A loooooooong rant about crappy customers
If you had a favorite hang out spot that you went to just about every night of the week, you'd know their hours pretty well, right? Right. So if you knew their hours and knew they closed at a certain time, would you consistently walk in at 5 minutes to closing, browse and dawdle for four minutes and then lazily make your way to place your order at one minute to closing? Because I wouldn't. And I don't understand the mindset behind people who do.
My shift ends at 9:00. I am supposed to clock out at 9:00. But there are two regular customers who have been told before they need to order earlier, but never do. Every time they're spoken to about it, they adhere and come in fifteen minutes early for a week or so, and then they're right back to coming in at closing. The thing is, they always get there at like 8:57, so they're technically right under the mark and I have to serve them. And because they've been in earlier and ordered earlier I know it's not a case of not being able to get there earlier. So what the hell?
Tonight I was running behind on things and at 8:58 I had a group of three teenagers in line taking their sweet time, each getting something different. And I'm thinking to myself, "it's ok, I'll ring them up, turn the light off, make their drinks and close down." Nope. In stroll the two regulars. The clock says 9:01. I ask someone to make an announcement for me since I'm behind AND have customers. For some reason, "the cafe is now closed" sounds to four people like, "the cafe is not closed!" and they jump in line. FML. The lights aren't off, so I'm unsure if I should turn them away. One of the guys from the floor has to come over and ring for me while I make drinks and food. (BTW, a sandwich at 9:00 at night? Really? When you can see the lights are off and I'm in the process of closing? Really?)
God I hate them so much. I don't get it. If it's within fifteen minutes of closing I will not go somewhere. The ice cream shop up the road closes at 9:30 and if it's 9:20 and I'm craving ice cream, I'm either out of luck or I'll go to the grocery store. Because I know in the food business there is more to closing than just turning off a light. There's sweeping, mopping, a metric ton of dishes, appliances to clean, trash bags to change, etc. I consistently clock out almost 45 minutes late every night. Because I close by myself every night. I close by myself because I'm eating up payroll with those additional minutes. I'm eating up payroll because these people see me as nothing more than their servant. (A few months ago after being told the baristas need time to clean and close down, my name was mentioned by the Supervisor as an example barista. The regular, whom I've served for nearly 2 years now said, "who's that?")
Grr. I really needed to vent about that. They have been the biggest pains in my ass for two years there and they expect me to just smile and get them food from the back when I've packed everything away for the night. Tonight, Kristin, the new sales manager came over and forbade me from serving people past nine. She said she knows I just want to be polite and nice but I have too much to do and especially those two, they know our hours so she has no sympathy for them. I could have kissed her. So from now on I'm laying my foot down and I'll use the "my manager said" excuse. Fuck it. Meeghan has implied as much, and she's told me to turn them away, but Kristin sid it's an order, and now that two supervisors have said as much, it's my go-to line now. With any luck the Supes will come to the cafe right away to take the register drawer so I literally can't ring anyone up. It would help a lot. But it looks like it's time for me to grow a pair. Screw it. You know, I realize they give us a lot of business, dropping easily $50 a week between the two of them but...seriously. If you don't like it Starbucks is still open. Go there.
In other news, Josh's ex came in last night while I was working. Thankfully not to the cafe but she was in the store, and saw him and they chatted and caught up. I was oddly upset about it at the time. Woke up this morning and went, "really Jess? wtf." Meh, there's SO much history there, so I'm really touchy about the subject of her. They were really serious; he proposed to her. So...I like to forget she exists. And there she was, in the flesh and I kind of had to face her as more than just this abstract idea and more as an actual human being and it kinda sucked. But I slept on it and it's like, come on. I'm better than that. I know I have nothing to worry about. I know he loves me; I know he's completely uninterested in her. Eh, it was just a weird situation. But she reads trashy romance novels so I feel smug now.
Also, ripped back a few rows of sock. Did not account for more room around the instep so I had to rip back and factor in some increases. Unfortunately I don't think I wrote them down so...oops. Looks like I'll have to go by memory for sock numero dos.
