Elaboration on the Rude Christian Customer

[uberreiniger]

I spoke about it briefly on Facebook but I am still very mad about it so here's the full story.

Last night I got called to ring up a customer who in the middle of the transaction blurts out "Are you a Christian?" I wasn't sure I'd even heard him right because even customers in the past who start talking about their faith have never been that direct and confrontational. I ask what he said and he replies "Are you a Christian by faith?"

At this point I was too stunned to make a coherent reply. Dealing with the public takes a lot out of me and I tend to be very non-confrontational at work just so I can function. I manage to tell him that I don't talk about that. His reply was "Well I'M going to talk about it!" And he proceeds too, going off about how he's been "reading about Catholicism and boy it's interesting. It's interesting... Like, is FAITH enough or do you have to DO THINGS to be saved."

I've heard all this before, my whole life. In case you don't know there's a huge prejudice among non-Catholic Christians that Catholics aren't really Christian because they believe good works are an important part of salvation. It's a thing I was raised in and I don't want to hear about it at work.

Then this asshole starts talking about this girl that he's dating and how she's Catholic and how he has "tried to talk about it with her." It's hard to convey, but there was an implication in his speech that he is with this woman so he can convert her.

Talking to this man left me feeling dirty, like being covered with the proverbial slick of oil. I wish I hadn't been so disoriented by him. I wish I would have just told him to stop and that I couldn't discuss this, because really I can't at work. I just wish I reacted more quickly with people and could get my mind around standing up to them.

Comments

[batchix.livejournal.com]

I hate how when you work retail you lose all your rights and dignities. :/

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

It's really starting to wear thin on me. Real thin.

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

That is really annoying and I feel bad that you felt stuck talking to him (though I would too.)

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't have to go into operating a cash register with my mental guard up but apparently I do.

[redstar826.livejournal.com]

I had a few customers try that with me, and once I had a woman get rather angry with me when I didn't answer her question about whether or not I was 'saved' but instead I told her that we weren't supposed to talk about religion with customers. I'm not confrontational at all, but trying to convert people who are essentially captive audiences really pisses me off.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I so wish I had thought to say it at the time. It's never come up with me at work so why would I?

[redstar826.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's hard to think of what to say at the time that it's happening. I've had a few times where I've really wished I would have stood up for myself, but at the time I couldn't think of anything to say

[armageddonriver.livejournal.com]

In reference to redstar's comment, perhaps making the excuse that you're not allowed to talk about politics or religion at work might get some of them off your back?

Other than that, sounds like you could use a could cleansing after that sort of experience. Salt bath, incense... perhaps some melodic Metal in the background... ;)

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

Well I just painted part of the attic while listening to melodic metal. Does that qualify?

[armageddonriver.livejournal.com]

Couldn't hurt!

[punkyami-chan.livejournal.com]

Oh good grief. I have never been one to hide my faith, but I also don't cram it down people's throats and I certainly do not just bring it up for no reason. Sounds like this guy just needed someone to talk at (notice I say not "to" since it's clear he didn't care whether this made you uncomfortable or not) about the idea.

Christians like him really irritate me. It gives those of us who live quiet, introspective lives a very bad name. I wish there were less idiots like that.

I also had a similar experience when I was working in a call center. I had this gentleman on the phone that wanted to know all the ins and outs of his satellite service. He wanted to know how much his bill was and when I explained that I was the installation company and had no access to billing records, he demanded I get on the phone with our parent company and figure it out right away. He was very verbally abusive. When I asked him to please stop swearing at me he demanded to know whether or not I was a Christian. When I very confusingly said, "Sir, my faith, or lack thereof, is of no consequence to this situation," he immediately launched into, "Those WORDS are in YOUR Bible....." I ticked him off even further by being completely calm the entire time. He ended up hanging up on me and then calling and spinning a completely different version of the story to the CSR. Luckily, I had noted the acct and told my supervisor so I didn't get any trouble over the nutjob.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

From now on whenever I want to shut down a conversation I'm going to reply with "Those WORDS are in YOUR Bible!" :)

[punkyami-chan.livejournal.com]

LOL. It is quite effective!

[para-xylene.livejournal.com]

+10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

It is always the dumb asses that make the rest of the 'team' look bad.

[cygny.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I usually don't know what to say when I'm confronted with something by someone. It's strange however that people start talking about religion to a complete stranger, I can't imagine anyone doing that over here (apart from the people who go door to door to spread their faith). *hugs*

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I've rarely ever run into it over here. This was just one of those unfortunate times.

[para-xylene.livejournal.com]

Retail sucks ass. Being a captive audience that has to just nod along with all sorts of crap is incredibly soul-leaching. I hope you can get out of it soon. :< You'll be a much happier person when strangers aren't dumping all their baggage on you. It is like... they just give you all their negative emotions without thinking about what they're doing. I don't understand how people think it is okay to do that to somebody they don't know.

I always seem to get people that want to just bash Mormon beliefs like crazy and expect me to agree with them or laugh along with them when they've no clue the sort of monstrous social gaffe they're making. Sometimes I laugh, but it is more an 'at' than a 'with'.

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I am fortunate in that most people cannot tell my genuinely pleased smile from my indulgent, condescending one.

[lucretiasheart.livejournal.com]

I feel blessed to live in a part of the country that has the lowest Xtians per capita in the entire United States-- I don't get a lot of that here.

But yeah, at work in retail, if anything like this came up I'd be hard pressed to know how to respond. Although I had co-workers start in on some Xtian-prejudice and I would reply that God was so much more than any of us could imagine that I feel disinclined to believe there was only one path to Him. And then walk away quickly!

[uberreiniger.livejournal.com]

I want to stress that this is the first time I can remember something of this exact nature happening to me at work. I don't think most people go out to preach their religion while they shop. I just happened to get the one guy who does.

[lucretiasheart.livejournal.com]

Lucky you, eh?