"You're going to cut your fingers off": The customer of the day

[jmowreader]

In comes an elderly couple with their 4-year-old grandson to look at some doors.

Why we don't have cages to put children like this in, I have no idea.

This kid was all over the fucking place. Into racking (including the storm door racks--if you get caught between the back of the rack door and the boxes of storm doors in those bays, you will be crushed). Up ladders. He even started climbing shelves. His grandparents told him to stop repeatedly. I told him to stop repeatedly. His grandparents told him that I told him to stop...repeatedly. Nothing worked.

We eventually wound up by the display of the Andersen gliding patio door. This is an impressive piece of millwork. It is as close to a bank vault door as you can get without actually having to send money to Diebold. And the gliding panel on this unit probably weighs 300 pounds. I know ship weight on the whole unit is around 750. (Because of the incredible balance on this door, you can move it with one finger.)

Anyway, this brat is opening the door all the way and slamming it closed as hard as he can, and his hands are getting real close to the opening...action time. "Hey!" (Kid looks up.) "If you do not stop playing with this door like that, you are going to cut all of your fingers off." (Which, due to the design of the frame, is a definite possibility.)

The kid immediately stopped screwing around. His grandparents were highly pleased.

[MissB]

1. He'll be lucky to live to adulthood.

Doubtful that the parents have anymore sense than the grandparents.

[KitchenWitch]

3. It is not the grandparents' job to discipline the child

They are probably frustrated with this child's lack of discipline.

[China_cat]

4. Bullshit.

If the parents aren't there, whoever is in charge is responsible for the child's behavior. That includes punishment when necessary (and I'm not talking about hitting, but one grandparent could have removed the child from the store, revoked a promised treat or even physically restrained the child)

Oh yes, I said punishment...because discipline and punishment are not synonymous no matter how many people try to use them that way.

[RebelOne]

6. Well, duh, if Mommy and Daddy are not there,

whose job is it?

[KitchenWitch]

9. Both of you misunderstood me

Ultimately it is the parents' job to set standards for behavior. Yes, in the parents' absence it is up to the grandparents to enforce those standards, but it sounded to me like the parents had not set the standards for behavior at all.

[NMMNG]

2. Sometimes it's all in what you say and/or how you say it

Wishy-washy tells the kid you're not serious. Sometimes you have to use a tone and/or language that makes them pay attention. ("Language" doesn't suggest swearing, but realistically letting them know consequences of their actions/using directive language vs. request language)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. From my retail experience...

a lot of the time, kids listen better to employees than to whatever adult their with. Whoever should be in charge of them in usually pleased, although I have seen a few parents get pissed off when we would talk to their out-of-control kid. Once I almost had to kill the parent.

We had a large Japanese vase with bamboo fountain in front of the store with 8 large goldfish. We had those fish for years. Kids were always fascinated with them and the fish were friendly. They'd come up for food and nibble on your fingers and such. So a lot of the time, we'd give the kids a little bit of fish food and let them feed the fish. Kids generally loved the store because of this (well, that combined with the chef handing them tofutti cutie soy ice cream sandwiches). Occaisionally, kids would want to catch the fish though. There were a few kids (between 5-10) out front grabbing the fish and trying to pick them up. I open up the door and yelled, "You can't pick up the fish. You'll hurt them." The kids listened and the mother with them FREAKS out on me. "YOU CAN'T TELL MY KIDS WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO! THEY CAN'T HURT THE FISH! THEY JUST WANT TO PLAY WITH THE FISH!" I responded calmly back, "The fish are the property of the store. As manager, I can tell your kids not to harm the fish." She started yelling about "never coming back. Reporting me to the owner, etc" and she grabbed her kids and left. I don't think she ever complained to the owner (who would have sided with me) and she never came back.

[Deep13]

7. I look forward to seeing him.

I'm an assistant district attorney.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. LOL!

Very good! Short & sweet, and funny!
The Professor