I work for one of Canada's major coffee and doughnut chains at a location in Brampton, Ontario. As an employee, my duties are to sell coffee, doughnuts and other baked goods and keep the products and supplies that we use, such as lids and cups, well stocked. However, my main task is to clean. The uniform, consisting of a shirt, tie, pants and visor, is a hideous shade of maroon and the rough paper-like material chafes against my skin. In the winter, the pants seem to offer little to no warmth and they often exaggerate the rear features of those wearing the pants.

It's not that bad of a job but is often a big pain. Most of the time I just cean and watch as my fellow employees deal with the customers. There are some kind and happy customers, but usually a day doesn't go by that we are not harassed by foolish customers. The line-up was almost out the door, so there wasn't much of a chance to keep the floors swept. However, one chasier had gone so far as to sweep the garbage from the front entrance of the back room before going on to her next customer. One woman, after seeing the small pile of cardboard and doughnut peices, complained. "I don't know if you've realized this, but that mess over there is disgusting." she said in a bitter tone while pointing to the litter in the back entrance. "You really need to prioritize what gets done." she told the server. Yet this was the same customer who, while waiting in line, complained about how long the wait was, and how long the service was taking. She was very impatient; and she picked at the little imperfections because they stuck out to her. Though at the same time, she was very impractical in her demands and did not observe the full situation or consider possible reasons other than laziness. We asked her what she thought we should do first: serve her or have her wait while we sweep up the mess. She stormed out.

Another customer seems to think that because she only has 15 minutes for her lunch break, she can walk straight to the front of the line and demand service, like nobody else has anywhere to be.

Dealing with frustrating customers can be stressful. The way I deal with them makes all the difference. If I yell back I know I'll probably be fired. I always keep my cool. This way the only one who gets worked up is the customer. I maintain the happiest tone possible for dealing with unreasonable complaints. I've even been congratulated for handling people so well. Customers may know I am only acting the way I am supposed to, but then so will my employer. I always make sure that if the situation can be easily and rationally dealt with, it is.