Sure. But his behavior was inexcusable. Low pay does not give you a pass on doing your job and treating customers with basic courtesy. He was a jerk, not because he is low paid. He was a jerk because that is how he handles having a bad day or whatever his problem was that day. Honestly, I probably would have come right back at him if he had been rude like that to me. But if he was intimidating I might have just paid and gotten the hell out of there. It would bug me and make me wonder WTH though just like it's bugging Op. As others have said - you either complain about something like that when it happens or you let it go and hope not to encounter him again. |
PP here - he was not just unfriendly, he was actively creepy/aggressive/intimidating. That is unacceptable. On my worst days maybe I'd go through the motions, but I never made an effort to make customers uncomfortable. He sounds antisocial at best, sociopathic at worst. No excuses for what he did. |
| Perhaps you didn't realize your Affair Partner was his dad? |
WHERE's the intimidation?? What threats? He just said a couple of sarcastic things. If you want people to kiss your rear ends, then be give them affordable housing. It is very tough to work retail in this area. Its a miracle that there are nice retail workers here. If you only understood the living conditions they have to deal with, you'd be a little more forgiving and understanding. And next time, expect longer lines at TJ's thanks to your complaint. Also, there are TONS of job openings in retail right now. Good help is hard to find. No one wants to commute for a minimum wage job that won't even cover gas. |
| The excuses are absurd. The behavior is unacceptable. Report it to the manager. Which TJ? |
Look, I was broke as shit for a decade in DC - I know it sucks. It is NOT okay to harass people, period. |
Many of you whining about not having perfect cashiers have probably not set foot inside their world. Here are some examples: baby cockroaches crawling in and out of outlets, peeping toms staring into their apartment while the "do their business", going outside to get in your car only to find someone has slashed your tires. Some have to contend with knowing full well that their pre-dawn walk to get to their thankless cashier job may be their last. Commutes that are an hour and a half and cost $15 one way to get to their monotonous cashier job. A felony conviction that only allows them to work minimum-wage jobs despite having served their time. So, next time a cashier is rude to you, maybe ask them if everything is ok because their words hurt your feelings or indicated that they are upset about something. Maybe extend them a little patience and grace and give them helpful instruction in kindness. |
I don't care that they have cockroaches or other problems. They still need to be nice to me. I am enabling their paycheck by patronizing their store. |
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He sounds hilarious!
I would have laughed every step of the way and asked if I was on a hidden camera show. If he didn't laugh and loosen up, then I probably would have sunk to his level and said something like: "Dude, I know it sucks to be a cashier when you are a grown ass man, but you have no one to blame for your lot in life except yourself. And you're damn lucky I feel sorry for you so I won't report this to your boss." |
Or you share a decent place with other retail workers and live close to your job or ride the bus or metro into it. You can definitely do better than that awful scenario that your are describing. I know that I sure did. |
| ...and you take responsibility for your choices and do whatever it takes to improve your lot in life. |
OMG. How patronizing are you? You have no idea what his story is. I had a master's degree when I worked at a bookstore. Sure, he's rude, keep it at that. You sound like a Republican. Gross. |
Actually, I'm a bleeding heart liberal who firmly believes that every job is honorable if you do it well. Truly. But this guy isn't doing his job well. He clearly has a chip on his soldier as evidenced by his completely inappropriate behavior. I most certainly would not pick a fight with anyone--let alone a rude cashier--but like I said before, I would proactively try to play along and diffuse the situation with humor...but would likely say something if he didn't come around. What's wrong with that, pp? Fwiw: I actually work in the anti-poverty advocacy arena, and I can assure you that you aren't doing anyone a favor by enabling their victimhood. People need to take responsibility for their actions and recognize that they are the only ones capable of improving their situation. In the real world it's not okay to be an asshole because you have a crummy job or shit going on in your life. Period. |
+1 You sound like the twat I once waited on who was telling her daughter she had to do better in life and study hard so she wouldn't end up like me (the waitress). Funny thing is at that point I had a double undergrad in engineering and was almost done with my master's in Eng, which was paid for by an academic fellowship. The waitressing was to pay for my fancy car and spending money. She'd be luck to end up like me now.
(sorry to hijack, point is just that you don't know people's stories so just don't make them up) |
Barf. Could you be more sanctimonious? Like I said, you have NO idea why he's working at TJ's at that very moment. He could be a laid off engineer. He could have had to move home to care for his sick parent, and needed some cash flow. He could be an adjunct professor at a university who makes very little. YOU have no idea. So yes, say that he's an asshole. Say that he's rude. But don't even PRETEND that you know about his life and his "choices," all of which could have been the "right" ones. |