Not so bright people you encounter at work

[moneynerd]

I work with the public, so I meet lots of people who aren't the brightest bulbs. Here's an example from today that I had to share.

This afternoon a customer was having trouble creating a password that met the system requirements for one of our organization's websites . I reviewed them with her.

Passwords must contain:
- At least 8 characters
- A minimum of one of each of the following
Upper case letter
Lower case letter
Number
Special character

She then wrote out what she wanted to use "Garfield1963". I told her that wouldn't work since it lacked a special character. She looked at me in complete seriousness and said "Garfield is a special character". 

My next job is so not going to feature working with the public. 

[Bonny]

You'd miss the stories!

[Cass]

At my moonlight job tonight, a senior demanded the Chef pick the beef out of her beef stew

[ken a.k.a OMK]

But Garfield is a very special character.   

[mmhmm]

Oh, don't give up that job! There's a book there! All you gotta do is write it! 

[moneynerd]

Mar 11, 2015 20:07:40 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Oh, don't give up that job! There's a book there! All you gotta do is write it! 

I have a blog that gets much of its content from this job. 

Hopefully I'll compile it all into a book some day. There's definitely plenty of material.

[kjto1]

Mar 11, 2015 21:29:32 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

I like the people that pretty much demand I order specific products for them.  I've been open a year and a half roughly.  I get people that come in and want X.  Doesn't really matter what X is.  They're the only customer I've ever had looking for it.  They can't find one anywhere, and they've checked all over.  (This by the way is clue number 1 that X is a terrible item for stores to carry, if they could make money selling it they would be.)  I look around online and find a supplier, but I'd have to order a couple dozen or more of the things.  I tell the customer, sorry, I can't get you that.  The conversation that follows is pretty much always the following;

Customer:  "Why not?"

Me:  "I'd have to order 24 of them, and I'd have no way to sell the other 23 once you picked up the first one:

C:  "Just put them on the shelf, you'll be the only store in the area that has them"

M:  "You're the only customer I've had in over a year that's even looking for these.  At that rate it's going to take me over two decades to sell the rest of them."

C:  "But you'll be the only place that has them"

M:  "You can buy them on Amazon"

C:  "But you'll be the only place that has them in person"

M:  "I could put cat shit on the shelf and be the only store that has that too, but nobody is going to buy it"

C:  "Can't you just order one for me"

M:  "No, I'd have to buy them wholesale, and the minimum order is two dozen.  I could buy one from Amazon for you.  I'll charge you $5 more than it sells for on Amazon, and you can pick it up next week."

C:  "What's the extra $5 for?"

M:  "I'm running a business not a charity, you're paying me $5 for my time."

C:  "But I can just order it myself on Amazon and save $5."

M:  "Great, go do that, and stop pestering me about it."

C:  "You're really not going to order me one?"

M:  "Seriously, are you trolling me right now?"

C:  "Jeez, sorry.  It just doesn't seem that hard.  I just want you to order me an X."

M:  "OK, you got me.  Where's the hidden camera?  You really had me going there."

C:  "You're really not going to order me an X are you?  This is terrible customer service.  I'm never shopping here again."

M:  "Thank god for small miracles.  Door is that way."  *points*

 

[973beachbum]

At my second job I regularly meet people this stupid.  And some of my coworkers there are seriously not over qualified either.

One woman yesterday bought broccoli slaw in a bag.  She then proceeds to say "but it doesn't have actual broccoli in it, right?"  Just to see if I could be made totally insane she argues with me after I tell her that yes  broccoli slaw does indeed contain real broccoli.  She then says she is allergic to broccoli.  The bags of cole slaw and broccoli salad are right next to each other and the names are in big black letters so how any middle aged woman could read the packages and not know what was actually in them is beyond me!

I have also had customers ask questions about the prepared food.  It isn't exactly my area but I always ask what their question is just in case I do know.  The last person wanted to know if our fried chicken was vegan.

One of my coworkers "told" me that she was using whole wheat flour because it is gluten free.  She said she read that gluten free was so much healthier than eating foods with gluten.  She raves about how much better she feels too. 

Am I evil that I have never corrected her but do laugh behind her back?

[toomuchreality]

Although they can make you a little crazy sometimes, I enjoyed working with the public. I'd go craz(ier) working at a desk and staring at the wall, or a filing cabinet. At least with the public, there is variety. 

