A customer told me I was 'too nice' and it threw me off

I was working the drive-thru yesterday and a guy in a pickup said, 'You're way too nice for this job, you know that?' He wasn't being mean, just blunt. It hit different because I've been told to be friendly for years, but he made it sound like a bad thing. Made me wonder if some people just expect service workers to be grumpy. Has a customer ever said something that made you question the whole script?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan.troy19d ago

Man, that's a weird one. It's like he was suspicious of your kindness, like it wasn't real. Some people see a happy face and assume it's fake, so they trust a grumpy person more because it feels honest. They'd rather get a real frown than a fake smile, even if the smile gets the job done better. It makes you wonder if being yourself, even if that's quiet or focused, is better than following the "always cheerful" rule.

the_uma18d ago

Actually, I've found most people are just starved for a little warmth. That real kindness cuts through the noise.