I was running some errands and buying some items earlier, and I had some concerns like I was looking for an item that I couldn’t see on the display shelves, and there was another item which I wanted to know if it came in another size.
I asked for assistance, and they summon the store clerk in charge of that section of the store, and when he came over, he already looked really annoyed at having being summoned there. In his defense, he never actually said anything rude or inappropriate. He just said that they didn’t have the first item I was looking for, and the second item only came in one size. But his tone of voice in the way he answered my questions basically said “Look, what you see is what you get. If it’s not on the display shelves, then we don’t have it or it’s not available.” Then he watched me like a hawk as I went around the shelves. It made me uncomfortable, so I walked away until he left, then went back to the shelves. He came back though and asked “What else do you need?”. I just told him I was looking if I needed anything else, but by this point I was so uncomfortable I bought the items I had and left.
Now I feel bad because he never did anything wrong, and maybe it was just me imagining things, and I really shouldn’t let myself be intimidated by that. Like when he came back to the shelves after I had already walked away the first time, maybe he thought I had forgotten something and needed help and was just trying to be helpful. And maybe I was just imagining the tone in his voice. Maybe it was just his regular tone of voice and I interpreted it as him being annoyed. But instead it made me uncomfortable.
2 comments
You’re overthinking things.
He’s there to help you, whether he’s smiling and joyful or just stoic, it doesn’t matter. Ask for help, and continue to if you need it.
You’re a paying customer and that’s his job. That’s it.
It’s very likely he was in a really bad mood. He’s a clerk in a retail store, which usually means long hours, shit pay, and terrible customers. You weren’t the last one, by the way.
I think one of the best things you can tell yourself when you meet someone in a bad mood is the following phrase: So many people are fighting invisible battles.
They could be disabled, or fighting a disease, or just broke up, or had a family member die, or is just super fucking tired or hungry.
What you need to learn is that, you’re likely not the one pissing him off, but you MAY be the thing that can turn their day around. Just be kind, be understanding, be patient, but more than that, be appreciative, even if they can’t help you. These are opportunities for you to grow in your own empathy, so treat them as such and positive things will follow.