Should I report this person or let Karma run its course?

Nah, not worth it, let it go. You have dealt with much worse than a silly girl like that!

Well sure. But it was the most unbelievable customer service I’ve ever experienced!

You should have asked to see the manager then and there. At this point though no one would take your complaint seriously, and nothing would come of it.

I guess she’ll step out of line again and soon will be kicked out. So let her attitude make her pay for it.

I suppose I should have Darth. But they may disregard one complaint but I guarantee there will be more.
It was SO bizarre. I actually wondered if she rushed back to stop me from physically checking the hookups. She was SO antidiet that it would not surprise me if she deliberately hooked up regular coke to the Diet Coke fountain.

You could report it via email or is there a reviews option online where you could mention it?

I commend her for her passion for terrible soft drinks.
As should you.

Companies aren’t going to care unless it’s something that potentially effects their bottom line. And rude service from a minimum wage drone isn’t something that effects the bottom line unless they do something especially egregious. The manager likely would have acted to satisfy your complain in some manner (such as correcting the lines and offering you the drink free-of-charge). But after the fact no one’s really going to care enough to bother with something this small.

I was not after a free drink. That child needed to be clocked. I wonder if her stupidity came from too much time in the imaginary world of Facebook.

I think you are way out of line.

The other day I was in there and the other co-workers were complaining about some new hire who just disappears forv30 minutes at a time without warning. I bet it’s her and she’s on drugs.

I can’t imagine that this event matters at all. Potentially jeopardizing the job of a minimum wage employee in a convenience store seems beyond petty. She was annoying, nobody got hurt. If you don’t know her back story, maybe assume this was a bad day and let it go.

She ded soon.

Obviously this job isn’t that important to her.

You can’t know that. Maybe she has some cognitive issues, maybe her mom’s dying, maybe she’s being mistreated at home.
And maybe she really is just a jerk, and this is the best job she can get.

Would it really make you feel better to maybe take it away from her?

@Dutchess_lll “I was not after a free drink”

Didn’t say you were. That is, nevertheless, mostly likely how the manager would have handled it at the time. Not sure what you expect would happen from complaining now.

She needs to be corrected and on notice. If it was a one time, unusual occurrence she’ll be fine. If it’s complaint #27 that’s different.

I’ve been to small town Casey’s. Management would want to know if their employees are being jerks to customers. It’s bad for business. Everyone has bad days but it’s irresponsible to take it out on customers. Leave your angst at home.

Casey’s has cameras inside the store. The manager could look and see how she treated you.

@canidmajor What about the customers? What if they are having a horrible day? Maybe they are sick or a pet died. Maybe they lost their job or a family member is ill. A customer comes in for a drink after a stressful day and is treated poorly. This is wrong and management needs to know.

It’s probably been thirty years since I have had a diet soda. Nasty stuff indeed.

Perhaps she was just being honest?? You could just call her out: “bitch, go get my f**king soda and knock that chip off your shoulder while you’re at it.”

I’d just go somewhere else from now on personally.

Coke, Pepsi and pretty much all those carbonated soft drinks are not good for you. Forgetaboutit! Move on. Drink water.

Never try to destroy minimum wage employees’ lives (or workers in general), period. What are you doing?

@Dutchess_lll “She needs to be corrected and on notice.”

And thus you should have spoken to the manager then, not after the fact. Going back to complain now would just make you look petty and vindictive, like you’re harboring a personal grudge.

I bet that you’re not the only one she has spoken to like that. Since you didn’t report her right then & there, I think I’d just wait for karma to bite her on her dumb ass!!! The manager will catch her one of these days & then he/she will see first hand how insulting she is to the customers who bring in the bacon. I also suggest that you don’t allow her to get away with speaking to you like that in the future!!! I always taste mine at the machine so I can correct it before getting to the cash register.

I’m 50/50. I wouldn’t feel like I have to complain about that employee, but giving the wrong suda can be a big deal for a diabetic. I 100% believe that you know your Diet Coke. I would have maybe told the manager to check it. Whether to bother now is up to you, but likely they have already refilled the machine again by now. If it happens another time you can let the manager know.

She will definitely do another case of bad customer service, you don’t have to worry about that.

I can’t believe what I’m reading. An employee treats a customer poorly yet @Dutchess is in the wrong here? You would all make horrible business owners.

