I think every employee should have a pass to do this!
All content has been edited for clarity.
It Was Never About The Jalapeños
“I was about 19, working my first job. It was at a pretty big gas station and we had a deli inside. I worked in the deli section. It was a pretty slow day that day so I was the only deli worker on shift.
There were two or three cashiers working plus me. We all cleaned our areas, stocked, and made sure things were okay before we took our lunches. Since our lunch table was near the entrance, we saw everyone who came in.
There were about three or four customers who came in periodically, one of whom bought several hot dogs off of the grill. I noticed how he had jalapeños on all of them, and I made a mental note to go to the condiment stand and refill them once I was done eating and had washed my hands. However, since it was a slow day, I figured there was no rush to do it right then. Then, in walked this lady.
She had on scrubs and the logo on her name tag that let me know she worked at the nursing home across the street from our store.
Well, she marched in. We all said, ‘Hello, welcome in!’ to her, but she didn’t even acknowledge us. It was obvious based on her demeanor that she was in a bad mood. So she went over to the deli section, made herself some nachos, and then went over to the condiment stand.
By this time, I was done eating so I threw my items away and went behind the counter to the deli to wash my hands. As I was washing my hands with my back turned, I heard a voice behind me through the glass.
They said, ‘I don’t have enough jalapeños to put on my nachos. I want more.’
I turned around and saw the lady.
I said, ‘I’m sorry about that ma’am. Let me go grab some from the back a refill that for you.’
She squinted at me and said, ‘If you would have been doing your job instead of sitting around, you wouldn’t have to go to the back to get anything. This is taking time out of my lunch period.’
I ignored her remark, went to the back, and grabbed the jalapeños.
I came back out, and as I was opening the can, she barked, ‘Can you BE any slower? I am so unsatisfied with your service right now.’
Once again, I apologized for the inconvenience. She then had the nerve to slam her plate of nachos on top of the glass case that was separating us. Then she ordered me to put the jalapeños on her nachos. Losing my patience, I let her know how I wasn’t allowed to let the food that had been touched come on my side. So I grabbed a small cup and filled it with the peppers, preparing to pass them over to her instead.
‘YOU don’t tell ME what you can or can’t do! You need to do whatever I tell you to do,’ she yelled.
Excuse me?! I thought to myself. Who on earth does she think she is?!
‘Ma’am, if you continue to treat me and speak to me the way you are, I will not serve you,’ I exclaimed.
‘You HAVE to serve me! You don’t have a choice! You’re dumb,’ she said.
‘I actually do have a choice. And as a matter of fact, I am making that choice right now. I am done helping you,’ I said.
She then went on a rant about how she was going to make sure I got fired and started calling me all types of names. She yelled, ‘You’re going to lose your job today you stupid prick!’
When I walked to the back to gather myself, she actually ended up getting kicked out of the store due to her language, yelling, and disorderly conduct. So not only didn’t she get her jalapeños, but she didn’t get her nachos either. I’m pretty sure that after all the chaos she caused, her lunch period was over.
About an hour or two after that incident, another employee from the nursing home came into our store and stared at me, gave me ugly looks, and rolled her eyes at me the entire time she was in there. So I think it’s safe to say the first lady went back to the nursing home and told her coworkers about the ordeal. Luckily, I never saw her again.
And no, I wasn’t fired.”
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