Paid Members BomberPat Posted November 17, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 17, 2017 In my call centre days I was reduced to a bit of a teary breakdown by customers on a couple of occasions, and before that, I worked in a petrol station (real old-fashioned place - one member of staff on shift at a time, leave the "office" to go and serve each individual customer, customers not allowed to pump their own petrol) and was routinely talked down to like a piece of shit by customers who assumed that I must be worthless to work there. I hated both of those jobs, the latter made worse by me being the only reliable member of staff - I opened up at 6.30am, couldn't leave until someone turned up to take over from me - I can probably count on one hand the number of times one of the others was on time. Would routinely get a phone call from the "manager" bang on fifteen minutes before he was due in to say that he was running late, then he'd show up half an hour late with a takeaway coffee and a bag of shopping. He'd then proceed to talk shit for half an hour, making it harder to leave, and usually slag off the other member of staff for always being late - because of course it was different when he was late. Other bloke was awful for it too, though. Sometimes hours late. Nobody ever got punished for it, because the boss couldn't be arsed hiring anyone new, and the manager would just fiddle with the figures to make them add up. But I was always put on that shitty opening shift, despite living furthest away, because I was the only one trusted to be there on time - if I showed up late, the place wasn't open, if someone else showed up late? Boss doesn't give a fuck, because it just means Pat's working unpaid overtime, not that he's not making his money. There was a set of drawers in that office that took many a kicking after I'd slammed the phone down on someone telling me "they'd be there in ten minutes" half an hour after they were due in, or after a customer refused to even get out of their car to come to the till, or some shit. One of the most significant relationships in my life turned to shit in no small part because that job was ruining me - it made me miserable, meant I had to be up stupidly early to get to work so cut down on our time together, and God knows how many times I had to cancel lunch dates when she had arranged her lunch break at work around when I was due to finish work, only for me to have to call her up and say, "sorry, still here an hour later". On my last day, I walked in to pick up my wages (paid in cash - they were supposed to be ready first thing Friday morning, but often weren't, so I finished at 1pm, had to wait around nearby until they called me to say wages were in, and went back in), had a bit of a chat with the bloke working and, while I was there, the phone rang. I answered, because he was outside serving a customer, and it was the manager - he flipped out at me because me being there must have meant the other guy hadn't shown up to work. An understandable conclusion to jump to, but why are you getting angry at me? Once I'd explained it to him, he started complaining about every little thing at work, and after ten minutes, I just said to him, "I'm not getting paid to be here, this isn't my problem. I'm sick of this being my problem", and that's how I quit. (Very) long story short, I wish I'd had it in me to quit far earlier than that. The job had been horrendous for three years, had utterly broken me far before I walked out, but I always shied away from actually quitting - telling myself I needed the work, that I would be letting the other two down (as if they'd ever shown me the same consideration the whole time I was there). When I left I had no idea what I was going to do next, no idea what my options were, but I knew it would be a step up from that. You're not worthless, and all you've done is remove yourself from a situation where people were making you feel like you were - there's no shame in that at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted November 17, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 17, 2017 @Shy Dad - Please, please don't beat yourself up about this. A shit job is nothing you should take any blame for. If anything, you should be proud of the fact you still have the self-respect to refuse to put up with that shit and walk, instead of being held to ransom by the fear of not having a job. There's better for you out there, and you only need to find it. I know you're probably worried, because it took you some time to find this one, but the fact that you found it means you will find another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Surf Digby Posted November 17, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 17, 2017 If someone feels the need to kick off at a member of staff over 40p, then fuck me, there's a guy who's seriously insecure about his place in the world. As low as you might feel now, at least you're not that guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members I Bent My Wookie Posted November 18, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 18, 2017 It really was the tip of the iceberg for that week. Had a woman shout at me that it was unfair her meal deal would cost more because she was going to sit inside and that the labels from the company didn't specify that and that it was my fault. Someone told me off for the company replacing the baby jesus with a sausage roll, while buying a sausage roll. Had an old guy tell me I couldn't count up right because his sausage roll and tea always cost £1.90 despite again telling him how it cost more to sit inside to which the response was ''it's a tea and a sausage roll. £1.90 like it always is because I'm a regular'' one regular who comes in each day puts her money on the counter and goes and sits down and expects you to know her order and bring it over even if at that point you were in the middle of serving a line of customers before she complains and then this guy getting in my face as one of the guys on his first shift had accidentally swapped a steak bake and steak and cheese roll around and the guy wanted 'the larger one because it's bigger and therefore cheaper' before telling me I was incompetent at my job, deserved unemployment and that if I couldn't put something in the right place how stupid I must have been. Credit to my manager she did come out pretty quick and deal with him while I went to cool off but by that point I knew I was done. Was training to be a supervisor and there's no way I can deal with the people that come in on a daily basis and the abuse. The staff are bloody fantastic and I have a lot of love for them but doing 10/11 hour days that start at typically 5am and then the abuse from customers was really beginning to frazzle my brain. Been having anxiety attacks and nightmares all week, had to cancel going to Cardiff for Attack tomorrow as while I would have been able to meet new friends there my confidence and health is so low I'd probably just shy away from everyone and not enjoy it at all. Back looking for a new job. Applied to go back to my Uni town with a bar job with live in accommodation in an area I know well so hopefully that comes through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Cod Eye Posted November 18, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 18, 2017 Something similar happened in a cafe I go in fairly regular about a month ago. This "bloke", who was about 5ft2 started to abuse a young lass who was bringing him his breakfast as the beans had mixed with the tomatoes a bit(it was very Alan Partridge). The wanker was calling her a stupid cunt and all sorts and she was distraught. I felt shit that I couldn't help, what with me