All convenience store have video security with audio. Phone manager and state your case in a calm manner.
( how do you know if it was the manager who hooked up the wrong lines..its happens.)
Also the fact that she was 30 min away from the front counter could be here going to the restroom, stocking the coolers,cleaning, anything?
I used to work in a convenience store and was alone for my shift and had other duties to get done which meant being away from the front counter for awhile, however we had a bell or buzzer that went off to alert employees in the back when a customer comes in.
She could had been watching through the cooler doors at the customers to see when they approached the counter and then she would appear.
If longer prob in the basement hooking up lines etc

I’ll just add, because I don’t think I was clear now that I just reread my answer, you certainly can say something after the fact. You are helping the store by saying something, it’s not a matter of complaining it’s a matter of letting management know they need to correct a situation. It all depends on the delivery. If you complain with attitude and anger it’s one thing, if you inform management about your concern it’s another. Management will hopefully take you seriously, but even if they don’t, they will start to take the issue seriously when multiple complaints come in about the woman working there, or about the soda machine.

I was a retail manager, and when someone complained I tried to either thank them for letting me know, or apologize, sometimes both. The stat is 1 in 10 people who are unhappy with service complain. That means 9 people are running around telling friends that the place of business is no good. If they had complained, the business could try to make it right for that individual (even if that is just being heard, in your case maybe they give you a free soda next time) and also stop the bad gossip train about the store or service.

You also are doing the idiot employee a favor, assuming management is not horrible. She needs to be taught how to treat people or she will never get anywhere in life. Customer service is not natural to everyone, but it can be taught. This might partly be management’s fault for not training her better.

She’s a convenience store clerk. She was rude once about a soda. A soda. Without knowing anything about her, someone wants to jeopardize her livelihood because of a soda. If she constantly acts like this, maybe say something, but the moral outrage expressed here is bizarre.

And with all due respect, we don’t know how sharp or snappy @Dutchess_lll may have been when when she approached the clerk. Considering the details, she was quite annoyed and may not realize that her own demeanor could be considered inappropriate.

This whole thing is absurd. Go somewhere else for a soda.

@Stache “I can’t believe what I’m reading. An employee treats a customer poorly yet @Dutchess is in the wrong here?”

Yeah, nobody at all is saying that.

It sounds bizarre. If she’s so bizarre with the way she treats customers, someone else will report her to management soon enough because she’s bound to act inappropriately in due time.

When it comes to soda, it’s important that sugary soda isn’t mistaken for diet because a diabetic will have a real problem if they drink the wrong thing.

I’m a diet soda drinker and I’m pretty good at picking out the regular vs. the diet, but if I’m unsure, one pretty reliable test is to take a drop of the soda and rub it between your fingers. If it’s diet, it will dry just like water will. If it’s got sugar in it, your fingers will get sticky. Just a little aside as to what works for me. I know that’s not “official.”

@canidmajor Something you are missing is that the OP is probably right that it is regular Coke. Some customers really care about it being sugar free, or need it to be sugar free. This is a liability for the store.

Moreover, the OP can simply say the employee wasn’t believing her, and she should have checked instead of arguing.

No one is going to get fired for that unless she is constantly pissing off customers within a short span of time, and then she might need to be fired, IF she has been warned already, already counseled about it, and if management sees it happen in front of them. It doesn’t sound like she was mentally retarded that we might give her a pass, she sounds uneducated in the skills of customer service, which management can simply tell her don’t argue with customers, help them if you can or get a manager to help. She will cost the company money if people stop wanting to go there.

Even at minimum wage people can be nice. Most employees I interact with daily where I live make less than $10 an hour.

I’d report it. The customer is always right and it literally would have taken her less than five minutes to go in the back to check the syrup to make sure.

No, @JLeslie, I am not missing that. The OP makes no mention of that being a health issue for her, or of being concerned for the health of others.
It’s a friggin’ soda. It doesn’t matter.

Reread the details. The OP states that the clerk was “insinuating that I was stupid, maybe a liar, and that my preferences sucked”. “Insinuating”. Not stating. The OP is (not unreasonably) annoyed by the exchange, but not harmed in any way. I hope that this Q was an excuse to rant, and not expressly stating an intention.

Sometimes we get poor service. Sometimes it’s worth pursuing. If I am served something in a restaurant that I have stated I am allergic to, then I pursue it. If the person from whom I am buying an appliance or a car is rude, I go somewhere else.

