Hanna & the 7 trolls

I originally posted this on "myspace" and it bears repeating... I'll follow up soon with more Hanna horror stories but I hope this one makes you giggle under your breath...

Unless you live under a rock, you know the story of Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Well this story is about some of the people I encounter at work. There's CRABBY, LAZY, GRUMPY, SLEAZY, CREEPY, FRIENDLY and SWEETY.

The other day I met CRABBY ... She came to my lane and the first thing she says, with the most sour tone she could muster, is "Don't blame me if I have too many items for the express lane. I was shoved here by your supervisor!" For those of you who encounter CSRs at a store or market, this is the wrong way to start a transaction! Certainly bound to put your CSR in a defensive mood. Anyway, I say that I have no problem helping her and ask her to put the fragile items to the back so I can keep them away from heavy stuff that I'd be packaging first. Well did that ever set CRABBY off. She wasn't going to be told what to do and how by anyone, much less me. She grumbled and mutter about how she's never been told how to place her things and what things should be put where. Needless to say she wasn't going to heed my advice.

Instinct is to lash back and pack her case of soda on top of the lightbulbs and bread, but being the good CSR that I am I just packed everything neatly and accordingly then smiled while I thanked her for shopping at our store. End of story, right? Wrong! CRABBY went to my manager and complained that she was basically bullied by me and the next time I told her how to put her items on the counter she would have me answer to the store manager who would most certainly pull the rug out from under my job security.

Then there's LAZY. These people think that they are immune to lifting a finger no matter what. They could have 300 items in their order, but they would rather have them pile up in a crumbled heap before they would dream of bagging them. Yet they never fail to berate you about their precious items getting crushed either.

GRUMPY is a typical sort... too bitter to be bothered to (a.) greet you (b.) help you or (c.) thank you.

MEANY needs no further description. SLEAZY are those who love to thwart, cheat and manipulate the system. Most of these people buy items for thrill or pleasure rather than need. CREEPY are mostly those who you wouldn't want to meet in any alley, dark or light.

Of course FRIENDLY & SWEETY are my most favorite customers. They are a joy to wait on because they never complain and yet they go out of their way to make you feel valued.

So the next time you go to the store for something, remember to be FRIENDLY or SWEETY. Smile and be nice. Make an effort to treat your CSR with respect and appreciation because chances are they've already served the other 5 trolls that day!