A very unpleasant experience while shopping this afternoon has sent me to my computer to comment (lament?). While passing the meat counter in an almost empty supermarket, I overhead a butcher talking with another store employee. Topic of their discussion? The “idiots” (translation: customers) who shop at the store. Hmmm, I thought to myself, this is a topic best saved for the break room or a staff meeting, because it is definitely not one that should take place at a work station and in range of customers. I was certain that the conversation would cease when these two very negative employees spotted me, but that wasn’t the case. I guess they assumed that my gray hair came with a hearing loss, because their discussion continued and not in hushed tones.
Here’s what I heard—Employee #1: “I’ve had the dumbest questions from customers today. Do they ever think before asking for something?” Butcher: “Never. They ask where something is when it’s right in front of them.” Employee #1: “And because they’re too lazy to cook dinner or come up with their own ideas, I have to spend the next hour pushing this cart full of (rotisserie) chickens around the store.” Butcher: “I’m not sure how much longer I can last here. I’m hoping to be able to retire soon to get away from these idiots.” It gets worse. What followed from Employee #1 can only be described as a racial slur. I won’t share the details.
When someone works in an establishment that relies on customers to keep the doors open, it is a good idea to respect and appreciate those customers. We all know that the hardest jobs in the world are those that have direct interaction with the public and that venting with co-workers is a tried and true method of letting off steam. But most workers choose the right time and place to steam and, I hope, do so without the vitriolic sentiments expressed in the conversation that I overheard. The dialogue was not only inappropriate, it was ugly. Even if there is no guidance from management about appropriate conversation while on the job, common sense should prevail. Employee #1 should know that her comments were wrong in any setting, and wouldn’t you think that a butcher would know when to hold his tongue?
