Customer Etiquette

So, I work at a fast-food sandwich shop (for safety purposes I won't say which one) but anyway I have been working there for about 2 years now. I really enjoy my job actually, mainly because it is the perfect part-time job because it is pretty simple, I like my co-workers, and I make a decent amount of money for the work involved. However, I am shocked every time customers do not know how to act appropriately in the restaurant. So today I am writing my top-top pet peeves that customers do while I am working. Please refrain from doing these things at any restaurant and please give all workers your respect.

Top Ten Things Customers Do That Annoy Me

1. CELL PHONES! I absolutely hate it when a customer comes in to order a sandwich and they are talking on their cell phone. Seriously, can you not disengage yourself from technology for the 5 minutes it takes to get a sandwich. There is nothing more rude than talking to a person on a cell phone and expecting service. If you come in on your cell phone, I will ignore you until you are off of it. I do not do well with this one. You are not that important. Get off your phone.

2. Don't ask stupid questions. I hate it when I get to the veggies and I ask "What else would you like on your sandwich?" and the customer asks, "What?" Seriously? What do you think I just asked you? There is only one thing I could possibly be asking you to tell me at this point, so please think about it.

3. Don't throw your money at me at the till. Some people throw their debit card or even cash at me instead of handing it over. How hard is it to simply place the card/cash in my hand? I feel like there is nothing more inconsiderate than simply throwing money at me like I don't matter. Please realize that smart, college kids are working at these places and we deserve a little respect!

4. Please use your brain. Here's a tip, when someone asks you if you want anything else with that or if you want a meal with that, that you actually think about what you say next. I can't tell you how many times I have asked "Would you like a meal with that?" and the customer says, "No, but I will take chips and a drink". Um...that is the meal! It is frustrating because it happens over and over again.

5. Drive Thru. Yes, our sandwich restaurant has a drive thru. And it is a nightmare. If you need to ask what kind of bread, veggies, chips, and pop we have you probably should not be coming through the drive thru. Also, you should know that when you ask for a little of that and a lot of this you probably won't be getting it through the drive thru. And when the lobby is empty and there are 5 cars backed up in drive thru, please consider coming inside, it will be much faster and I guarantee you will be more satisfied.

6. If you are old-fashioned and still use checks, PLEASE fill your checks out ahead of time. Do not wait until I tell you the total to get the checkbook out and start filling out your check. Especially during lunch rush. This will hold the line up, and I will get yelled at for it. And in general, have your money ready by the time you get to the till. You have plenty of time, so please use it.

7. Children don't do well on the spot. Kids that are 10 and under do not do well order their sandwich under pressure, and need you to order the sub for them or need to know ahead of time what they want. When we have a line to the door, it is very frustrating waiting 5 minutes for a kid to decide what type of bread he wants. I love kids to death, but seriously choose the bread for them because they don't know or really care what type of bread they eat.

8. READ THE SIGNS! Our store has signs everywhere promoting the things that are going on, so please do not be ignorant and please actually read them. This is important. I am not going to tell every single customer that the sandwiches are no longer a certain price, so please read the signs and figure it out. And if you fail to read the signs, do not proceed to yell at me at the till because you did not know that the promotion was over. You are not helpless.

9. You don't need 39 napkins to eat a sandwich. I don't know why, but it irritates me when a customer asks for more napkins when he hasn't even looked to see how many he has. I don't know why it's such an impulsive thing. The reason why we only give a certain amount of napkins out is because you only need a couple. When I do give out extra napkins because I am asked to, it never fails that I find the entire pile out on the table. So not only do I have to throw away un-used napkins and waste them, I have to throw them away because you were too lazy to clean up after yourself or use the extra napkins.

10. This one is mainly for guys. Guys, please don't be a tool. I hate the guys that come through that think they are so funny and clever, and that we enjoy their attempt at being cool. Okay, giving the veggies nicknames is not cool. I have seriously been asked to put "onskies" on someone's sandwich. Yeah, he wanted onions and called them "onskies". After a long day, that is just irritating. Please don't try to be cocky and clever, just be respectful and nice.

I don't want you to get the wrong idea here, I like my job and I like 95% of the customers that walk through the door. And I am a people-person. This is just a list I have compiled over 2 years, so this is 2 years-worth of complaints. It's just the few customers that make some days hard. And I just thought I would share this because I think it's important to know traits that are annoying to some people to understand our own behaviors. I thank you for reading, a lot of this was me just venting how I feel. I hope I did not offend anyone, as that was not the purpose, I just felt it was important to share. Thanks for reading!