being in a wheel chair at the minute, but in the end three blokes who were having their breakfasts in actually threw him out with a warning with what he would get if they saw him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Tommy! Posted November 18, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 18, 2017 I used to go shopping on lunch or after work and it's amazing how many people would ask for help and then apologise after they discovered I didn't work there, as though it's wrong to ask another person for help unless they are paid for it. What was worse were the ones who were rude until they found out I didn't work there, as though you can order the staff around and treat them like shit because they get a cheque on Friday night. The highlight of my day was helping pensioners get an array of things from the top and bottom shelf of Morrisons and then informing them I don't know what isle the milk of magnesia is in as I try to stop them feeling bad because I helped them. I always do my best to be polite and cheerful to call centre staff, unless they are a dick. They just have to do what they do and can't solve the problem themselves in many cases so why should I be frustrated with them when my anger is at the wider business and higher ups. I'm proud to say I got a laugh out of one woman when still trying to sort out my gas reading handover months after moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members PunkStep Posted November 18, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 18, 2017 People are cunts, shy dad. When it comes to food places, many folk turn into a right prick. It's like when people get behind a wheel of a car too. My friend was moaning about coffee places taking ages to make your coffee and I shot him down, telling him he wouldn't last an hour as a barista. It's a ridiculously stressful and constant job with so many whining customers with a self inflated sense of entitlement. I imagine your job is very similar and I don't envy you- I wouldn't be able to handle it and I'd say I'm pretty easy going and thick skinned. If you can find a way of taking the shit thrown at you from customers without letting it get to you, more power to you. If not, maybe look at somewhere else whilst trying to get though it at that place. Retail in other shops isn't normally as bad as Greggs, coffee shops, restaurants etc. They seem to be the worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members mim731 Posted November 18, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 18, 2017 6 hours ago, Shy Dad said: Back looking for a new job. Applied to go back to my Uni town with a bar job with live in accommodation in an area I know well so hopefully that comes through. Glad to hear you're taking positive steps forward mate. I know the experience with the job didn't pan out as hoped but try to keep your chin up and move forward. Sometimes it takes time to find the right fit work-wise, but I really hope things work out bud. Shout if there's anything we can do to help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey_Piste Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 Greggs really does have some utter scum as its patrons. I was in there earlier to get a coffee and steak bake for lunch and some woman started kicking off about having to pay more to eat in. The manager came out and was trying to explain to her that she had ordered to take it away then just sat down at a table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SpursRiot2012 Posted November 18, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 18, 2017 Can I just say how awesome the Google Translate app is? It's like having the Star Trek universal translator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted November 18, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 18, 2017 I used it a couple of months ago to send my other half an email in Spanish and she said it was complete shit and totally inaccurate. Guess it might depend on what language you're using it for though, I haven't used it much at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SpursRiot2012 Posted November 19, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 19, 2017 Did you use the app or the Web version? With the app, you select the two languages (say English and Spanish) and it allows you to say things in English that are then translated to Spanish and repeated to whoever you're speaking with. A friend who speaks Spanish said it was pretty good but she's not a native speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Sergio Mendacious Posted November 19, 2017 Author Paid Members Share Posted November 19, 2017 My mum used to work for Schwartz herbs and spice, delivering and maintaining their supermarket displays. The shit she had to put up with from customers who couldn’t grasp that she didn’t work for the store was insane, but it was best when my dad showed up to pick her up when her car broke down, and an old woman thought he was the manager, and burped right in his face when he didn’t know where the frozen lamb was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonworden Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 6 hours ago, SpursRiot2012 said: Did you use the app or the Web version? With the app, you select the two languages (say English and Spanish) and it allows you to say things in English that are then translated to Spanish and repeated to whoever you're speaking with. A friend who speaks Spanish said it was pretty good but she's not a native speaker. I find it really useful for the odd word or phrase mostly when I need to say something in Vietnamese and don't have the vocabulary but too much becomes drivel either way. Unfortunately a lot of my students worship it now and have actually become worse learners because they spend so much time using the app. The technology is still trying to learn the contexts that language is used and it varies depending on language. I'd imagine it's far more accurate for European based languages than Asian languages to English Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Tommy! Posted November 19, 2017 Paid Members Share Posted November 19, 2017 9 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said: I used it a couple of months ago to send my other half an email in Spanish and she said it was complete shit and totally inaccurate. Guess it might depend on what language you're using it for though, I haven't used it much at all. I found it useful but limited over here. When I forget or don't know a word it's great to find it, like last week when I needed to know what winter tyres were called. But those things can't handle the more varied case set up in other languages. 'You have nice cars' is you singular informal, you singular formal and you as addressing a collective or group. In another language each one is different, with different verb structures and so on. As a result some asks what I think of their personal car collection and my response is more akin to 'people like you all have nice cars' than 'you have nice cars' I use Google translate, but never verbatim. The take a photo of text and translate it is fucking wonky too, because singular words together don't have a direct translation and it can't pick up all words in context. For example hoch is high, ziet is time, hochziet is a wedding. That picture app can't always see them as one word and so translates as two, especially if it's odd font, not flat or laminate or gloss finish. There have been some funny conversations between German and English speaking friends after using those to translate menus and ingredients for that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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