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Times you said or did the wrong thing.
I work(ed) at Zehrs Markets grocery store, aka. Loblaws, aka. Fortinos, etc. Same store, different name for different areas. I was (am) a meat clerk there.
One of my duties was to serve people fresh meat from our counter, for example: "Hey I want 2 top sirloin steaks, that one and that one." I'd then grab them, weigh and price them, wrap them up, and hand them to the customer.
Anybody that's worked retail knows that some customers will make smalltalk, and 9 out of 10 of them will make little jokes or wisecracks about something. You learn to tune it out, and do a fake little laugh to make them think you were listening. A little bit of a "heheh" kinda thing goin' on, you know?
So this guy comes in one fine Saturday afternoon, and asks me for 12 ribeye steaks. This shit is expensive as all fuckin' get out. I say to him, "Twelve ribeyes! You must be having a pretty big barbeque party tonight, eh?" To which he replies, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's a bit of a special occasion. My son died."
Without thinking, I chuckled.
I laughed at the man.
He told me his son had died.
I laughed.
He just looked down and didn't say anything. I got that TERRIBLE feeling welling up in me after I realized what I had just done. I didn't make eye contact with him again, and I quickly wrapped up his $140 order and handed it to him. I didn't say "have a nice day," or anything, and he didn't say thanks.
I went on break right after that.
What've you guys done or said that was completely inappropriate?
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