Murdering The Messenger

Wow, sorry I've been so negative lately. Next post will be something happy, but for now, keeping with the theme of words I don't like to hear, here's a phrase that's spoken all too often at work that just makes me cringe inside:

"Stephanie, we're all out of [food item] for another [insanely high number] minutes. Could you let that customer know there's a wait?"

Hold on for a second. Is this my fault at all? No! I'm merely a lowly cashier worker/food packer. Decisions as earth-shattering as how much food to cook are reserved for those working revered, managerial positions, the type that I can only dream of. However, apparently one of the perks that comes with holding a revered, managerial position is that you get to avoid facing your own mistakes. Didn't tell the cooks to make enough food? No problem! Make the lowly cashier worker/food packer tell the hurried, hungry, and most likely irritable customers that the food they want won't be available for another 15 minutes. Let her face their wrath.

So, here's a plea on behalf of all lowly cashier workers/food packers everywhere: PLEASE don't kill the messenger. It kind of feels like your gambling with your life when you call up a customer to let them know that their order will be delayed. Sometimes the customer's extremely nice and understanding, and you feel like your head is off the chopping block. Other times they herangue you up and down until you're begging for the firing squad. If common decency's not enough to keep you from destroying the poor soul who was sent to bear bad tidings, consider this: the messenger is usually trying to placate the customer in any way possible. However, I will freely admit that we are vindictive people. If we don't like you because of how you treated us, the likelihood of you getting free drinks or cookies or something just dropped from 90% to 2%.

(Just to clarify, I don't think that anybody reading this blog actually has this problem. However, since I can't say this to the angry customers' faces, this is as good a place as any to vent. This one woman today... was the kind of person who makes me want to swear. Seriously.)