Retail worker pretends to not speak English to avoid bad-mannered customer: 'So I looked her [...] in the eye and said, "No hablo inglés"'

Everyone who has ever worked in a retail environment has tried to avoid a customer. Maybe it's someone who you knew was going to be a problem, so you snuck off to the supply closet for a second. Some days, you just can't be bothered to deal with unkind people. This is the terror of working in retail. You have no control over who is going to step into those doors, and it's on you to handle it, whoever they are. 

If you're good at your job, you have surefire ways to handle problematic customers. You've mastered the perfect balance of firmness and politeness it takes to put people in their place. But this takes a lot of energy out of you. You come home after a shift and feel like you need to shed your retail skin. Your smile drops, you crawl out of your bubbly, energetic self, and into your real one. 

Author image for JR Atkinson JR Atkinson
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