Never had this happen to me anywhere I ever worked in retail. But there is always a first
The crazy customer
I was in the market cutting meat the other day. Bearings are going out , on the saw so it is very load and deafening on the ear drums. My lunchmeat lady had just come ion and walked into the cutting room and headed for the cooler. I hollered to her to start on something else and she would , as always holler back for me to speak up , she could not hear me.
she would always rub her thumb and finger together and holler back to be quiet or I would wake up the other saw too. I would then pretend to be playing a violin and she would go turn the other saw on and walk away. She started on what I asked her and walked out to the sales floor. Just about that time he had the manager call for a morning huddle. I hollered out to her ( because the saw was still running as I was still cutting, to go to the front for the huddle. Nothing out of the ordinary as this was a normal routine. Everyone talks load with the way the saw is and has been for the last several months.
This is where it gets interesting. Only a few moments later a customer poked his head thru the door and into the cutting room. I was trimming some items and had the saw on. I could not here a word he was saying and told him to wait a moment until the saw was off.
He then started to cuss at me and threaten to kick my ass because of the way I was treating my lunch meat lady and yelling at her. I just stood there at the table trying to listen and finish trimming a few stakes that was for a returning customer. The customer then started to go off on me and walked right to the table and pointing at me and yelling while pointing his finger at me and clinching his other hand into a fist.
I only stated one thing to him and that was to give him my name and let him know that if the finger does not move then it will be gone. He threatened to go to management and corporate to have me terminated.
I asked him to please do as it would then give me his name and contact information to have charges placed on him. He then left. it was not more that a few minutes later that our store manager come back and told me there was a customer complaint on me that stated I was hollering at my help and threatening him. I told the manager , After I turned the saw back on, that yes I have to holler to be herd when cutting and he understood that. He asked me about the threatening and I told him that the customer came into the cutting room threatening me and pointing one finger at me and a fist in the other hand. Also told him that if he checks the one camera he can see him enter the room and the angle that another camera has, can see into the cutting room where the saw is that I was working on. I was asked if I said any thing to him and I staked that I offered him my name and contact information to corporate and the union. Also told him that if the finger got any closer to my face that it was coming off.
Nothing else was said over the next few days , but the manager did ask if we had any sales on finger steaks.
Now not sure what else would have happened but I will say this much. If a stranger ,customer or not, enters your work area uninvited and begins to threaten you, where does one draw a line on safety? I do not know what would have been next but if he did come any closer or that finger would have touched me, then I can not say what would have happened because I had a boning knife in one hand and a 14" knife in the other and the full intent to use it if I needed too.
Just have to question the sanity of anyone that barges into a cutting room and threaten any cutter that has knives in their hands. If he did try to look at the steel and the third knife that was on the table. I would say this much. Fingers , if not the hand, would have come off.
I always try to be nice, but if they continue to harass me i tend to get a little mean. Management tends to take the side of the customer to prevent any legal action from ensuing, but that doesn't stop me. I will not be disrespected by anyone.
I would have threatened legal action against the customer if he did not get out of the cutting room, as he did not belong back there. I would have then told the manager about the incident and told him that I wished to press charges against the customer, as he was being threatening toward me.
I had a customer one time asked me to open up a package of t-bone steaks family pack that were shingled. They were technically "Tbone Club Steaks". Well, she had told them and everything. She said she wanted them marked down cheaper and I kept telling her "im sorry, we can't". I was near the cutting room door. Well, my coworker grabs the package and chunks it right in the trash in front of her and says "now nobody is gonna get them". She said she was telling management. Well, she told what the "italian guy" did and that the "big boy" saw him do it. We only disposed of the tbones because of the argument over them and the fact that she touched them and was demanding they would be marked cheaper. She came back a few days later and she wasn't satisfied that he wasn't punished. She had said that was wrong and that she would get back at him.
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My Views and Opinions do not reflect that of the Kroger company. I'm an indivdual expressing my 1st amendment right.
Oh my we get incidents like that occasionally. We have a huge service counter, and no cutting room. We all work directly behind the counter. Customers like to just randomly walk in the prep area if they dont get our attention quick enough! It's somewhat disconcerting to be filleting a fish and have someone just appear out of the corner of your eye right in front of your block..
Also in other stores i've worked at, people would just walk right through the flappy "door" and start asking for stuff in the cutting room. That's really rude, folks! Ask the service counter, or hit the call button on the meat case!
One thing that gets under my skin is when a customer complains to you about something of of the blue. Like, say, he doesnt like the way a cutter cuts his steaks. Or doesnt like how you are filleting his fish. Or comments on something work-quality wise. How many people have to have someone basically come in their office and randomly rifle through their papers (our displays, work, etc.!) and then criticize them for it?
ive had this type of thing happen to me a few times over the years. i probably wouldnt tell anyone i was willing to take thier finger off tho haha. that could be used against you. ive learned the hard way not to say/do stuff like that.
