Others are watching and listening to you ...

Yesterday, a customer came in on his cell phone. His tone of voice was condescending but I couldn't understand exactly what he was saying at that time. He kept looking my way so I knew he would be approaching soon.  I stayed “busy” not looking in his direction, waiting for him to finish up his phone call. Then I started understanding what he was saying …

“What do you mean, you haven’t emailed it?” pause “Are you telling me you don’t know how to send an email?” pause. “Just send the thing, if you think you can!” 

I figured this guy was obviously under the impression he was more important than the person he was speaking with and assumed it was his secretary or someone employed by him.

(Directed at me) “What’s your email address here?” I pointed to the row of business cards of mine and other associates that work in this department. His question, “Which one?” I explain that there are different names on the cards, but the email address is the same.”

“AMANDA?”

“it doesn’t matter—we only use one email account.”

“WHICH ONE DO I USE?”

“Any of them—they're all the same.” I walk away, hoping this will help him figure it out on his own. Besides, our pictures are above our business cards and I’m pretty sure Amanda and I do not even resemble each other!

As this phone call was ending, another customer approached me and I was working on his order, and I received a phone call. This wasn’t acceptable to Mr Grumpy and he raised his voice to me.  

Again, he interrupts me and another customer, “you can check your email now—it should be there.”

“Okay, I’ll get right to it when I finish this.” (another phone call before I could get to the computer)

“Well, I’m in a hurry so check your email.” I pretend not to hear him over the obvious roar of the copy machine.

Am I a bit stubborn? Yes. I get so sick of people treating others in service jobs as if they’re unimportant, dumb and only a convenience. 

This guy was getting on my nerves and it started with his tone on the phone and his disrespect for the person on the other end.

I checked the email, asked pertinent questions about the order, then I actually read the document. As I’m reading the front page of this pamphlet, he tells me that his wife had sent the email and he hoped she’d done it right.

HIS WIFE!

He had been talking to his wife. His pamphlet was a document he was hoping to get published for a religious group. He was meeting with a committee to get approval.

I wished him luck and he left. He did come back later to get more prints of it and was nice.

I feel sorry for his wife.