Poll of the Day > I caught my fuckin' white whale and boy am I glad.

(+) Yeah! (+)

There is this customer at work I have to wait on every now and again. She is my white whale. She has eluded me one too many times, but folks, I fucking got her. She will be banned from my store.

A few days ago, a woman I've waited on before came in who was already intoxicated. I was the only person in the store, and, I don't know, I froze up and just served her. Her speech was slurred and she was talking straight gibberish. She even told me she loved me! But I felt weak, and just did it. I don't know if she drove to the store herself or got a ride so I had no idea how much damage she could cause. I'd get fired if she killed somebody or maybe even worse if it could be proven I sold to her. But, like I said, I was alone in the store and felt weak.

Well, I vowed I would get this one yet. I would not be weak any more.

Two days later I see her in store again. This time I have backup(two people). She comes in, asks me(slurred speech) to help her find the 99 Bananas 750ML bottle. She knows where it is, she has gotten it before. I took that as my second cue, and I went to get her bottle from the aisle.

When I came back, I set it down and said to her "I'm sorry, but I am not serving you today, I believe you are intoxicated."

she motions as if she couldn't hear me, so I said "I believe you are intoxicated. Your speech is slurred, and I am not serving you today. I also didn't appreciate you coming in wasted the other day either. You need to go somewhere else."

That wasn't the most eloquent choice of words I do admit, and was kind of wrong, but I was heated at this point. She asked me what if she sent her boyfriend in to buy it, and I said if I saw a man come in with a bottle of 99 Bananas in the next 10 minutes(an item we rarely sell) I would refuse him, too, assuming it is for you.

She then continues on the same train of thought and asks me "what if he bought something else?" I tell her that all she is doing is literally telling me her plan to skirt the rules and she needed to leave. She then held out her hand as if to shake mine as an apology(?) to which I reply "What do I want with that?" and she walks off.

A long time ago this same woman came in drunk and I served her, because I had only one cue at the time(my work requires two! so somebody who maybe has a speech impediment or whatever doesnt get unfairly targeted), but before she left she said "Thanks! I love you!" It only hit me then she was wasted after the sale if she was telling random strangers they love them, so I should not have served her. Somebody telling me they love me: that second cue I need to refuse ya!

She isn't an everyday regular(just once in a while), and she has come in normal between then and now, but there is some kinda weird history here. She done did me twice but this was the third time! I successfully prevented her from purchasing alcohol!

Today, I am waiting on a man who is purchasing some 99 Bananas mini bottles(99! cents! 99 proof!). I have no idea who this guy is, until he says

"So, I heard you had to kick my girlfriend out of here a few days ago"

I get it, and I tell him I did because I thought she was intoxicated.

As he is gathering up his money to pay me he keeps talking about it. He says she would never hurt somebody, and that she was afraid to come in here in case she saw you again. I just tell him thats an unintended consequence. I don't know. I was heated with her but it's her fault for being wasted and trying to purchase, not mine. He then says "next time don't talk to my girlfriend like that, talk to me" and I didn't even process what he said, because I zoned out mainly because with so many customers I didn't even register this moment as anything but "yeah weathers nice". I just said "oh...okay" and then he left.

So my thinking is that if he is telling me that before I talk to her "like that" I talk "to him", meaning if she comes in intoxicated and refuse her service, I am not allowed to follow The Law, because he is requiring me to talk to him first. This may be some kind of twisted thinking to back up my assertion that phrase itself is a threat.

That's what I'm talking about. My thing is, it took me a minute to process what he said, so I couldn't have said anything right there. I don't know, but if I see him again, I will tell him he is banned, and so is she or vice versa depending on who I see first. My manager has been alerted, and he may if he sees them before I can.

I wasn't offended by his remark or anything, or even worried about the possibility of that being a threat. I just don't see his threat as being serious, but it IS a threat, so while I am not that worried I might as well use it if I can. That way I don't need to wait on either of these people ever again.

That is the story of my white whale thanks for listening.

i thought this was gonna be about you going on a date with someone, or finding some coin you wanted/paper money serial number

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likehelly posted...

was gonna be about you going on a date with someone

"Somebody telling me they love me: that second cue I need to refuse ya!"

likehelly posted...

you going on a date with someone

I had imagined that his date was an obese Caucasian female.
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I would never refer to a female as a "white whale" even if they were caucasian, a million pounds, and the actual whale from Moby Dick!

what does the dude want you to do? Ring him up every time she comes in drunk like he is a parent or something?

