Today I went to Taco Bell to pick something up for a co-worker. Some lady in front of me had some problems with her order (wrong items, missing items, etc) and she started freaking out and shouting “YOU WILL TAKE CARE OF ME FIRST! I WAS HERE FIRST! IT’S ONLY RIGHT!!!!!!”
The workers were running around trying to figure things out and the lady kept crying “My son has a doctors appointment and I’m going to be late! They’ll charge me!!!!!!!!! I cannot be late!!! They’ll make me pay!!!!” (Because I’m a mean person, I kept thinking “if it’s really so important to be on time, maybe you could have waited for your gordita until after the appointment? Yes?”)
There were three teenage boys there also (who, I might vouch, were very polite and nice to the elderly cashier who had just told them she could only take cash and one of them quickly volunteered to pay for all of the order since the other two only had credit cards) and as they were filling up their drinks, they started laughing (I was standing right nexxt to them and I didn’t catch anything they said) and the lady turned around and snarled “Do you think this is FUNNY?! Young people today have no respect! And YOU! Tell that other boy who just walked out that he’s a . . . . ” A charmer, really, that woman was.
And then, when the poor Taco Bell girl put in some free orders of cinnamon twists as an apology, the lady jumped all over her saying “I didn’t order these! These aren’t mine!” before the girl could even explain that they were free.
Really, whenever I see someone behave like this in public I wonder where they get the idea it’s okay to behave like a total child when things go a bit awry (as they are bound to do in some circumstances) and yell at innocent bystanders and even mistake-making minimum wage earners. You can’t even be angry when you watch these sort of things, but just disgusted by it.
If you act like that, please, stop it now.
Kristi says
Amen! I am grateful for all of the grunt, minimum wage (or less!) jobs that I have had in my life as they have taught me to be patient with people; be it the telemarketer, the cashier, etc. My jobs have also made me realize how much a nice compliment can go, so if I receive good service I am sure to compliment, it really does make a difference. That lady definitely needed a chill pill.
chloe elizabeth says
This goes to my whole theory about the socially acceptable escalation of hostilities.
allee says
Yep, I want to be a hermit.
Heidi says
Wow…Some People! Yikes!
She Likes Purple says
The same thing happened to me at Tom Thumb yesterday. A man treated the cashier with total disrespect and contempt because she didn’t bag the way he wanted. He took all of his groceries out and made her re-bag, while insulting her. I was appaled. Why are some people such douches?
Le Petit Chic says
Oh my god, what a terrible person! I firmly believe that everyone should have to work a job in food services and retail so that they learn how to treat people properly!
alana says
Unfortunately, I happen to know someone just like the woman you mentioned. Her reaction to most things in life completely baffles me and, as you might expect, I try as hard as I can to avoid spending any time with her whatsoever. Sigh.
pal says
Talk about issues. I could feel the tension that woman caused by your entry. All those workers should have gotten paid time and a half for putting up with that.
You are not mean for thinking she should have waiting till after the important appointment. After all, fast food isn’t that fast when it is lunch and everyone is trying to eat in record time.
ambrosia ananas says
Wow. Some people are really just special. I’m curious how they get that way.
Kristy says
So funny! And yet so sad. I’m glad you were there instead of me because I might have slapped her.
Bethany says
My brother-in-law is producing a movie right now about fed-up minimum wage workers who “give it” back to the rude customers. I think his idea will be successful because everyone has had a job were they were treated like the scum of the earth.
Ashley says
I personally blame a lot of it on the parents. You would be suprised how many people act like that- I think that people who do, learned it from watching their parents and so forth…I really do. Just watch, in 20 years her kids will be doing the same thing.
One Smart Cookie says
Doesn’t it just make you sick? That kind of behavior drives me insane – there is NO NEED to behave that way, and I cannot understand why someone would think it was acceptable. Ugh.
Unnaturally Blonde says
I totally agree. My husband and I were at Taco Bell a few weeks ago and had a similar incident happen with an angry customer. I felt so embarrassed to even be standing behind her in line!
Sheyenne says
That lady probably eats a whole lot of snot in her tacos. She has no idea.
Beck Family says
Will and I witnessed almost the exact same thing at Wendy’s a couple weeks ago. After listening to the lady derail the cashier, Will turned to the lady and said, “This is nothing to lose your manners over!”
As we discussed it later Will commented that he didn’t know how someone could reach that age and still be so MEAN!
Julia says
my mom used to teach kindergarten and when we would see someone acting like this she would say, “someone took that ‘I AM SPECIAL’ unit too seriously : )
Julia
Merrick says
ooo…how I loathe people like that.