Sarah Pohlman
I have worked in retail since high school, so I have had my fair share of rude customer encounters. As a representative of a company, it is my job to follow corporate policy while having a positive attitude at all times. From being a cashier to a manager, I would constantly have to maintain my composure while customers would berate me about an issue that was usually completely out of my control. People would yell at me even though I was simply trying to follow the guidelines set by the company.
The Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association found that 44.4 percent of retail workers had been “abused physically or verbally by a customer.” During my time as a manager, not only was I yelled at by customers almost daily, I have been cursed at and threatened.
After all my years of customer service, I am hyperaware of the way people treat customer service personnel. If a peer or family member is too sharp with a server or other employee, I make sure to bring it to their attention. Normally, I see people being very agreeable with people in customer service. However, I am shocked by the disrespectful way some students treat NC State employees.
There seems to be a disconnection between customers and people who work in service. Many customers think that they are somehow better than workers simply because they don’t work in service — as if working in customer service is a bad thing. The same goes for the way some NC State students act.
I have seen students speak harshly to employees in all areas including Starbucks, the Atrium, the bookstore, or even on the bus. Students get angry over trivial things like having too much syrup in their coffee or being charged for grabbing an extra Chick-fil-A sauce, which are all ridiculous reasons to yell at someone.
Why do people think they can treat workers this way? What I think people are forgetting is that NC State employees are as much a part of the Wolfpack as anyone else, and many are even students.
NC State employees are people, not faceless figures behind a cash register. Some NC State employees take public transportation to work, have children who need full-time childcare, or need to work multiple jobs to sustain their lives.
Other NC State employees are full-time students who are trying to lessen the burden of student loans. NC State encourages its students to look for part-time work on campus that can “help students develop skills and gain valuable career experience, in addition to earning wages that can assist with education costs.”
No matter who the NC State employee is, as a human being they deserve respect. There is hardly any excuse to get angry at someone who is trying to do their job. Coming from someone who has worked in customer service for over four years, one rude customer can turn a good work day into absolute hell. However, a smile or a genuine “thank you” can also be just as powerful and make someone’s whole day that much better.
So the next time Port City Java gets your order wrong, don’t get angry at the person taking your order. Just breathe, and don’t be another rude customer.