Random thoughts about a job in customer service/hideous things customers said

Hello!

So I'm so excited to be near the finish line at work with Spain on the horizon.  I feel very strongly that everyone should have to work in a job like mine or in a retail job when they are young.  Some countries require their citizens to go in the army, and I think we should have our citizens take a turn working customer service.  It'll never happen but I can still wish.  I think this would be beneficial because people make lots of assumptions about those in customer service related jobs and are just downright awful sometimes.  Here are the assumptions that seem to have been made about us:

• We are stupid and unintelligent
• We are not well educated, let alone college educated
• We don't listen
• We don't know what we're doing
• We're out to get our customers
• We don't know what we're selling
• We're super strict about returns/exchanges

Well, I know it is none of my damn business what others think of me (multiple sources have told me this), but it still gets really annoying to feel like I'm fighting stereotypes all the time.  Granted, there are many, many people who call in and are wonderful too.  Probably, I'm creating my own stereotypes of people from what I observe in my customers.  Maybe that's just as bad.  So far the stereotypes I have noted are: New Yorkers are rude, Southerners are kind, Texans and Oklahomans are friendly, Floridans are crotchety, middle aged men are degrading and think they're above everyone else, middle aged women and old men are impatient, East Coasters are in their own little world, folks from New Jersey are either really nice or really rude, New Englanders are chatty, Californians are brisk, and women will gave waaaay TMI.  Of course these are just stereotypes and I've had perfectly nice conversations with people from all 50 states.  I just have stereotypes about people over time.  In general we are very conceited as a culture and would benefit from learning to see the world with a "we're all in this together" attitude instead of a "what's in it for me?" attitude.

To show you about those who are less than wonderful, I will now quote several of the humorous, dumb and ridiculous things that customers have said to me over the course of this job.

"The only thing that is well loved is my women...and your men-because I'm sure you do that"
(In this case I had told a gentleman wanting to return 5 year old pants that his pants seemed to be in bad shape from being well worn and loved).

"You went to college?  Then what are you doing in a job like this?"

"I don't know if my husband wears boxers or boxer briefs.  What's the difference?" (Really, lady?  Just...REALLY?)

"Don't you people realize that Americans are just getting bigger?"
(In response to my reply that we don't carry plus sizes.  I've gotten this complaint several times.  My reply to her comment was that our company wants to encourage a healthy lifestyle...was that bad?)

"I don't care about anyone else's order but my own.  I just want my order in time for Christmas.  I don't care how hard they're working in the warehouse.  What are you people thinking having a company party at the holidays?" (Ok that's a slight paraphrase but those are all points she made)

I know there have been many more but I cannot come up with them off the top of my head.  I'll have to add them in later as they come to me.  I've learned a lot in this job, especially about how to deal with people.  That is a good thing and I appreciate it.