I think it’s easy for some people to take it out on watstaff if they’ve had a bad day because you pretty much have to assault them before they don’t have to serve you, and customers know that so it’s a consequence-free outlet for any aggro. Or maybe it’s a sense of entitlement that you worked so hard for your money, you’re entitled to have someone run around in circles for you. (I actually had a customers today who spoke to me like I was a complete retard because I brought them napkins, not cutlery, for the sandwiches and their lattes came in, OMG, latte glasses instead of the mugs they were expecting. And naturally, it’s always my fault, not the cook or barister’s, when the order is wrong or cold :p) This place in particular I don’t get a lot of crap from customers but I’ve found the most polite, considerate customers are always the one who have worked in the industry and know how much crap you can get for just being there.

At the other place – the one I got let go from, no great loss there – I’ve had food thrown at me and customers get verbally abusive because we won’t do something for them. And not a shift goes by without someone holding me personally responsible for the portions being too small or expensive, even though they knew what they were getting when they handed their money over.

This sounds like I don’t enjoy the work. For the most part, I do, but some of the customers I’ve come across just blow my mind for their complete lack of consideration.

You get a glimpse of what people are really like when you do something like waiting tables. It’s one thing to think “people are mostly good” when you’re equal to most of the people you know – of course they’re nice to you. But when you’re in the position of being a faceless entity not really empowered to fight a customer, you find out just how many of these “mostly good” people are really abusively inclined when the situation permits or encourages it. Like it’s just this desperate need they carry around, that only finds expression when they feel safe to let it out. They may be wonderful parents and give to charities and never cheat their employees, but if they feel the need to lord it over a server, then you know you’re not dealing with the cream of humanity here.

Seriously, something like that – set up and carried out in the right way – could be a real bonding exercise for the whole society.

Personally, I’ve always thought everyone should be made to do 6 months in hospitality – would do the world of good to some people’s sense of entitlement, IMHO :p

And I just noticed that in the end, I forgot (even typing it out!) to deal with restocking the salad dressings. Now my manager thinks I’m a flake.

Told you this was not a job I did very well at.