Trish Sams, the cashier avenger!

I've been trying all week to reclaim my inspiration to post about something that happened last Sunday. Coincidentally, it's very apropos to this week's GBE2 prompt: "Upset". Since I can't seem to muster the same passionate response I had when the incident first occurred, I'm just going to start typing & hope enough of it returns to make this post worth reading. If not, well, better luck next time, I suppose. :)

Most Sundays my husband & I have lunch at Taco Bell. Last Sunday, our friend Mike joined us on our border-run. While still a few customers back, I overheard one of the 2 cashiers taking an order & it was pretty obvious she was in training. I didn't think much of it until my hubs & I were placing our order w/ the more experienced cashier & I could hear the woman who was in line ahead of us placing her order w/ the newbie.

I can't express to you just how rude this customer was to the poor trainee. First off, her order was RIDONCULOUS! "Crunchy taco w/ the cheese directly on the meat. Then add the lettuce. And add onions. And I want a cup of tomatoes on the side." No joke; word for word, that was her order. The girl, struggling to find all the buttons on the register, had to have the customer repeat her order. The customer already had an attitude from the first second she began spewing forth her diva-like demands, but she took the bitchiness up a few notches when the girl didn't get it right the first time. Finally, the girl managed to get her order taken, only for the woman to discover she didn't add onions to her tacos. She called the trainee out on her mistake. The trainee was obviously confused & thought onions cost extra so told the customer that she may need to re-ring her order to accommodate the additional charge. This set the customer off and she immediately stormed to the counter, demanding to speak to the manager, beginning her conversation with a haughty, "we seem to have a problem here". The trainee, struggling to explain to the manager what happened, kept getting interrupted by the customer. The manager whirled on the trainee & held up her hand, yelling the girl's name in an irritated tone of voice. I was appalled!

First of all, this customer was being a complete & utter douche to this poor girl. Secondly, what kind of manager treats an employee like that, particularly when they're clearly in need of assistance, not humiliation?! The whole scene just set me off!

As my hubs, our friend, and I sat at the table waiting for our order, I couldn't stop talking about what we just witnessed. It was unbelievable. If I were the trainee, I would have walked out right there. I could see the girl was close to tears, which just upset me even more. As luck would have it, the manager was the person handing out people's orders, so when she called my name I took the opportunity to speak up. I told the manager that it wasn't the employee's fault & that the customer was beyond rude to her. The manager said "thank you" and that was it. When our friend went to pick up his order, he said basically the same thing I did. Again, the manager just thanked him & went about her business.

Even the deliciousness of my bean burrito couldn't wash the bad taste out of my mouth. I stopped an employee who was cleaning the lobby & asked for the manager's name, intending to call TB's 800# & complain about her. As we were leaving, the manager stopped me & said that she didn't want me to think that she was dismissing my concerns. She claimed she took what I said to heart & had already talked to the trainee. I was satisfied enough with that, until she went on to say that the customer was a friend of hers! After we left, I followed through with my original plan & called TB's 800# & complained.

I'm well-known among my friends for sticking my nose in everyone's business, but I rarely to never butt in when strangers are involved. There was just something about that manager's behavior that struck a nerve! Had she simply addressed the customer's concerns then taken that opportunity to further train her employee, there would have been no problem at all. It was obvious the manager's friend is a bitter, old curmudgeon and has no business dealing with the public b/c she is impossible to please. However, the situation could have been resolved relatively peacefully.

I don't have any delusions of grandeur here. I know my complaint did not and will not make a bit of difference. I just couldn't let it go until I did something to stand up for what was right. Despite how minor my role in this Sunday afternoon event was, I felt like I should throw on a cape & run around town, righting wrongs, avenging mistreated cashiers everywhere. It's amazing what one will do when they're pissed off enough.