Wednesday, January 9, 2013

WHAT KIND? YOU STUPID WOMAN!


I was at the grocery store the other day.  The deli.  Just picking up some lunch meat.  There was a girl behind the counter helping someone at the other end with some fried chicken.  No problem.  I can wait.   There was a guy behind me, stocking some cheese or something in a display case.  He stopped what he was doing and stepped behind the counter to help me.   How nice, I thought.  

He asked me what I wanted.   The look on his face was blank.   I told him I wanted a pound of ham, thinly sliced.   WHAT did I want, he asked again.   His face was still a blank, but I could see an ever so slight twinge at the corner of his eyes and I knew he was getting a little agitated.  Not sure why.   So, I pointed to the sign that said ham was on sale for $5.99 a pound (really?  that's a sale?), and said I wanted a pound of that, thinly sliced.   WHAT KIND??!!!   he asked, very rudely, without even changing his face, which was void of expression.    Anyway, while he was slicing my ham, my daughter said I should say something to him because he was extremely rude.   And then she walked away . . . she didn't want to be there, apparently, when I reamed him up and down.  Yeah, thanks for the moral support.

So as he was finishing up and wrapping my ham, I decided I WOULD say something.   I don't like to be mean.  I tried to think of something that wouldn't necessarily embarrass him or hurt his feelings, but instead just make him aware of his rudeness.   You know, maybe save future customers from his kind of creepy demeanor.   He handed me my ham, and I said something like, "I hope your day gets better because you were really rude to me."   Without looking me in the eye, he mumbled something like, "Sorry."    Still no change in expression.   I left and continued shopping, but it kind of bothered me.  

Anyway, as I thought about it more the following day, I wondered if he looked the way that crazy people look before they start shooting.    And I figured it might be a good idea to avoid the deli counter for a while.

30 comments:

  1. I think I would be avoiding it too... creepy!

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    1. I just kept thinking he must be socially handicapped or something.

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  3. I wonder what his problem was.

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  4. Just run away!!! The crazy here isn't diluted because of lack of population. You are safer if you buy your won pig! :)

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    1. True, and we'll have room to keep a pig now :)

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  5. He could have been just having a bad day. At least he apologized.

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    1. I thought of that, too, Erin. And he didn't really "apologize" . . . the way he said it kind of reminded me of Chloe on '24' . . . :)

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  6. At least he said sorry. I find the rudest people are the gas station attendants... In NJ we do not pump our own gas.
    1. They seem annoyed that I do not speak Farci. When I say excuse me to their question Catch o Chach? They just yell it louder and faster and more agitated. (I have learned it means Cash or charge.. I now reply Chach)
    2. When I pay I always say thank you. They never ever say "Your welcome."

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    1. I always try to be polite. I was polite to the deli guy. But sometimes you just gotta say something :)

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  7. I would definitely avoid the deli counter if he's working....at least for a little while. How odd. And weird. There are some people who just aren't cut out for customer service at all (including me).

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    1. I think I would love customer service! As long as it didn't involve the phone, that is! I hate the phone!

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  8. By all means, stay away from the deli counter. :-)

    I have noticed so much lately that that some sales people are extremely rude!

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    1. Erin could have been right - - he could have just been having a bad day. If that's the case, I feel bad. But still, when you're job is customer service, you should at least TRY to be courteous!

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  9. He is deaf.. that's all... can't hear a thing!

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  10. I think the scariest part of this is that you thought of crazy people shooting.. This is what our country has come to, and how can we not think those thoughts?? Of course, you know me Judy, if he was the crazy shooter I'd of been the dead woman at the deli because I'd of said a heck of a lot more to him than you did! Lol.. It's so irritating when people are having crappy days that they feel the need to take it out on people around them. Yay you for telling him he was rude. Now stay away from that deli. If anybody is gonna' make the headlines, it's gonna' be me! ;)

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    1. See, now I feel really bad for saying anything at all - - what if he just suffered a loss of a close friend or family member? What if he was just having a really really terrible horrible no good bad day? Man! AND, I don't want to see your name in the headlines unless it's for some awesome person award!

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  11. Wonder what that was all about...!! Hope his day (or attitude at least) gets better, and that you didn't let him ruin your day!

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    1. The only reason it kind of bummed me out was because I hate making people feel bad, and I hoped that I said it nicely enough - - i'm a weirdo, i know.

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  12. That is a very strange story. I recently saw a show on TV about people who suffer from a facial problem where the nerves have been damaged and they literally cannot smile. There is a medical name for it. It is a horrible thing. That is where I thought this story was going to go, but then it just sort of ended with no closure at all. My curious nature would have me wondering if the guy really was rude like that all of the time (a time bomb ready to go off), having one bad day, or did he have an actual medical problem? I saw someone else suggest hearing loss. I guess I'd want to know. But that is just me...

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    1. I guess, Robin, if I saw him all the time I'd be more concerned. but I've been going to that same grocery store for 11 years and have never seen him before.

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  13. Maybe you already did this, but talking to his supervisor might be helpful -- giving the supervisior feedback on the interaction is useful and there is the chance that the supervisor can give you some information that might make you feel less dissed. In this small town, I can and would approach the grocery store manager with that interaction b/c I know these people and I would want the supervisor to be aware of the odd behavior.
    I echo someone else's comment: It's so sad that you thought of shooters instead of young kid having bad day after his girlfriend dumped him last night (probably what really happened....)

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  14. You made me chuckle... not because of the story about the creepy rude guy or what you said to him... but because now you're second-guessing yourself, and worrying that you might have been too "mean", or he might have been having a "really bad day." Man oh man, you remind me of... ME!

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  15. I come across people like that sometimes too and, honestly, sometimes I don't even think they know they are being rude. Some people just have that demeanor. Sad, but true.

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  16. hmmm to say something or not--i struggle with this often haha--but i have to say, what you said to him was pretty good--not mean, but maybe helpful to him :)

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  17. Pretty much every possible scenario/explanation has been offered here already both for solutions and causes/explanations so I'll just say that I can totally recognize myself especially in your replies to comments as you're making your way down the comments here and realizing that you might have made a rude person's day worse. Both in the overthinking and the guilt/compassion departments, I can totally identify. ;)

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  18. Here, too I come across rude ppl at the super market. They are so rude that I'm not even sure about reacting. I keep away instead. :D

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