TL;DR: Some people who buy cigs from me expect me to remember their orders when I don’t, and when they do it repeatedly I remember them because they’re an asshole but I pretend that I don’t. AITA?
I work at a gas station kiosk, and obviously I have a LOT of “regulars”… I remember a lot of them, but some people just walk up to my window and say something like “it’s me again” and stare at me, as if I know who they are or what they want. A lot of them will do this repeatedly, and I end up remembering their order anyways because of how much of an asshole they are. That’s when I pretend not to remember, even if it’s the 100th time.
The newest one doesn’t speak English, but this is the third time where this exact sequence played out:
He walks up to my window and says “one cigarette”, to which I reply “which ones?” He says “lucky” so I grab regular Lucky Strikes, and he says “nonono” and points as if I can accurately judge what he’s pointing to from that far away. After that doesn’t work, he says “gold”, so obviously I grab gold Lucky Strikes, and then he goes “no. no.” again. He starts pointing again, and I still don’t know what he’s pointing at, so he makes a motion to indicate “the one to the right of that one.” …
He wants Lucky gold 100’s, and at this point the only reason I remember his order is because he can’t be fucked to remember how to say “hundreds”. He’ll say “lucky golds” after a lot of prying, so I don’t think he should get a pass because of the language barrier.
This is the third time he’s come up to my window and done this. I remember his cigarettes now, but next time I’m probably going to do the whole song and dance again. Me having your order before you get to the window is for people I remember, not for people who I remember because they can’t be fucked to tell me what they want. AITA?
No assholes here. You’d be the asshole if remembering regular orders was actually part of your job, but it isn’t. As long as you’re not actually a dick, and are just providing the same service you would to a stranger, you’re in the clear.
He doesn’t have to learn the word either, but fact is he can indicate exactly what he wants, and he doesn’t. That’s his problem, and his call. He has so far decided it’s not worth the effort, so he can fumble the order, it’ll be fine.
but fact is he can indicate exactly what he wants, and he doesn’t. That’s his problem
This is what frustrates me most about it, because I have tons of customers who don’t speak English, and I have one that literally can’t speak, yet they all have one way or another to communicate exactly what they want. I don’t think he has any excuses.
Most people just show me the box or a picture of it, or write it down, or some use Google Translate… There’s tons of options that don’t involve learning a foreign word, but he doesn’t bother. You’d think after the third time he’d try something else, or at least skip to the part where he mistakenly asks for regular “golds”, but… I guess I’ll find out in the next few days 🤷♀️
Dude you work retail. Fuckers are lucky that you even show up to work, bad as you get treated and get paid.
Nah you’re fine. You don’t owe a customer anything more than giving them what they ask for. If you want to go above and beyond that’s up to you but not doing so, especially for people like you described, doesn’t make you an asshole.
I don’t think so. I used to work food service. I had a few regulars’ orders memorized because they came in a few times a week and ordered the same thing. But I had one guy’s order memorized and would start entering it into the POS because it was complicated and would hold up the line talking to everyone behind the counter. I haven’t worked there in a couple years and I still remember his order.
If someone is annoying then it doesn’t matter.
Everyone wants to think they are special and people remember them with affection. Just because they buy their cigarettes from the same place regularly it doesn’t mean they have entered into a social contract with you.