Why are people so rude??

Eskimo1990

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Okay, so I work at an ice cream place. I love my job. I get paid well and the people I work with are great people. It's the customers that I hate. Not all of them. Because we get some great customers who know my boss and tip us well.

But its the ones that are rude that annoy me.

The other day this lady comes up to my work. She's been up there before and generally orders the same things. Before I even say ANYTHING she says to me "I want you to listen. And listen carefully." Really? Her order isn't even complicated. Though she changed it a bit this time, but still. I've waited on her many times and not once have I ever gotten her order wrong.
It makes me wish we could charge people for being rude to us.

I really hate it when people think they are above me just because I work in an ice cream shop. I'm 18 years old and about to go to college, where exactly would they like me to work? Do people just not have manners anymore?
 

Wayne K

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Actually, if I may. You do. So I took that from your story. There are lots of ways to look at things.
 

Lyra Jean

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It probably isn't you or your age. It's the type of place you work. Ice cream shop is on par with a fast food place. She probably been to other fast food type of places and they have gotten her order wrong more than once. She is probably just tired of them getting the order wrong.

Does this mean she should have taken attitude with you? Not in the least. I know when I go to a place all the time I'm not really paying attention to who's serving me. So perhaps she doesn't realize that you are the one who always does her order and never gets it wrong.

I worked fast food. I didn't like job, customers, or people I worked with. I worked at McDonald's and Hardee's perhaps ice cream is different. I'm glad to see that you enjoy your job. Don't let the rude customers get to you. They are not worth it.
 
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JoNightshade

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Ugh. Try not to let the jerks get to you. When I was working at a deli and someone was rude, I would respond by being exceptionally nice and considerate in return. Some people were just oblivious, but a lot of people would realize how rude they had been and be ashamed of themselves. Anyway for some people they are just having a bad day and when someone is suddenly, unexpectedly nice to them it makes them realize, hey, the world is not all bad and I shouldn't take out my frustrations on strangers.

Now that I'm on the customer side, I try to be really nice and patient. I know when people are just having an off day or it's busy or whatever.

On the other hand, if someone is being truly inappropriate or just doing shoddy, careless work... I'm merciless. ;)
 

Wayne K

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It is amazing that a hundred people can tell us we look good tonight, but that one guy who didn't is the only one we remember.
 

Eskimo1990

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I try to not let it get to me. Really I do. Because like I said most of the people are very nice to us. We're family owned. The business has been there for 23 years, same owner. We have many regulars and they all know my boss. So really, I don't have to deal with many rude customers. But its when I have to that bugs me. Oh well.
 

Chumplet

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People have always been rude and always will be. Most of us are nice and some of us are jerks.

Twenty years ago, I was threatened by a customer because he didn't agree with our sign.
 

tjwriter

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There were always be rude people, but I think the concept of community has been lost in a lot of places.

Working in food service is always a trip. I had a guy yell at me because his order wasn't ready and in the bag when he arrived. It was just finished cooking and I was getting all of it together and in the bag. Then he yelled some more because he gave me a $50 and I had to get change to break it. All the while, he has his little girl with him and all I could think about was the example she was seeing. Oh, and then he called back and yelled some more.
 

DeleyanLee

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My daughter works at a toy store. You want rude, go work in a toy store. Adults acting like spoiled brats and spoiled brats acting worse.

Still, she does enjoy the job, the people and, surprisingly, children. (She has better luck making a kid behave than most of their parents.)

Her stress relief after a day of rude people? Come home and play video games. Killing people (in video games) relaxes her immensely. Occasionally she slips and gives identities to her victims aloud.

It's great family fun when we're all giving identities to her victims and cheering on the slaughter.
 

aadams73

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Some people are just assholes. But with others, well, you never know what's going on in their lives. Is she always rude or was this a one time thing? Could be she got mugged by a rogue gang of baboons on the way from her car.

Best thing to do is let it go. Control what's yours to control: the level of customer service you provide. Be the best damn ice cream joint worker that you can be. That will serve you well in every job you do thereafter.
 

Mr Flibble

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Don't get me started on rude customers.


Actually the builders are almost unfailingly polite ( well apart from the language lol). It's the rest of them...


Mostly I just figure they're having a bad day, but occasionally it's just too much to be that.

I've had people have a complete strop because we couldn't tell them how to build a house from scratch ( apart from my boss's rather pithy comment of 'well, madam, I'd call a builder if I were you). If I were a plumber / plasterer / builder, why the feck would I work behind a trade counter when I could be earning a mint somewhere else?