Some people are actually pretty smart and nice too! (That's the category I put myself in, when I go in to a business.  LOL)

[Peace Of Mind]

I have also had customers ask questions about the prepared food. It isn't exactly my area but I always ask what their question is just in case I do know. The last person wanted to know if our fried chicken was vegan.

LMAO!!!  I hope you told them yes. 

Great thread! 

[ZaireinHD]

while I was out of work the other male admin covered for me
I get back and he said he paid a small pile of invoices with his company card.
I laughed hysterically! I was thinking you dumbass. you're suppose to issue a purchase order
I told him that was wrong but oh well what's done is done.
he said he got the go ahead from our boss! I wipe the tears from my eyes and repeat- what's done is done!
about 3 days later the supplier sends me an email asking for a payment date on a purchase order
I said I don't have that purchase order number
I ask the other male admin - did you issue a purchase order number for 7 of the invoices you said you paid for by credit card?
he said no!
I asked again are you sure? he said no! he didn't create a purchase order and paid all by credit card!
I said the supplier is looking for pay date on some purchase order number for 7 of those invoices.
he said he doesn't know what or where they got this number from.
I then basically accuse the supplier of trying to get double paid
that's when the other male admin asks for the mystery purchase order number, so he can look up the purchase order number to see what it is for and request for a refund to his credit card.
which now that makes no since to me! and then he comes back and said
oh Zaire my bad I did create a purchase order for those 7 invoices! I forgot!

[Regis]

Had a discussion with a friend of mine yesterday who told me she had been in a car accident in a roundabout.  The gentlemen who hit her yelled at her for knowing nothing about roundabouts and that it was all her fault.  She called the police and had them explain to the guy that he was in the wrong and had not followed the lane markings and signage.

My friend (a civil engineer) then explained to them that she had actually designed that particular roundabout.

[cael]

I feel your pain, I work with the public too... although our most recent was actually an employee who was so dumb she couldn't find her way out of a paper bag.... she's gone though!!!

The public though.... they will never be cured.

[movingforward]

This is not work related but last summer my BFF calls me and we have the following conversation:

BFF - I think there is something wrong with my AC

Me - Really, is it just blowing hot air or what?

BFF - No, it just keeps running and won't turn off, plus my bill was really high last month

Me - Eh, well it is 102 degrees outside... what do you have the thermostat set on

BFF - 67 degrees

Me - Yeah, well it is NEVER going to turn off as long as you have it set on 67 degrees.  Maybe you should try bumping it up to 73 and see what happens

BFF - Okay, I will do that

We go on to talk about something else but 30 seconds later she says "oh, the air just kicked off"

She honestly isn't a stupid person but she certainly has some blond moments.

[hoops902]

Mar 11, 2015 21:29:32 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

I like the people that pretty much demand I order specific products for them.  I've been open a year and a half roughly.  I get people that come in and want X.  Doesn't really matter what X is.  They're the only customer I've ever had looking for it.  They can't find one anywhere, and they've checked all over.  (This by the way is clue number 1 that X is a terrible item for stores to carry, if they could make money selling it they would be.)  I look around online and find a supplier, but I'd have to order a couple dozen or more of the things.  I tell the customer, sorry, I can't get you that.  The conversation that follows is pretty much always the following;

Customer:  "Why not?"

Me:  "I'd have to order 24 of them, and I'd have no way to sell the other 23 once you picked up the first one:

C:  "Just put them on the shelf, you'll be the only store in the area that has them"

M:  "You're the only customer I've had in over a year that's even looking for these.  At that rate it's going to take me over two decades to sell the rest of them."

C:  "But you'll be the only place that has them"

M:  "You can buy them on Amazon"

C:  "But you'll be the only place that has them in person"

M:  "I could put cat shit on the shelf and be the only store that has that too, but nobody is going to buy it"

C:  "Can't you just order one for me"

M:  "No, I'd have to buy them wholesale, and the minimum order is two dozen.  I could buy one from Amazon for you.  I'll charge you $5 more than it sells for on Amazon, and you can pick it up next week."

C:  "What's the extra $5 for?"

M:  "I'm running a business not a charity, you're paying me $5 for my time."

C:  "But I can just order it myself on Amazon and save $5."

M:  "Great, go do that, and stop pestering me about it."

C:  "You're really not going to order me one?"

M:  "Seriously, are you trolling me right now?"

C:  "Jeez, sorry.  It just doesn't seem that hard.  I just want you to order me an X."

