Occupational Hazards

I'm home with my parents for the summer since school is out, and I applied for a job so that I can save up to ship my horse to school with me in the fall. I have been working for a very short time now at a local take and bake pizza place, and I absolutely love it. I didn't think I would, but I truly do. I adore the rush when we have four employees all crowded around with two phones ringing, three people in line and six pizzas to make. Tonight was my busiest night yet - we made well over 50 pizzas in a four hour block.

Sometimes people will call in with ridiculous orders, and we're all about keeping the customer happy. They can order something completely different on each half. Better yet, one tonight was 3/4 one thing and 1/4 another. Sometimes each half will require a different sauce, and they can't mix. It can get really frustrating in a hurry.

So the phone rings and I answer with a chirpy singsong, "Thank you for calling (Name of Pizza Place) this is (Name), would you like to hear our specials?" She would, but it turns out she doesn't want any of them. She knows what she does want, however, and she politely places an easy order for two simple pizzas. Her name is Jane Doe, and she wants to pick up her dinner in 20 minutes.

20 minutes later, a gentleman comes in to pick up his order for Jane Doe. When a fellow employee tries to ring him up, though, one of the pizzas is wrong. He didn't order that simple one topping pizza, but rather a nice complicated thing that takes an extra five minutes to make even though we're already super backed up. All the while we're making it, he causes a scene about it not being ready. Now, several things are happening. Employees are annoyed that his order was wrong, I'm annoyed because I know that was what was called in but I'm starting to second guess myself anyway, and customers are edgy because he's making a scene.

It's at least another 10 minutes before that wave has moved on and we can all talk for a second. I'm still upset about the mix-up, but they all laugh it off and say his wife is going to be mad when he gets home and he's changed her order. Feeling better, I face the next wave of people. Lo and behold, who should walk in but Jane Doe? Turns out, that guy never called in an order, but simply took one of her pizzas and jumped the line (he paid for his pizzas, but still). Now we have another unhappy customer, because her food isn't ready even though she took twice as long coming in as she said she would.

So, my question is, what was that guy doing? Did he honestly believe he called in his order and we got it wrong? Did he think he was ordering it right then and not realize he was taking someone's call-in order? Or was he just a jerk working the system to avoid waiting five minutes like everyone else? And even if it was all just a cosmic mix-up, why couldn't he have been polite about it? Some people are always in such a hurry to get where they're going that they forget to be nice to people on their way. Please, smile at people completing a service for you, whether your'e paying them or not. A simple gesture goes a long way, especially when you factor in the snowball effect. :)