighborhood grocery. There are two people manning the self checkout. I couldn't find anyone, and was searching for a while, before I finally found a woman, who seemed to know that I was approaching (body language) but didn't look up or acknowledge me. Finally I got close enough and said- Excuse me, I just need you to verify my age (to buy wine).

She looked up at me, then looked away dismissively and said "You're not in my section."

I was thinking, "What the hell?" but another checkout worker had come up, so I moved over to her and told her what i needed to do. Then, because I just had a feeling about how I had been treated, I asked her whether she was able to do all the sections of the self checkout, and she said she was. I asked if all the workers were able to and she said yes- she seemed kind of confused as to why I was even asking such a silly question.

It was such unneccessary rudeness and hostility for no reason.

At the end both workers were next to each other and I think the nice worker could tell I looked kind of annoyed, and she said to me, "Was everything okay?" so I asked her, "How do I go about giving customer service feedback?" And she directed me to the website. The whole time rude cashier lady was standing behind her, literally staring me down.

I don't think someone like that should be working with customers. I truly doubt I'm the first one she treated that way as the hostility came out of nowhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Not OP, but would you consider a clerk rude if they Don't say Hi or Thank you? They did say sign here though.

I'm the pp you quoted (not Op) and I would only complain about a clerk if the clerk had done something worth complaining about. Usually if a clerk gets nailed for not saying "Hi" or "Did you find everything?"..it is not a customer making that observation and complaining about it. At least from what I've heard.

I used to do retail/restaurant work so I am not quick to complain. I think I've only written two online complaints. One was in response to a survey sent to me asking for feedback about my restaurant visit - the restaurant's floor had been covered in trash/food/debris and I sat at my table watching servers, the hostess and other workers walking around, ignoring it. If the seating area floor was so gross it made me wonder about the kitchen....so I answered the survey honestly. I think that others must have complained, too, because they have since cleaned up their act dramatically.