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It's just a dumb threat but that tells me I cannot conduct business within the confines of The Law, so hell yeah

Definitely not a threat.
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Yeah Im not reading all that

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I disagree with that assertion.

argonautweakend posted...

When I came back, I set it down and said to her "I'm sorry, but I am not serving you today, I believe you are intoxicated."

You're a arsehole.

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I guess it could be a threat depending on how he said it. But Idk...
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LinkPizza posted...

I guess it could be a threat depending on how he said it. But Idk...

Definitely not legally at least.
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Revelation34 posted...

Definitely not legally at least.

Oh. I agree with that. I dont think anyone could legally do anything about it. Not with what he said.
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You might need more to legally do something, but I am well within my rights to ban these people from my store for what he said.

How am I supposed to interpret his words?

I'm interpreting this as if I talk to his girlfriend that way again, he'd want to throw down. I don't fee like that is a stretch of an interpretation. He might have meant my tone of voice moreso than me refusing service and kicking her out.

I was heated when I refused to serve her, definitely. But sometimes you just have to put your foot down and I finally did. I'm not sorry for anything. Drunk person comes in and expects me to serve them, tells me they love me(on more than one occasion, which is creepy), doesn't seem to care my job is on the line if they go out and get arrested. Not sorry for how I spoke to her, not sorry she was apparently afraid to come in for fear she would see me again.

wwinterj25 posted...

You're a arsehole.

He's legally required to do that, plus it's generally just a good idea to try to prevent people that are already drunk (as in, significantly impaired, not just buzzed) from getting more intoxicated, both for their personal safety and for the good of society. If you have a problem with that, I'd recommend having the foresight to buy all the alcohol you want before you get wasted so you're the only one involved in the decision to drink more.

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argonautweakend posted...

I would never refer to a female as a "white whale" even if they were caucasian, a million pounds, and the actual whale from Moby Dick!

What if she has harpoons stuck in her ass?

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That's debateable! You don't know why it's there...

adjl posted...

He's legally required to do that, plus it's generally just a good idea to try to prevent people that are already drunk (as in, significantly impaired, not just buzzed) from getting more intoxicated, both for their personal safety and for the good of society. If you have a problem with that, I'd recommend having the foresight to buy all the alcohol you want before you get wasted so you're the only one involved in the decision to drink more.

Thanks wiki.

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It's a subtle difference but Great white buffalo is the one that romantically got away. White whale is the maddening obsessive drive to strike down.

argonautweakend posted...

You might need more to legally do something, but I am well within my rights to ban these people from my store for what he said.

How am I supposed to interpret his words?

I'm interpreting this as if I talk to his girlfriend that way again, he'd want to throw down. I don't fee like that is a stretch of an interpretation. He might have meant my tone of voice moreso than me refusing service and kicking her out.

I was heated when I refused to serve her, definitely. But sometimes you just have to put your foot down and I finally did. I'm not sorry for anything. Drunk person comes in and expects me to serve them, tells me they love me(on more than one occasion, which is creepy), doesn't seem to care my job is on the line if they go out and get arrested. Not sorry for how I spoke to her, not sorry she was apparently afraid to come in for fear she would see me again.

Like a normal person?
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So....one of them came in this morning and my manager banned them both.

Haven't seen then so far today but there is two hours to go. I hope this woman gets help. I don't like to kick people out or anything and i want to see people thriving but alas.

argonautweakend posted...

I hope this woman gets help.

Shell probably just find another liquor store. Or get a friend or random person to buy for her...

argonautweakend posted...

i want to see people thriving

And you probably wont. I mean, they are just people there to buy alcohol. I dont know these people and cant say what theyre doing. But its possible they are thriving when sober and home. AFAIK, the only time you would see them is when selling them alcohol, right? So, I wouldnt think youd see them at their best...
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LinkPizza posted...

Shell probably just find another liquor store. Or get a friend or random person to buy for her...

And you probably wont. I mean, they are just people there to buy alcohol. I dont know these people and cant say what theyre doing. But its possible they are thriving when sober and home. AFAIK, the only time you would see them is when selling them alcohol, right? So, I wouldnt think youd see them at their best...

Some people are at their best when drunk though.
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Revelation34 posted...

Some people are at their best when drunk though.

Thats true, as well...
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