Drawing Lines
I have been working in retail for over a decade now, and today is the first time I have stood up to a customer in any real sense and denied them service. It’s sad to me that it’s such an intense feeling, because I can remember a lot of times I should have. And I sort of want to vent a little bit about how it all feels and stuff. I wouldn’t call myself “averse” to conflict, but I certainly wasn’t exposed to much of it as a child and so my instinct is to appease, particularly at work where that’s my job. I worked retail, and then customer service, and then sales, and then sales management, and in all that time, through promotions, upgrades, everything, I have never told a customer I will not serve them until today. I’ve been insulted, screamed at, had things thrown at me, had people call corporate about me, have people try to steal from me, had the cops called to my building, but I’ve never told a customer I wouldn’t serve them. Backstory: A few weeks ago I was workin...