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Originally Posted by skibum801
Rude behavior is what it is. I think it it seems pretty obvious that the cashier was rude and that was the OP's experience.
That said, there can be any number of motives for people's behavior. That doesn't mean that the behavior wasn't wrong still.
People always told me when I was working retail that the customer is always right, etc. I mean, sure. But you still have to act like a civilized human being. That goes for both parties (customer and service person). But, practically speaking, it is more important for the worker to be civilized than the customer. That's just the way things work. It's obviously not right for a customer to act angrily towards a worker but it seems like in this situation, the customer wasn't angry at all and was not even provoking this cashier.
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No, it definitely wasn't right of the cashier, and no one stated that OP was misinterpreting the situation--we spoke from our own VALID viewpoints to consider.
I agree that irregardless of the situation, an employee should always carry on a kind and cheerful demeanor. But I also think there's a lesson for the customer. Being polite and considerate goes a long way, and from my experience, there's two ways an upsetting situation can be handled, and more often than not, the benefits of being kind and understanding are far greater than screaming at the cashier demanding to make things right.
People have forgotten their etiquette, or was never trained in basic manners. I am still learning this though I've been given a foundation. It is very hard for me to be out in public when I am upset because yes, I've been rude to cashiers. Nothing horrible, but looking grumpy and being snippy/annoyed in conversations. But I've learned that if I make the slightest effort to be polite and kind, I discover so much more than if I chose to be grumpy.
The best example of this: I was at a Starbucks inside Target. There was a huge line and only one scrambling barista. I was in a good mood that day and watched how customer after customer snapped at her and was so rude to her out of being impatient. People yelled at her saying their coffee wasn't made just so, and as I watched her I could see so clearly how stressed and beaten down she looked. With one person ahead of me, I decided then I would be nothing but kind and polite to her. When she looked at me I smiled and I could tell she was expecting the same rude responses, but I greeted her warmly and asked if the caramel in the iced coffee came in syrup or sauce since the options were either vanilla or caramel. She perked up and we got into a friendly, mutual love-of-caramel conversation as she made my order, and when it was time to pour in the caramel she was so revived from our polite conversation that she told me I could have all the caramel I wanted and as she poured it in I had to force her to stop because she would have gone all the way to the top!!!! Half the cup was all caramel! I was in heaven!
It pays to be nice and courteous and treat people with respect. I've found I learn so many things when I treat the cashier like a respected and appreciated individual. I find out about events that goes on around town, cashiers will go out of their way to find me special deals, and I learn about new ideas when I open myself to the cashier.