customers walking into the department, grabbing stuff behind the counter, reaching into the display cases...

Okay since im quitting soon anyway and it happened Again today, nother rant/series of stories about something even more annoying: what the fuck is wrong with customers who feel like they can just. help themselves. before anyone says it, yeah formatting is absolute dogshit and its a Goddamn Long Ass Essay, whatever, im tired in more ways than one.

The worst ones are the ones that just straight up walk alllll the way into the department, past all the PARTNERS ONLY signs, and then act surprised when you're like "HEY YOURE NOT ALLOWED IN HERE". they decide they need something and they need to come get you, usually cause youre washing dishes and its been a solid 30 seconds since you checked for customers. No, they cant just stand outside of bakery and yell nice and loud "excuse me!", they cant just wait a minute for me to come out from the back and see them, no they gotta ignore every single sign and walk straight into the danger zone (health code violation edition)

One memorable one of those was when I was washing dishes in the back, late at night closing so I was alone, poking my head out every minute or two checking for customers as per usual. then

"excuse me! i have a question"

turn my head and a customer is standing Right There.

• Uh, ma'am, youre not allowed back here.

"Well how was i supposed to know that??"

• um. the signs that say partners only?

"do you think I have time to read every single sign I come across"

• ma'am can you please step outside so I can answer your question

And as im trying to lead her outside the bakery she keeps stopping and turning around and trying to ask me whatever her question is, I keep saying "ma'am I will answer your question once youre outside the bakery", she did this like 3 or 4 times, and by the time ive finally got her out of the Employees Only Area shes decided that im rude and actually she doesnt even WANT to ask the question anymore and leaves in a huff.

Another time when im closing, a newbie curbie walks into the bakery for some quick question, i tell them oh wait hold on, you're not allowed in here without a hair net. Lead em to the exit, show em where the hair nets are and tell em they can either throw one of these on and walk in, or just yell at me and I'll come to you. Cool? cool. Answer their question, run back to sink to grab some more bowls to put up on cake side, and run back to see. a customer (who I did not see before) putting on a hair net. im a bit flabberghasted. ...DO YOU NEED ANY HELP SIR? "oh i was just going to grab a cupcake from the case" PLEASE DO NOT DO THAT. God, maybe he didnt realize I was talking to an employee when he overheard me?? i almost wish I would have just. let him. wander around looking for a box. figure out how to work the price tagger. but i know damn well he wouldnt have worn gloves.

Nother time, im walking into recieving/the wareroom and a lady comes in close after me. Assume based on no uniform at first that shes maybe a vendor, til about 10 steps in I look back and I notice she has a Look on her face. Excuse me ma'am do you work here? "no im a nurse" ????? ma'am you're not allowed back here "oh well im just looking for a bathroom" those are up front. you arent allowed here. please leave.

THEN AGAIN, maybe the Even Worster Ones are the fuckers who think that because they know how the cake case opens, that means they can reach in and grab one themselves! Sometimes I will purposefully avoid grabbing cakes from the front even if itd be easier cause im afraid of teaching the customers like one fears teaching raccoons how to open a trash can. Because ive literally had it happen, I open the case to grab something for one customer, close the case, and have to yell at another customer who saw me do it and decided to grab their own. they think oh, now that I KNOW how to open it, im allowed to do anything I want!

Usually Im able to catch them before they do anything, just see the flash of the window opening and tell em to stop, but theres been at least a couple of times where they do it while my backs turned, stick their dirty little unwashed ungloved customer hands into my nice clean cake case, grab a cake, and then come up all confused like "excuse me where do I get a box?" you dont!!! you really fucking dont!!!!

(SIDENOTE: hey uh deli/meat market/fish market. is this just a bakery thing or do customers try to do the same thing with the whole hams/cheese. please tell me yall have never had customers try to grab a fistful of raw hamburger meat themselves. please tell me yall have never had people try and grab their own fish. please.)

Other times its just mildly annoying, but 10x more common, like customers deciding to just reaaaacchhh into the department to grab backstock (either cause its out of stock on the shelf or just cause they dont know where it is in the first place) and moving the racks around when im standing, right there. The polite customers who are going to see the light of heaven just ask "excuse me could I get one of those?" along with maybe "...also, where are they usually for future reference". These guys though? well, the racks only a few feet away let me just puuullll it a liiiil closer and shove this thing out of the way and rifle thru the backstock.

And they act like im the weird one when I ask as (politely as possible) that they ask for help instead of grabbing stuff inside the department themselves. Like i maybe understand if the bakeries closed and theres no one to ask and its Right There, but when theres 20 people to ask?? christ.

and then of course theres the even milder crime of customers just stepping a liiiiil too far into the department. like. okay youre not far enough that im allowed to tell you Step Back yet but youre definitely far enough to make me uncomfy. theres a grate there. can you just. stay behind it? please? oh youre one single step over it? uh. guess im not allowed to yell at you but I Dislike This. oh thank you you took another two steps into bakery now im justified in saying "please stay behind the line!!!!" thanks.

Oh and also ive learned that I shouldnt just put damages behind the counter, but specifically out of sight of customers, because apparently some people will just see an open box of brownie bites !behind the counter! and go oh! samples! ill help myself. and theyve already eaten one before I have the chance to say "those arent samples they fell on the floor dont eat those" even if they were samples you aint just supposed to grab them yourself outta the box christ. do you see them cleanly presented in little individual cups? no? you think you can just stick your hand in the entire box and touch like 4 other brownies and thats how samples are supposed to work? okay. okay sure. cool. you still just ate a floor brownie.

Just. customers. please for the love of god and all that is holy. Dont Come Back Here. if you need something. ask. i dont care if you put on a hair net first. my customer service voice is already fragile enough as is im not strong enough for this.