Oh noes! Just realized I have a redhead bombshell icon but I'm no longer a redhead! Woe. (Though I'm loving the brunette.)
My shift ends at 9:00. I am supposed to clock out at 9:00. But there are two regular customers who have been told before they need to order earlier, but never do. Every time they're spoken to about it, they adhere and come in fifteen minutes early for a week or so, and then they're right back to coming in at closing. The thing is, they always get there at like 8:57, so they're technically right under the mark and I have to serve them. And because they've been in earlier and ordered earlier I know it's not a case of not being able to get there earlier. So what the hell?
Tonight I was running behind on things and at 8:58 I had a group of three teenagers in line taking their sweet time, each getting something different. And I'm thinking to myself, "it's ok, I'll ring them up, turn the light off, make their drinks and close down." Nope. In stroll the two regulars. The clock says 9:01. I ask someone to make an announcement for me since I'm behind AND have customers. For some reason, "the cafe is now closed" sounds to four people like, "the cafe is not closed!" and they jump in line. FML. The lights aren't off, so I'm unsure if I should turn them away. One of the guys from the floor has to come over and ring for me while I make drinks and food. (BTW, a sandwich at 9:00 at night? Really? When you can see the lights are off and I'm in the process of closing? Really?)
God I hate them so much. I don't get it. If it's within fifteen minutes of closing I will not go somewhere. The ice cream shop up the road closes at 9:30 and if it's 9:20 and I'm craving ice cream, I'm either out of luck or I'll go to the grocery store. Because I know in the food business there is more to closing than just turning off a light. There's sweeping, mopping, a metric ton of dishes, appliances to clean, trash bags to change, etc. I consistently clock out almost 45 minutes late every night. Because I close by myself every night. I close by myself because I'm eating up payroll with those additional minutes. I'm eating up payroll because these people see me as nothing more than their servant. (A few months ago after being told the baristas need time to clean and close down, my name was mentioned by the Supervisor as an example barista. The regular, whom I've served for nearly 2 years now said, "who's that?")
Grr. I really needed to vent about that. They have been the biggest pains in my ass for two years there and they expect me to just smile and get them food from the back when I've packed everything away for the night. Tonight, Kristin, the new sales manager came over and forbade me from serving people past nine. She said she knows I just want to be polite and nice but I have too much to do and especially those two, they know our hours so she has no sympathy for them. I could have kissed her. So from now on I'm laying my foot down and I'll use the "my manager said" excuse. Fuck it. Meeghan has implied as much, and she's told me to turn them away, but Kristin sid it's an order, and now that two supervisors have said as much, it's my go-to line now. With any luck the Supes will come to the cafe right away to take the register drawer so I literally can't ring anyone up. It would help a lot. But it looks like it's time for me to grow a pair. Screw it. You know, I realize they give us a lot of business, dropping easily $50 a week between the two of them but...seriously. If you don't like it Starbucks is still open. Go there.
In other news, Josh's ex came in last night while I was working. Thankfully not to the cafe but she was in the store, and saw him and they chatted and caught up. I was oddly upset about it at the time. Woke up this morning and went, "really Jess? wtf." Meh, there's SO much history there, so I'm really touchy about the subject of her. They were really serious; he proposed to her. So...I like to forget she exists. And there she was, in the flesh and I kind of had to face her as more than just this abstract idea and more as an actual human being and it kinda sucked. But I slept on it and it's like, come on. I'm better than that. I know I have nothing to worry about. I know he loves me; I know he's completely uninterested in her. Eh, it was just a weird situation. But she reads trashy romance novels so I feel smug now.
Also, ripped back a few rows of sock. Did not account for more room around the instep so I had to rip back and factor in some increases. Unfortunately I don't think I wrote them down so...oops. Looks like I'll have to go by memory for sock numero dos.
Oh noes! Just realized I have a redhead bombshell icon but I'm no longer a redhead! Woe. (Though I'm loving the brunette.)