We were recently given kind permission to use a story relayed in a comment as a story on the site. I am going through the editorial process but I can’t decide if the ending of the story infuriates me so much that it pushes this into the NAW category? What do you think?
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Story:
Gas Station, USA
A woman comes in on a holiday weekend (our station is on a main road we are INSANELY busy).
Customer: “I left my receipt when I got gas. I need it! I’m a cab driver!”
Me: “What time did you come in, and what pump did you use?”
Customer: “It was hours ago! I can’t remember!”
Me: “Okay, how much did you spend?”
Customer: “I can’t remember! Find my receipt!”
After several minutes of a building line and being called every name under the sun I finally say:
Me: “Ma’am, would you like for me to print you a random receipt from the approximate time you were in? Because outside of that there is literally nothing I can do without some kind of information.”
She cursed me out again, left, and the next day I have a write up waiting because the customer lied and said I screamed at her and called her a “stupid f****** b****.”
Of course, I didn’t say that and explained this to the manager.
Manager: “Even if you didn’t actually say it, your face did.”
So, I’m in trouble for something I DIDN’T say?! I hated that store so much.
For me, definitely both – both the Cusstomer and OP’s boss are supreme jerks.
If I have to settle on one, it’s NaR as the focus is on Cusstomer’s cussing and cluelessness that gets OP in trouble.
I’d go with NAR. If there were a NABoss/NACoworker category that would fit well too.
NAW works best when the ‘normal’ party is a customer, or at least a suffering coworker. There’s no suffering per se with the author, and the conflict there is much smaller than the conflict with the customer.
If in doubt, NAR, I’d say. It doesn’t not belong in NAR.
If posting it both ways isn’t how it works, and if you feel strongly about having it in NAW, then, cut it in two parts, one in each domain. “She cursed me out again and left. (paragraph) And then this happened.” (link to the morning after.) And on the other side, “This encounter ended with the customer storming out. Then next day, …”
Does this gas station have a video camera to catch the employee’s facial expressions? Because if they make up what you said, then they can make up how you looked.
And what if you happen to have “resting stupid f****** b**** face”? Does that count as a disability? Wikipedia says it can be treated with plastic surgery but who pays?
