Thursday, August 23, 2012

Don't mess with me!

I consider myself a mostly patient person.

Sometimes even too patient.

I have been known to wait and wait and wait for customer service representatives because I can sympathize with them.  They are doing a mainly thankless job and take a lot of crap for it.

I also do not like confrontation one bit.

I will allow others to walk all over me instead of telling them to be nice.

But not the other day.  No sirree!

Darrell and I went to Staples to get a few supplies for his business.  There were quite a few other people with only one cash register open.  So we got to stand in line.  For a long time.

Usually not a big deal.

After several minutes, the cashier was helping the people in front of us.  All looked as if we would be out of there in two shakes of a lamb's ear.  (Whatever that means)

Oh.  But they were returning a big ol' bag full of stuff.

The cashier did a great job of scanning the thousand items, finding each on the receipt, and made quick business of this transaction.

But then, the bump in the road happened. 

They had apparently paid for the items with a pre-paid VISA card but wanted cash back.  The computer did not like that.  Not.One.Bit.

The cashier explained they needed to provide her with the pre-paid card and I think they said they didn't have it any more. 

She explained they could then receive a store credit and began to finish the transaction. 

But now, all of a sudden, they were easily able to produce the card and did not want a store credit.

Too late.  The computer did not want to allow the cashier to switch methods of refund.

But, they HAD to have the money back on their pre-paid card.

The cashier had to get a manager override.

By this time, the line had grown enormously and the poor cashier was seriously freaking out.

She told the crazy customers to wait for the manager while she helped the other customers.

She moved from one register to the next, announcing, "I'll help the next person in line over here."

A man, who was either 1 or 2 people behind Darrell and I, bolted for the new open register.

Normally, I would just steam on the inside.

But not that day.

I don't know if it was that we had waited for so long or if it was that I was hot and 25 weeks pregnant with twins (yes...you heard correctly), but a said very loudly, "Excuuuuse ME!"

To which Mr. Buttinski replied, "I wasn't trying to cut!"

SURE!

I don't know who was more shocked by my outspokenness...me or Darrell.

But I will tell you what...."That was easy!"