Was this lady a germ-o-phobic or just plain mean?

Question

I had a customer come through my line two weeks ago and she told me that she did not want me to touch her produce when ringing up her order. She preferred to place the vegetables on the scale, have me ring it up on the register, and then place the items back into her cart. At the time, I didn't hear her clearly enough since it was loud in the store. I handed her the zucchini squash. Then she snapped at me claiming that I did not listen to her and also said that she had a sick child at home. She also did not want any of her items bagged.

Do you think that she was right to snap at me for that reason or was she just being a jerk?

Honestly if she was that worried about germs, then she would have been smart enough to buy a vegetable cleaner such as "Fit!" Many people touched that produce before it wound up in her hands.

http://www.tryfit.com/

Answer 1

Well, she's probably just concerned about keeping the vegetables as fresh as possible because of her sick kid. Maybe she was going to use the vegetables to make something for her son/daughter. I don't think she was intentionally trying to be rude. Who knows? Some people are just wierd...

Answer 2

You wonder if the woman was mean to snap at you, but you did not hear the woman's instructions and made no effort for her to clarify her request.  To her it was rude to not even try to follow a simple request.

Sure the woman's request may be a bit odd, and sure she could buy stuff to cleans her produce, but you don't know the reason behind her request.  She may have a person at home going thru chemo and has been instructed to keep the place germ free for their health.  Sure her request was odd, but if you've got a sick family member and are feeling helpless, anything you can actually control makes you feel as if your contributing to their well being.  Just brush it off and realize that if the woman is that way about her produce, she must be over the edge about her house.

Answer 3

maybe you just look gross and she didnt want you touching her food. i hate it when people working @ grocery stores, mcdonalds are sickly looking, wiping their noses, then touching my change, food, whatever it is.

she could have just bagged her veg. etc. in those little clear plastic free bags that are in  produce.......

lol, gotta love us germ-a-phobes!!

Answer 4

Are you a stock holder in this company or what?  She's right and a germ-a phobic. but you my friend , are trying to sell something I think.

Answer 5

No, but that's how it is in customer service sometimes.  There's always one....

Answer 6

Sounds like she is just stressed about her sick kid and a little crazy.  Unfortunately whenever you have to work with customers your bound to get a crazy one from time to time. You just have to laugh it off and use it as a good story to tell your friends.  I definitely would not take it personal at all. I am sure your not the first one to run into the crazy lady. If she is that worried about you touching her produce than trust me she has alot more issues than you could ever imagine.  

Answer 7

She's crazy.  The shopping cart has tons of germs, as does the scale produce is weighed on.  Maybe she did use some type of cleaner on the veggies before she put them in the cart.  Unfortunately, that's the type of thing you have to deal with when you work with the public.

Answer 8

since you are in the customer service business, they say, the customer is always right.  but this lady was rude.  first off, the scale where you place the fruit and veggies i'm sure is just a clean/or dirty as your hands.  the produce should have been placed in plastic bags.

don't let it bother you.  i'm sure you will meet more crazies along the way,

Answer 9

I'm sure you've had worse customers. Yes, I think she's a "germ-o-phobe." She shouldn't have snapped at you, but the reason she did was clear: she's a germophobe, she has a sick child, and she's is dealing with her own failure of letting some germ into her zone of germlessness. Maybe you should mention "Fit!" to her next time she's though your line ... and ask if her child is better. I know some folk just "ASSUME" folk should hear everything the say, no matter the surroundings. Different example: My Mom was hard of hearing. Sometimes, a clerk would say "Good morning" or "Can I help you?" ... but if my Mom didn't see them say it, she didn't respond as she didn't hear. Trailing my Mom by a few yards, I would see the snubbed look on the clerk's face. "My Mom is hard of hearing," I'd say. They cheered right up, sometimes went to make eye contact, and hopefully learned that we are not all the same.

Answer 10

Germ-a-phobe and mean she shouldn't have yelled at you or snapped, no person should be able to talk to another person like that ever.

Answer 11

This doesn't sound like healthy behavior. If she was really aware of the world around her she would understand that those vegetables needed to be washed regardless if a cashier handled them.  Sounds like a control freak to me, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one making her daughter sick.

Answer 12

The biggest clue is the sick child at home. Not to be overly dramatic, but she may have a kid who is immune-compromised from chemo or some other condition or treatment.

Sounds like she was preoccupied, worried, and anxious --- none of that sounds like a personal attack, you just caught some static from her bad day.

People don't always think clearly when they are wound up in their own situation. This is a very small incident that happened two weeks ago . . . . let it go and move on. You'll probably never see her again, so don't carry any more of her baggage!

Cheers!

Answer 13

I second what Bob Ross said (Stew). That's customer service for you. She may or may not be a germ-o-phobe, but she's definitely a b-word. You're right; there is no particular reason she should look at you as the sole contaminator of produce -- that stuff should be washed anyway. It's just good practice.

Answer 14

She wasn't right to snap at you but she very well could have been germ"o"phobic.  

Answer 15

ugh people like that drive me crazy!! haha i know people like that and I Can't stand it.. if she is that worried about her vegetables getting germs on them then she should grow her own veggies at the comfort of her own home. Yes I think that it was rude of her and she shouldn't take her problems out on you.

Answer 16

You're absolutely right: vegetables are handled by many hands, all of them undoubtedly dirtier than a cashier's, before they even reach the marketplace.

I do not think she was right to snap at you, but being a cashier I'm sure you could write a book about the crazies you've had to deal with.

And just as an aside: the most effective way to clean vegetables is with a vinegar rinse (see link below).

Answer 17

hey..im OCD and can be a germ a phobe too

i think she was a germ a phobe or OCD....but she wasnt being very nice about it....like as for me i always worry that people will get offended cause i dont want them to touch me or something...so i try to be nice abou it or explain that i have OCD...anyway its hard for someoen who isnt OCD to understand why people with OCD act that way

sorry that happened to you...she was rude...just try to forget her :)

Answer 18

Yep, she's a nut case.  Everyone knows you wash your vegetables when you bring them home, not before!

Answer 19

lol so she put her produce in the dirty cart that little kids pee in??

Answer 20

You're totally right. Also, she had been putting HER hands on other products in the store as well as the cart. Not to mention that the scale itself was probably more dirty than your hands. Some people are so paranoid about this that they lose sight of common sense.

Answer 21

germ-o-phobic...lol