Just submitted this to Not Always Right

[chierii]

This happened today. Seriously.

(I'm working the register, and as I finish a transaction, the phone rings.)

Me: Thank you for calling *****, how can I help you?

Customer on Phone: Hello, ma'am, are you a manager?

Me: No, ma'am, I'm not, would you like to-

Customer: Do you have a Caucasian manager I can speak to?

Me: (trying to keep my voice calm) ...Ma'am, may I ask why that's important?

Customer: Oh trust me, I have a reason. Is there a Caucasian manager I can speak to?

Me: No, ma'am.

Customer: Is there a manager in the store?

Me: Yes, ma'am, would you like me to-

Customer: Is she African-American?

Me: ...Yes, ma'am. (by this point, I've failed at trying to sound helpful and my voice is completely flat)

Customer: And she's the only manager in the store right now?

Me: Yes.

Customer: Could I speak with her, please?

(I put the customer on hold and called the manager in question to the front. I never learned what she said to her, but this came as a shock. Most of our customer base is very open-minded.)

Comments

[pearlblade.livejournal.com]

Over half the customer base I have is West Indian, so my situation is more getting them to speak English. Sadly a lot of the better speaking ones use placing orders for supplies for their stores as the training wheels of english for their newly arrived family/employees. But being a woman means that in a lot of their part of the country, we're second class and they have no problem yelling at us about their own mistakes.

[chierii]

Blah. Bigotry in all forms just needs to die.

[pearlblade.livejournal.com]

Then what would they do with their time? (Note sarcasm)

Some aren't so bad. A balance in fact, though we do have one customer who seems to think he can talk down to women like his whores. Which is why I barely interact with him.

[chierii]

Sheesh.

My workplace has all of one male employee. If anyone tried to pull that attitude, they'd be, to put it politely, "asked to leave" almost immediately.

[pearlblade.livejournal.com]

Not where I work o\ Everyone just grins and bears everything.

Cept me. Once you make me mad it's very clear in my voice. >.> I was not meant for dealing with dicks...

...

*thinks on it*

Explains why I'm single.

[bazula.livejournal.com]

*pats* xx;

[chierii]

And she kept cutting me off. I felt horrible handing the phone over. I didn't know what I was making her walk into.

[aletheya.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I've seen the same happen. Our manager is an African-American woman, but everyone just assumes the white Caucasian male is store manager >_>

Some people are just infuriating X_X

[chierii]

I still wonder what she wanted and why it mattered over the phone. x_x

[wren-chan.livejournal.com]

...what the shit? o.O

Plz to pardon the stuff that ain't French. But ... I just ... vocabulary fail, thought fail, and OMG WHAT A--

--yeah.

[chierii]

I don't mind swearing at all. I'm surprised I was able to keep my voice even, at the very least.

[wren-chan.livejournal.com]

My admiration for your self-control is huge. In your place I think only sheer blank shock would've saved me from screaming her damn fool head off.

Or at least making a face like that *points to icon*

[chierii]

I'm pretty sure I was making a face like that, but it was over the phone so it doesn't matter if I was.

[wren-chan.livejournal.com]

SOmetimes phones really ARE useful. *grins*

[freebacon.livejournal.com]

What the tits. 8|

[chierii]

That's a new one. But yeah. Messed. Up.

[freebacon.livejournal.com]

I like how they used 'caucasian' instead of white.

As if using PC language could make that question politically correct at all.

[chierii]

I know, right? On top of that, it was on the phone. Why would the other person's skin color matter at all?