Sometimes the customer is not always right! This vendor quickly regretted helping out a clueless customer. He reacted in frustration, should he have had more patience?!
A Name Brand Employee
Tim was a DSD vendor, which means he went to various stores, including supermarkets, and stocked a specific name brand of products from the backstock.
The name brand employed him and not the stores themselves.
A Memorable Story
His job was to make sure that the shelves were always fully stocked with his brand’s products.
As a DSD vendor, he had seen and heard it all, but a few stories stood out, and this was one of them.
Enter the Clueless Customer
One day, Tim was doing his usual thing, stocking his brand, when he went to part of the store’s “racetrack,” which was the main walkway in front of a department.
As he was stocking, a man came up to him, ignoring his hat, shirt, cart, boxes, and armloads of branded products.
Dim and Directionless
The man, who Tim would shortly discover was not too bright, asked him where something not-logo was that was typically in the frozen section.
Tim, caught off guard, replied, “Uh, I think those are usually in the frozen section.”
The man, who we will call Brian, asked, “Which aisle are those on, then?”
Quest to the Frozen Section
Tim, still trying to process what was happening, pointed down the way and said, “Keep going down that way until you get to the freezer section, and then look there.”
Brian walked one aisle down and said, “I don’t see them!”
He Couldn’t Follow Instructions
Tim, getting a bit frustrated, replied, “The freezer section is about seven aisles down. Keep going until you get to the freezer section.”
Brian walked one more aisle down and asked, “Where?”
Lost in the Aisles
Tim, who was now getting very annoyed, replied, “Keep going a long way down. You’ll see the freezers.”
Brian moved one more aisle down and said, “I can’t see any.”
At this point, Tim was beyond exasperated with Brian’s incompetence.
“Can You Read?”
He set his logo stuff down and walked over to him, fully intending to say something to the effect of,
“Can you not see the signs above the aisles?” and “Can you find the big signs that say what stuff is on the aisle and read what they say?” but instead, what came out was a stumbling, slightly yelling question: “CAN YOU… READ…?”
He Wasn’t Thinking
It was then that Brian’s face transformed into the perfect expression of astonishment, his brow furrowed, mouth hanging open in shock, and eyes wide.
Not Laughing
Tim couldn’t help but laugh internally at the expression on Brian’s face.
Outrage and Excuses
After a few seconds, Brian regained his composure and turned to Tim, looking at him incredulously. He seemed to be asking, “Did I hear you correctly? Did you just ask me if I could read?”
Tim realized his mistake and mumbled, “I don’t work for the store,” before returning to his logo stuff.
He had fully intended to say something else after “read,” but the silliness of the question on its own gave him pause, and he just left it hanging.
His Manager Was Supportive
Tim didn’t see where Brian went after that, but on his way out, he told a manager for the supermarket about the incident.
He explained how he had accidentally asked Brian if he could read, and the manager laughed, saying, “I literally want to say that every single day. I’m glad at least somebody did.”
She assured Tim that if it ever came back around as feedback against him, she would shut it down.
He Reflected on the Absurd
Tim walked away from the encounter, feeling a mix of embarrassment and amusement.
He couldn’t believe that he had asked a grown man if he could read, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but find the situation amusing.
Could’ve Reacted in a Better way, No?
In hindsight, he realized that maybe he could have been a bit more patient with Brian, but it was one of those moments where frustration got the better of him.
His Incompetence Was Absurd
As Tim reflected on the events of the day, he couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. He realized that sometimes, people can surprise you with their level of incompetence and lack of common sense.
But more importantly, he learns that it’s important to always maintain a professional demeanor, even in frustrating situations.
Professionalism Needs to Be Maintained
The moral of the story? No matter how frustrating a situation may be, always maintain professionalism and approach it with a level head.
And, of course, never underestimate the power of a good laugh.
They Can, but They Don’t!
Redditors enjoyed Tim’s tale. One user said, “Specialty retail store worker here, and I can tell you that even if customers can read, they don’t. I have had customers pick an item off the shelf, then turn to me and ask, ‘How much is this?’
I take the item from their hand, turn it to very obviously look at the price tag, then look them in the eye and tell them the price.”
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The post He Lost Patience With a Clueless Customer – Did He Cross a Line With This Comeback? first appeared on Wealthy Living.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock /Krakenimages.com. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
This post is based on Reddit but the names have been changed.