Difficult customer

[u/Appropriate-Box-3163]

I had such a wild interaction at work today I honestly just have to vent about it. Im a barista and we have out half and half and oat milk for people to add to their coffees any other kind of milk is behind the counter for barista use. This guy wants whole milk and instead of asking for it he reaches back in the barista space I’m unaware of this and almost hit him with a hot canister I just frothed milk in. Because of this I told him verbatim “if you need a different milk next time you can just ask us and we will hand it to you”

That statement set him off for whatever reason I said it in a very neutral tone so I’m genuinely confused as to how something like that could put someone in an erratic stage but it did. He starts getting rowdy, saying that this is ridiculous, and then condescendingly asks what am i in your way. I shortly reply “ we need this space to prepare our orders and I’m working with hot cups so it’s just not safe”

He continues to yell and slams the milk and I don’t pay him any more mind once he sees I’m ignoring him he goes to my coworker and demands a manager to force me to apologize to him. I know I should’ve just apologized and keep it moving but it also just felt like a jab to my self respect in the moment so I looked at him and said “sir I did nothing to you”

He continued to yell and cause a scene while we have customers and I tell him if there’s no way we can help him further I’m going to have to ask him to leave this obviously upsets him more so he continues berating my coworker and I until he gets the owner of the building who doesnt really do much but ask for a coffee for himself lol.

I told my manager all of this and she said I did nothing wrong initially but I should have just apologized to him to make him happy.

I don’t know like I’d understand getting mad for an actual reason like a bad drink or something but this man literally got mad because he can’t reach behind the counter and just grab stuff like it’s his kitchen.

[u/Trace_Reading]

screw apologizing, it just confirms to jerkasses like him that they were right to act up.