M:  "OK, you got me.  Where's the hidden camera?  You really had me going there."

C:  "You're really not going to order me an X are you?  This is terrible customer service.  I'm never shopping here again."

M:  "Thank god for small miracles.  Door is that way."  *points*

Your mistake was telling them you could buy it from Amazon and charge them $5 more.  When you see you can't buy it wholesale, just look it up on amazon and quote them the Amazon price +$10.  Either they'll buy it or they won't.  People who talk like this probably don't understand the concept of retail/wholesale anyways.  Helping the lazy order from Amazon is probably a new income stream for you.

[NastyWoman]

Not work related, but it fit in with the duh moments here and I was there to witness it. Friend had gender reveal party (that was a new one for me) for her twins. Inside icing of the cakes one blue, one pink. Happy MTB calls east coast friend and tells her the good news. East coast friend congratulates my friend and then asks "are they identical?."  

[Opti]

SDG, I love your example but I also like it shows you could have applied some

people skills to the situation. I've made the mistake many times reasoning with

folks, but I've seen the light - at least for some. If you can tell reason won't work;

a Hoops type strategy would be best.

[Opti]

Mar 12, 2015 10:03:44 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Not work related, but it fit in with the duh moments here and I was there to witness it. Friend had gender reveal party (that was a new one for me) for her twins. Inside icing of the cakes one blue, one pink. Happy MTB calls east coast friend and tells her the good news. East coast friend congratulates my friend and then asks "are they identical?."  

Next time just say Yes. I think they are both human.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Sum Dum Gai - how often does that type of thing happen with you?  once a month?  every week? 

[Opti]

Mar 11, 2015 22:08:32 GMT -5 973beachbum said:

At my second job I regularly meet people this stupid.  And some of my coworkers there are seriously not over qualified either.

One woman yesterday bought broccoli slaw in a bag.  She then proceeds to say "but it doesn't have actual broccoli in it, right?"  Just to see if I could be made totally insane she argues with me after I tell her that yes  broccoli slaw does indeed contain real broccoli.  She then says she is allergic to broccoli.  The bags of cole slaw and broccoli salad are right next to each other and the names are in big black letters so how any middle aged woman could read the packages and not know what was actually in them is beyond me!

I have also had customers ask questions about the prepared food.  It isn't exactly my area but I always ask what their question is just in case I do know.  The last person wanted to know if our fried chicken was vegan.

One of my coworkers "told" me that she was using whole wheat flour because it is gluten free.  She said she read that gluten free was so much healthier than eating foods with gluten.  She raves about how much better she feels too. 

Am I evil that I have never corrected her but do laugh behind her back?

I could see how grocery stores are likely more of an adventure than what I deal with.

My guess is the woman saw the broccoli slaw, didn't see evidence of broccoli flowerets

and assumed that it was broccoli free instead of concluding those nice green strips are

shaved from broccoli stalks.

On the whole wheat flour, I'd probably tell her eventually unless she is a PITA.

Apparently she missed the memo that wheat flour is one of the best flours for gluten?

[Chocolate Lover]

I've been asked where to find the 3rd FLOOR in a one story building (the sign said 3rd DOOR)

[973beachbum]

I have also kinda gotten used to the fact that at my second job I work with idiots.  In some cases I try and be good and just do whatever idiotic thing the supervisors say but then other times it is too much for me and I sorta take charge.

Some of them really have lived under rocks and never worked anywhere else in their entire lives.  So imagine a 40 year old cashier at the grocer store that has worked that exact same job since sopohmore year in HS.   But I found out early, like 3 weeks in, that if I use my "mommy voice" they will all listen. So I have the least seniority in the place and every now and then I will start quitely yelling at people and instead of telling me to MMOB, they will all to a person do what I say.

Up to and including sending a cashier home and telling her to clock out and don't come back that day.  I did tell the mgr later what I did.  He seemed more upset that the other cashier called a customer a fucking asshole than the fact that I did something that I had absolutely no authority to do.  I'm not sure I don't blame him there but if I was him I wouldn't have been too happy with me either.

I really would have had more respect for them if they had fired me.  So TheHaitian how long until they do?  

[The Captain]

I listen to these stories about co-workers and try to reconcile them with the argument that everyone deserves a living wage...

Sorry, I can't get there.

[Icelandic Woman]

This is not work related but the 1st post reminds me of something I saw yesterday so I thought I would share.

Frustrated senior trying to reset the password.



