I work at one of the big three cell phone companies. A lot of my (notably straight male) coworkers don’t have this issue, but I pretty frequently get rude customers. Customers want to argue, be combative, demanding, and question me, constantly. I don’t know if its because I talk fast, or if its because I’m direct, or if its because I’m visibly queer (truly, I hate to blame it on this), but a lot of (mostly old male) customers just… square up with me? If there’s friction, they puff their chests out, stare, and for what?
Example. Today a customer asked for my manager by name. I press for more info but he just says to get her. I went to the back, asked manager if she could help customer, she said no. I could see she was busy and was supposed to be hone an hour and a half ago. Two managers tell me to just go ask customer what he needs help with. I go. I explain that she wants me to help him. He says that this is gonna piss him off. I ask what he needed help with, he presses for manager again.
In the hopes of getting him to stop asking for her, I explain that she was supposed to be gone almost two hours ago, that she is working on another customers issue, that she will be going home soon. He continues demanding her, saying something about how “thats bad customer service” and “she has to work over, thats part of customer service.”
I further appeal to his humanity and explain that she has a family. I also say “y’know, you have to show respect the people who work here.” He says that doesn't matter and to get her. Again I insist no, she shouldn’t have to work for 10 hours, she’s recovering from covid. He wants manager. I say “Y’know, you have to respect the people who work here?” He says that doesn't matter because he works 12 hour days and he has had covid 4 times. At this point, he’s refused to respect me or my manager, and I tell him that I don’t care. He laughs with his buddy who laughs too (which is an added layer of weird: a good friend of his was also in the store at the same time and he witnessed the whole interaction from just a foot away).
He then refuses to work with me and I go to the back to get a manager. By this point I’m visibly shaking and I say I’m having a panic attack.
It’s been 7 hours and I’m still ruminating on it. That was 5:40 and its now 12:18. How do yall just get over this shit? I cant stop thinking about how I could have done better or if I was too rude.