People With Zero Respect For Service Workers Often Say 6 Rude Phrases To Them Regularly
MDV Edwards | Shutterstock Watching for differences between how people treat those with a lot of power and how they treat service workers has become a social litmus test for judging someone’s character.
No one’s value is dependent on their job title, but that doesn’t stop a lot of people from acting like it is. Anyone who thinks service workers are beneath them has no problem letting their true feelings show when they talk to them.
People say these rude phrases to service workers when they have no respect for them:
1. ‘Do you know what you’re doing?’
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Chances are, a rude customer wouldn’t want someone to show up at their workplace and question their ability to do their job, but that doesn’t stop them from doing that to service workers.
This puts those workers in a really awkward position because they’re forced to be around mean people that make them feel terrible without having any real choice in the matter. But one person’s frustration certainly doesn’t mean they’re incompetent.
2. ‘It’s not that hard’
People tend to think jobs in the service industry are pretty simple, but it wouldn’t feel that way if they were to step in and take over.
It’s pretty common for people to think they’re more skilled than they actually are, especially when they aren’t very self-aware. That means someone who thinks they could easily handle a service job is probably wrong and low on emotional intelligence.
3. ‘I want to speak to your manager’
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Asking for a manager has turned into a joke that we all associate with the Karens of the world, but it really does happen pretty frequently. It’s not hard to see why that would be demeaning for a service worker who’s truly doing the best they can to help a customer.
There are times when things go so wrong that someone really does need to talk to the manager. It seems like a lot of people have forgotten it’s best to do that when it’s absolutely necessary and not just when they want to make a frivolous complaint, though.
4. ‘Is this how you treat your loyal customers?’
This phrase is annoying on multiple levels. First, it’s used when someone wants to distinguish themselves as better than all of the other customers for reasons that are probably unknown to the worker. It also sends the message that they’re way more important than the worker, too.
If someone really is putting themselves on that kind of pedestal, it’s entirely possible that they’re dealing with a superiority complex. This will make them think that they’re way better than everyone else, and that they have the right to make that obvious in the way they communicate.
5. ‘I can’t believe I’m paying for this’
It’s pretty clear that anyone who says this is just complaining, whether they have a good reason to or not. Complaining isn’t always a bad thing, but it turns toxic when someone uses it to boost their own ego while putting someone else down.
There are very few situations where it would be acceptable for someone to say they shouldn’t be charged for a service, and even fewer when they would get what they wanted. This is nothing more than an insult that’s meant to tear someone down who’s just doing their job.
6. ‘Maybe you aren’t the right person for this job’
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Anyone who’s a rational thinker can see why this phrase crosses so many lines, but someone who’s willing to critique a service worker’s performance like that probably isn’t super rational to begin with.
People naturally want someone to blame when they’re upset. They often direct that negativity at service workers who can’t really stand up for themselves. It’s really unfair, and should serve as a reminder that we all need to work harder to keep our emotions in check.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