WINDOWS: Please enter your new password.

USER: cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must be more than 8 characters.

USER: boiled cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain 1 numerical character.

USER: 1 boiled cabbage

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot have blank spaces.

USER: 50bloodyboiledcabbages

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password must contain at least one upper case character.

USER: 50BLOODYboiledcabbages

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot use more than one upper case character
consecutively.

USER: 50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDon'tGiveMeAccessNow!

WINDOWS: Sorry, the password cannot contain punctuation.

USER:
ReallyPissedOff50BloodyBoiledCabbagesShovedUpYourAssIfYouDontGiveMeAccessNow

WINDOWS: Sorry, that password is already in use.

[Opti]

I'm jealous Beach. I don't have that experience at all right now.

In fact I have to learn more people skills to deal with anxious and confused patients.

One of my favorites was someone calling the receptionist and explaining in a clear

talking voice she was choking. Some patients love to complain and call often because

they are anxious. I learn more and more how to deal with them, but it really taxes

the logical side of my personality.

ETA: At least I did get her to the point where she acknowledged it was an ongoing swallowing

issue not I am choking to death right now. Not sure if the other receptionists were so lucky.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Mar 12, 2015 11:22:44 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Sum Dum Gai - how often does that type of thing happen with you? once a month? every week?

Couple times a month probably.

Wow.  That's a lot, at least in my book. 

[weltschmerz]

We have a lot of immigrant nurses from the Philippines. Oy!

One came in all bundled up with her nose and mouth covered because it was foggy out? So?

She told me that fog contains poison, and you must not breathe in the toxins.

Another had a daughter who was getting married into a Jewish family. There was a "meet the in-laws" dinner, and she had to bring kosher wine. She said to me "I had no idea that wine contains pork products. How do I find wine that doesn't have pork in it?"

Yes, boys and girls. These are people who are looking after your health.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Mar 12, 2015 13:17:13 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

We have a lot of immigrant nurses from the Philippines. Oy!

One came in all bundled up with her nose and mouth covered because it was foggy out? So?

She told me that fog contains poison, and you must not breathe in the toxins.

Another had a daughter who was getting married into a Jewish family. There was a "meet the in-laws" dinner, and she had to bring kosher wine. She said to me "I had no idea that wine contains pork products. How do I find wine that doesn't have pork in it?"

Yes, boys and girls. These are people who are looking after your health.

Isn't there a lot of smog in the PHilippines?  So they could be used to smog/fog being not good to breathe. 

I'm not sure how much of a Jewish presence there is in the Philippines (isn't it mostly Catholic and Muslem?)  I don't know much about how Philippine people live their lives so I can cut them some slack on not knowing much about Jewish customs. 

[NancysSummerSip]

Another had a daughter who was getting married into a Jewish family. There was a "meet the in-laws" dinner, and she had to bring kosher wine. She said to me "I had no idea that wine contains pork products. How do I find wine that doesn't have pork in it?"

I LOL'ed at that. It would be the pork product thing that most people would think of, not realizing that koshering of products is a process that can be applied to any processed product. It means that it cannot be processed in a facility that has come in contact with any bread, dough or grain product and that the entire winemaking process must be watched from start to finish by observant Jewish men.

[weltschmerz]

Mar 12, 2015 13:25:01 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Mar 12, 2015 13:17:13 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

We have a lot of immigrant nurses from the Philippines. Oy!

One came in all bundled up with her nose and mouth covered because it was foggy out? So?

She told me that fog contains poison, and you must not breathe in the toxins.

Another had a daughter who was getting married into a Jewish family. There was a "meet the in-laws" dinner, and she had to bring kosher wine. She said to me "I had no idea that wine contains pork products. How do I find wine that doesn't have pork in it?"

Yes, boys and girls. These are people who are looking after your health.

Isn't there a lot of smog in the PHilippines?  So they could be used to smog/fog being not good to breathe. 

I'm not sure how much of a Jewish presence there is in the Philippines (isn't it mostly Catholic and Muslem?)  I don't know much about how Philippine people live their lives so I can cut them some slack on not knowing much about Jewish customs. 

She's from a small village. No smog. Furthermore, there's a huge difference between fog and smog.

What bothers me is that they don't bother doing a lick of research or exhibit any curiousity about the world they're living in.

I overheard one telling a patient to throw the meds away and just pray. They're uber-religious.

I reported her. That's just unacceptable.