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Another fine day at Target.
Jul. 10th, 2007 10:49 pmSo. .... A co-worker of mine got in a fight with a customer today. Like, a physical fight. .>_> Over a phone.
See, a lot of our electronics - all video games, game systems, some CD-players, all iPods and media players, most cell phones, etc. - either have to be purchased at the electronics booth, or be taken up to the front counter or register by an employee. So apparently that was being done; a customer wanted to buy a cell phone, but also pick up some other stuff, so one of the employees was going to take the phone up to the front counter while she shopped. We just don't allow people to wander around the store with expensive electronics in hand. That's the way it is and I don't see why this should be hard to understand.
But apparently this particular customer took offense to this. Because she was black and the employee was white, she assumed it was being taken to the front because OMG black people aren't to be trusted with unpurchased electronics! .... Which obviously wasn't the case, it's just our rule. For everyone. And this lady bitched and cursed the whole time the phone was being brought up.
This is where I became an eye-witness, seeing as the front counter and registers are facing each other.
I was checking someone out, and we heard the yelling. I look and see the customer screaming at my co-worker to give her the phone, and the employee trying to explain that she had to deliver it to the front. Crazy customer grabs the phone out of employee's hands.
Well... my co-worker grabbed the phone back. And they began to fight over it. And I'm sure a few of those flailing arms missed the phone and hit the other person on purpose.
Seeing two young adult/teenage girls fighting in a store is one thing (a la this post) ... seeing two grown women fighting is another. I think I've lost a little more faith in humanity.
It was early morning, so we didn't have any security people on duty, but the customer I had been ringing up was saying "push the emergency button! call 911!" and all I could say was "we don't have any button like that.." because we don't. .>_> I think she was scared.
Anyway. The "fight" broke up when the big big boss (as in... I don't know her official title, but she's the top of all management for our store) - who, by the way, is also a black woman, and I only mention that because I guess race was an issue here.. - showed up. Co-worker briefly explained what was going on, and boss said "ok, I'll see you upstairs." The customer had the phone, and she walked over to my register to pay for it, and I'm ringing her up completely like "WTF...?????? .@_@" and boss comes over and is trying to explain to her that we're supposed to walk electronics up front. Crazy customer just rants on and on and on and on about how it was only done because she's black and our racist (WTF?) employees don't trust black people and obviously not listening to a thing boss is telling her. Oh, and giving a few racist comments of her own (I guess "pinky" is a derogatory term for white people. who knew?), which was a little... um... well, again, WTF? for me, being the only white person nearby. .^^**
Yes. That's really the only... only... feeling I had about the whole thing. Just... WTF?
So yeah. Afterward I was rather amused that crazy customer actually bought the phone. .^^* 'Cause, like... wouldn't most people be like "I'm not giving you my business anymore!"? Then again, I guess if you're going to fight so hard for a freakin' phone, you may as well go through with paying for it.
I'll tell you what though. Target... is nuts. And that's not even getting into the weird shirtless guy hanging around after closing last night.... .>_>
My life is so weird. .@_@
See, a lot of our electronics - all video games, game systems, some CD-players, all iPods and media players, most cell phones, etc. - either have to be purchased at the electronics booth, or be taken up to the front counter or register by an employee. So apparently that was being done; a customer wanted to buy a cell phone, but also pick up some other stuff, so one of the employees was going to take the phone up to the front counter while she shopped. We just don't allow people to wander around the store with expensive electronics in hand. That's the way it is and I don't see why this should be hard to understand.
But apparently this particular customer took offense to this. Because she was black and the employee was white, she assumed it was being taken to the front because OMG black people aren't to be trusted with unpurchased electronics! .... Which obviously wasn't the case, it's just our rule. For everyone. And this lady bitched and cursed the whole time the phone was being brought up.
This is where I became an eye-witness, seeing as the front counter and registers are facing each other.
I was checking someone out, and we heard the yelling. I look and see the customer screaming at my co-worker to give her the phone, and the employee trying to explain that she had to deliver it to the front. Crazy customer grabs the phone out of employee's hands.
Well... my co-worker grabbed the phone back. And they began to fight over it. And I'm sure a few of those flailing arms missed the phone and hit the other person on purpose.
Seeing two young adult/teenage girls fighting in a store is one thing (a la this post) ... seeing two grown women fighting is another. I think I've lost a little more faith in humanity.
It was early morning, so we didn't have any security people on duty, but the customer I had been ringing up was saying "push the emergency button! call 911!" and all I could say was "we don't have any button like that.." because we don't. .>_> I think she was scared.
Anyway. The "fight" broke up when the big big boss (as in... I don't know her official title, but she's the top of all management for our store) - who, by the way, is also a black woman, and I only mention that because I guess race was an issue here.. - showed up. Co-worker briefly explained what was going on, and boss said "ok, I'll see you upstairs." The customer had the phone, and she walked over to my register to pay for it, and I'm ringing her up completely like "WTF...?????? .@_@" and boss comes over and is trying to explain to her that we're supposed to walk electronics up front. Crazy customer just rants on and on and on and on about how it was only done because she's black and our racist (WTF?) employees don't trust black people and obviously not listening to a thing boss is telling her. Oh, and giving a few racist comments of her own (I guess "pinky" is a derogatory term for white people. who knew?), which was a little... um... well, again, WTF? for me, being the only white person nearby. .^^**
Yes. That's really the only... only... feeling I had about the whole thing. Just... WTF?
So yeah. Afterward I was rather amused that crazy customer actually bought the phone. .^^* 'Cause, like... wouldn't most people be like "I'm not giving you my business anymore!"? Then again, I guess if you're going to fight so hard for a freakin' phone, you may as well go through with paying for it.
I'll tell you what though. Target... is nuts. And that's not even getting into the weird shirtless guy hanging around after closing last night.... .>_>
My life is so weird. .@_@
