I’ve made this mistake before…

I’m talking about when you ask a vendor restocking items at a store for information because you think they’re a full-time employee there.

All I can say is…sorry about that!

If you were the vendor, you’d probably get used to interactions like this, but what would you do if a customer wasn’t sorry and was very rude?

Check out what the vendor in this story had to deal with.

When you work there, but don’t…

“I have worked retail my entire 30+ year career. I was never the rat race chasing type of person choosing to marry young and raise my children.

The only job I haven’t done is waitressing but worked other food industry jobs. I have also done the grocery delivery routine.

My latest job is one that’s new to me.

I’m a traveling merchandiser that goes to different stores, the local major drug stores are my biggest clients (CVS and Walgreens).

I service the gift card displays, the foster grant sunglasses, Claire’s children’s jewelry, and scan and correct shelf inventory and signage.

She’s into this job!

Like the grocery delivery service, I work completely independently and all my work orders and duties are handled by my phone apps.

I really like it. It’s definitely different from what I am used to and the flexible schedule is great!

The biggest problem is that I don’t actually work FOR the stores I service, but I’m definitely front and center and I do have a lanyard with my name badge.

I get asked multiple times a day where things are and I always refer them to actual store employees.

She has a reply ready for these situations.

I like to use the phrase “I’m kinda like the Pepsi guy! I’m a vendor not an employee.”

Most people apologize (unnecessarily) and find the cashier.

However, the very first week of my job I had to do the gift card reset. I actually like these tasks and enjoyed setting up displays at my other retail jobs.

In comes a male Karen. I would say he’s in 70s.

Here we go…

He sees me with my tea cart of fixtures and back tags. The gift card display is front and center facing the registers so I’m directly in his field of view.

He comes charging towards me, and he has a list.

I plaster on my customer service smile but before I can say a word he starts rambling about the things he’s looking for.

I abruptly say, very kindly “sir, I don’t actually work here, I’m an outside vendor, but the lovely cashier there will be able to assist you…”

WHOA!

Before I can finish my sentence the man glares at me in the eye and then loud enough for the entire store to hear says “**** YOU!” And goes on a rant about how no one will help him and how he just needs to get a few things and blah blah blah!

I was pretty shocked even though I have dealt with rude customers before.

Of course, all the nearby store employees who were working in and around the seasonal aisles peek around the corner to see what was going on. They actually asked if I was okay.

I shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself “I’m getting too old to put up with this!”

And seriously thought about just walking away leaving! I’m in my mid-50s now and my nonsense tolerance meter is running very low.

Add to the fact that my Gen X attitude is coming out in spades lately!

At that point I pulled up my big girl panties and carried on.

They let him have it.

The disgruntled man must have gotten his meds refilled because he was now fussing with the cashier in a more subdued manner.

The front end supervisor was scolding him like a teacher would call out a school boy for pulling a girl’s ponytail! LOL! “Sir, you can’t talk to people that way! And, that poor lady doesn’t even work here and she was just trying to tell you that.”

Cue in the sheepish mumbling!

That made me giggle to myself because I was watching the interaction go down courtesy of the gift card display being in front of the registers!

I have since developed a nice working relationship not only with the employees of that store, but all of my stores that I work in!”

It’s great that the employees had her back.

Here’s what folks had to say about this on Reddit.

Another individual weighed in.

And this reader spoke up.

This person has job envy.

Some people can be so RUDE…it never ends!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a rude customer who got exactly what they wanted in their pizza.