You are naïve if you think that “no one is going to get fired” for a first offense. They do get fired, more often than you can imagine. It’s not a fair world.

@Darth_Algar Some people here are claiming that @Dutchess_lll would be responsible for this girl’s firing. So yes, they are making her out to be the bad guy. I guess personal responsibility doesn’t mean much to some.

@Stache: “Some people here are claiming that @Dutchess_lll would be responsible for this girl’s firing.”

@Dutchess_lll: “Wondering if I should report her….”

I am personally a fan of live and let live.
I am a fan of accepting that different people have different quirks.
I am a fan of appreciating the memorable and colourful encounters one has once in a while.
People are not drones.
There is this waiter at that restaurant we go to for christmas, who can not help himself but throw out sarcasm and underhanded insults towards the guests, and we just accept that that is how he is.
Gee, and they say that millennials are the snowflakes.

@hmmmmmm Dutchess was the customer. She is not responsible for the employees bad behavior that could lose customers. @Dutchess_lll would not be responsible for the girl being fired. It would be a much needed learning experience for the employee to know that you don’t treat customers the way she treated @Dutchess_lll. One complaint won’t get the girl fired. If it does that is not on @Dutchess_lll.

^ It would be very much on @Dutchess_lll. One complaint can get someone fired. And there is zero reason to complain. Destroying the employee’s life (and possibly others) is not worth whatever offense @Dutchess_lll feels due to her interaction.

@Dutchess_lll walked in to get a soda and had an interaction with another human being. She’s really upset about this and wants to take revenge. Any actions she could take right now could have devastating consequences. She was only there because she wanted to consume a disgusting beverage. The employee was there because she has to be. And her life probably sucks.

You don’t need to be a socialist or left-leaning to side with workers. It’s the human thing to do.

@Stache

If she had a grievance the time to act was then. At this point going back to complain would just be petty and vindictive (and likely go nowhere).

We were in Pittsburgh 150 miles from home. I won’t imagine we’ll be dealing with her again.

^ Then it’s settled. Just let it go.

Just calm down @hmmmmmm. I just got home. It will be OK.

If she physically bumps you again for any reason, drop whatever you are holding, hopefully splattering contents everywhere. Accuse her of attacking you.

Wanna borrow my shiv?

Oh, I just saw you were traveling.
Never mind.

LOL! I do love your shiv man, but thanks..Sweet of you to offer. :D.

Like I said, some of you would make horrible business owners. The employee isn’t just another person to make conversation with. The employee is there to serve their customers. This is what they are paid to do.

I’m curious how some of you would feel if your child was diabetic and wanted a diet soda and this employee treated you the same way. The employee insists the soda is diet but you know it isn’t. Get off your high horse. You’d be pissed.

Exactly @Stache. She had ONE job and preaching at people who have different preferences than her was not it.
It was so very bizarre and sudden and forceful…. I think she must have have been high on something.

@canidmajor So, you see an allergy different than a diabetic person drinking a real Coke? Epipen, insulin, not at all the same? Is that it?

What if you owned the store? Your income relies on that small business. Do you want an obstinate employee fighting with employees and risking someone getting injured? Is the employee more important than the owner and the other employees who might lose their jobs if the business begins to struggle or closes down, because the service and reputation is bad?

I’m not saying fire her. If the management is so sucky that they do fire her with one complaint, then I have no control over that.

Your immediate response is saying something to management might get a low paid worker fired. My immediate response was someone could wind up sick or dead. I give a shit about the innocent customer given wrong information, and served the wrong drink. For the OP it want life threatening, but it could be for someone else.

The way I see it people with allergies or dietary restrictions have the responsibility to make sure those restrictions are met when they grab food from a convienience store or a resturaunt. Not the clerk’s.

True, but I when a customer brings a problem to that clerk’s attention, it is the clerk’s responsibility to take a responsible approach to fix the problem.

Oh, for pete’s Sake, @JLeslie, I used those as examples of what I would do. Read the whole damned post. The OP said nothing about giving a rat’s ass for anybody’s health.
The OP’s details were all about being outraged and upset, not concerned. I addressed that.
“Sick or dead”. Really???

The horse is dead. Quit beating it.

And I’m done.

@Stache “I’m curious how some of you would feel if your child was diabetic and wanted a diet soda and this employee treated you the same way. The employee insists the soda is diet but you know it isn’t. Get off your high horse. You’d be pissed.”

Yes, and I would have asked to speak to the manager then and there.