Retail can be SOOO much fun. I *LOVE* to take a pissed off customer and kill them with kindness. Of course, if that does not work sometime befuddling them works just as well.
Once, when I was the manager of a well known automove repair establishment, I had a gentleman TEAR into me that we were ripping him off because he was a black man. I looked at him square in the eye and asked if he was. Dumbfounded. he looked at me, held out a hand and said "Can't you SEE". I just answered him deadpan with 'I'm sorry sir, I am black/white colorblind. I did not know you were black".
All of the sudden he was EMBARRASSED. He apologized for his actions and we went on to resolve the issue to his (and my) satisfaction.
The LOOKS I had from the other customers and my employees. I remember them to this day. I still wonder if they were amazed I tried it, or that I pulled it off. Nobody called bull or anything. They just sat/stood there and watched in silence.
I had some very good teachers.
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