I spent 17 years working for Jack in the Box, most of that time as a Store Manager, and most of that time in Aberdeen.

     Aberdeen, Washington…as with anywhere…has a diverse customer base.  The redneck types are offset by the well mannered, cultured folks.  The older people were often accompanied by their grandkids.  The high school crowd loved us.    Fast food’s largest customer base, males ages 18-34 couldn’t get enough Jack in the Box food.

     One summer, staffing was at an all time low.  It was imperative that I get people hired to help bear the workload.  One of my new hires was Ricky, a gangly and awkward young man whose biggest wish was to be the wrestler known as The Rock.   Ricky’s method of communication was riddled with imitations of the smirks and the cocked eyebrow that the famous wrestler was known for.  In his unguarded moments, Ricky was a pretty nice kid.

     Ricky struggled, however, maintaining a helpful and polite demeanor when dealing with the customers.  Ricky often worked the graveyard shift, which was by far the most difficult shift to staff.  It is the shift in which about half of the folks using the drive thru were either fully drunk, or had an open container of alcohol in their vehicle.  Many were belligerent.

     Early one morning, I was in the office working on my inventory and finalizing my weekly numbers when Ricky came in to tell me about a disgruntled customer he had just dealt with.  I was a bit surprised, as he was currently off duty.  He told me that he had been sitting in a booth waiting for his ride home from work.  The customer, who was angry at Ricky for something he had said or done while on duty, went into the restroom with a can of corn and, apparently, a can opener.  The customer opened the can of corn in the restroom and came out and poured the corn over Ricky’s head.

     I wouldn’t have believed it, either…if the evidence hadn’t been there.  Bob, who was my right-hand man, made sure the corn got cleaned up from the booth and the floor so that it wouldn’t create a slip/fall hazard for anyone.  I saw the corn in the trash, after it had been swept up.

     In all my years of customer service, this has got to be the oddest “disgruntled customer” story I have ever heard of.   Aberdeen.  The Wild, wild, west.  ;-)

Free—Breathtaking, mystical photo of WA’s Mount Rainier