'Bakery has trust issues': Customer yelled at despite already trying to return tongs he dropped on floor

This bakery customer thought that he was being considerate by returning the tongs he had dropped on the floor.

But he ended up getting yelled at by the staff there, whom he's accusing of having "trust issues".

In a Facebook shared on Wednesday (Feb 15), user Turtle Tan warned of other customers "being the next victim" at a Bakery Cuisine outlet along Upper Paya Lebar Road.

This was after he bought sandwiches there earlier in the morning.

Describing how he accidentally dropped the tongs while picking up bread, Tan said: "I wanted to return it, but [the staff there] was busy serving other customers.

"So, I took a new one and held the dirty one with my other hand to avoid mixing them up."

The customer then claimed that the staff there yelled at him "like he had made a mistake", he said. 

But Tan pointed out that this reaction could have stemmed from her past encounters with other customers.

"She complained that other customers had returned dirty tongs directly to the returning tray area without notifying her," the man said.

'She should improve her attitude' 

Acknowledging the work ethic of the staff and the "delicious" sandwiches, Tan urged those on social media to not boycott the shop.

But the staff's attitude leaves a lot to be desired, the customer said.

"She should improve her attitude and be more courteous to make her customers feel more impressed rather than miserable", he added.

"For customers who accidentally dropped any kitchen tongs, please return to her immediately to avoid yourself becoming the next victim like me."

AsiaOne has contacted Tan and Bakery Cuisine for comment. 

Staff 'insisted she was right' 

In the comments, a netizen said that the staff was emboldened to yell at her customers " because no one scolds and yells at her back".

Tan replied that he had given feedback to the staff, but the latter "insisted she was right".

Several netizens also voiced their criticism towards the staff for her behaviour.

"Same experience here. She also yelled at me because she assumed that I was queuing at the wrong place but I did not," one of them said.

But other netizens felt that Tan should not have aired his grievances with the bakery on social media.

A netizen wrote: "If you ever woke up on the wrong side of the bed, don't go out to affect other people.

"If someone is causing you to be in a bad mood, stop transferring such energy to someone else. This is not fair to the next person."

While Tan agreed with the netizen's remarks, he replied that "it is important for sellers to be professional and courteous" since "they are in the service industry".

"It's important to not assume that all customers are the same," he said.

Customer verbally abused by staff

In another recent dispute, an Old Chang Kee customer was verbally abused by a staff over payment for his food.

Taking to Facebook in January, Shanudin Doi wanted to pay for his food with expiring NS55 credits, and the remaining few cents by cash.

"I was scolded, yelled and screamed at by a worker at Old Chang Kee," he said, adding that he was stunned by her attitude.

While Old Chang Kee later offered a $10 voucher, Shanudin questioned in his Facebook post if "it is worth" for all the trouble he went through.

"Guys, do you think $10 is [enough] to get compensated by their rude staff?" he asked.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries then, Old Chang Kee shared that they have apologised to the customer for the "lapse in service" rendered by the service staff.

ALSO READ: Police called in to Hougang McDonald's outlet after customer shouts at staff about changing his order

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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