The lady who had the screaming ( and I mean screaming) abdabs the other day becuase we didn't have a non standard switch in stock and she would have to wait a whole day for it.

I've been reported to head office for being rude, merely for showing a customer where something was in a catalogue ( and yes, I did it politely).

Nowadays, I just get reeeeeally polite with them, at the same time as being less helpful and smiling lots. And use long words, especially ones they probably don't know the definition of. 'You appear to be rather discombobulated at the moment, maybe my manager can ameliorate your shopping experience?'

They hate that, but there's nothing they can actually complain about. :D

Phew I feel better for that lol.
 

melaniehoo

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I worked in a fast food/deli-type place from ages 17-20 and tried to do what has been said above and treat those people extra nice. Nonetheless, I did have a girl threaten to jump over the counter and kick my @ss. I can't remember why, but I think it had something to do with her french fries. Or maybe I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous behavior (she was my age).

Another woman called me a racist because a stray mushroom got in her cheesesteak when she asked for no mushrooms. *shrugs shoulders* That one nearly made me go through the roof, but what can you do? She was convinced she had me pegged and I was out to get her, and nothing I said would change that. You can bet I wanted to throw mushrooms at her when she left though. :)
 

brainstorm77

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Some people are rude because they think it's amusing..... I look at them as assholes personally...
Oh and some are so stupid I wonder if they even realize they are being rude..
 
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Synonym

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Just wait until you have someone stand in front of a room full of people and yell "I curse all of you and your families...". I don't remember the details. Perhaps that was part of the curse.

That was over twenty-five years ago, I'm still waiting to see how it turns out :)

That was in a County Courthouse Appraiser's Office. So, when you get out of fast food you're still not out of the woods.
 

Snowstorm

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This thread reminds me of a relative by marriage. Her father is very well off and he raised his kid to depend on him and his money. She's the most worthless human I've ever seen. I've been in restaurants with her and she's one of those who's rude, doesn't say "thank you" when served or when a service is done for her. I believe she feels like she's superior to "the help". To me, since she shows no manners, she's only demonstrating how low she is.
 

brokenfingers

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I would suggest a few quick blinks, then a twitch. Then make your eyes grow large, like Jack Nicholson in the Shining, and smile like you're crazy.

Then slam down your scooper or whatever - HARD - and politely ask: "Now, what was that again? I didn't hear you the first time" All the while twitching and grinning like a madman, and daring her with your eyes to say something untoward.

Works amazingly well, if you perfect it.
 

Jersey Chick

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Okay, so I work at an ice cream place. I love my job. I get paid well and the people I work with are great people. It's the customers that I hate. Not all of them. Because we get some great customers who know my boss and tip us well.

But its the ones that are rude that annoy me.

The other day this lady comes up to my work. She's been up there before and generally orders the same things. Before I even say ANYTHING she says to me "I want you to listen. And listen carefully." Really? Her order isn't even complicated. Though she changed it a bit this time, but still. I've waited on her many times and not once have I ever gotten her order wrong.
It makes me wish we could charge people for being rude to us.

I really hate it when people think they are above me just because I work in an ice cream shop. I'm 18 years old and about to go to college, where exactly would they like me to work? Do people just not have manners anymore?

Back when I'd just graduated (1990, btw) I worked in a pharmacy (and stayed there all through college as well) and swap that for ice cream parlor, and it's how those customers were then. It's nothing new. :D You could try being over-patronizingly nice and condescending. ;)

The revenge could be sweet - one rude [mangled in transmission] used to play these scratch-off lottery tickets - would buy $50 worth easily. She'd stand at the counter and scratch them all off (leaving piles of that silver-gray garbage all over the place), and if they weren't winners, she'd leave them lying on the counter for one of us peons to clean up.

Well, we were in the habit of looking over any tickets that were left behind, because every so often, someone would leave behind a winner. Not usually much - $5 or $10.

But one time, she tossed out a $100 ticket. Bwahahaha.... revenge was sweet to an almost-always broke college kid. :D
 

Day O'

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Doesn't that stink? What really stinks is that the rude ones stay with you forever. I had one years ago who gave her order and said, "Now do you think you can remember that?"

Thirteen years later I still remember what she ordered. Who wants to keep that crappy memory?
 

Voyager

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Aww, Ski :Hug2:. Some dogs just wake up in the morning looking for any old excuse to bark. Don't take it personal. (Your bug just made me smack my monitor for no reason :p)
 

Gregg

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I think a lot of rude people are insecure. Being rude makes them feel important and superior.