This is just downright horrible.
Facebook user Olin Ovlac shared a now-viral video yesterday of three angry customers berating a female Pizza Hut service crew member at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Ovlac shared that he was there yesterday to watch the Magic on Ice Christmas show when he passed by the Pizza Hut stall inside the venue before the 6pm ice skating performance.
He told Coconuts Manila through a Facebook message that the elderly woman in the video wanted to buy popcorn from the Pizza Hut stall but the staff member, identified as Rocel Salazar, directed the woman to the popcorn stall next to her instead.
“The old woman got angry because there was a customer behind her that bought pizza from the service member’s stall. The woman angrily told her (Salazar) that she’s been in line longer but the other customer got to buy [an item] before her.
“The staff member explained that the transaction for Pizza Hut and Snaxx [Popcorn] were different,” he stated.
The woman’s husband then went to Salazar’s stall to buy bottled water, Ovlac shared with Coconuts. He said that Salazar told the elderly man that the bottled water’s lid needed to be taken off because it was not allowed inside the [Araneta] Coliseum.
“The elderly man wouldn’t take off the [bottled water’s] cap and that’s when the fight started,” he told Coconuts.
“I felt so bad for the service crew [member] because she [already] explained to the customer that it was part of their (Araneta Coliseum’s) policy to take off the mineral water’s cap for safety purposes,” he said in the post in Filipino.
“The couple’s daughter was [turning] red. She told the crew member that she was rude and threw a hotdog on a bun at her. Of course, the crew member had had enough and threw it back,” he added.
He added that he took the video after the alleged food-throwing incident already.
In the video, viewers can see the elderly couple pointing fingers at Salazar as they gang up on the staff member. Their daughter also says to her: “You’re an idiot, you’re the one in the wrong.”
As Salazar tries to air her side, the daughter goes: “And you’re the one mad? Why are you raising your voice?”
Salazar replies, in tears, “I’m not mad, ma’am.”
Ovlac says in the post that he hopes people will be more understanding.
He said: “The customer’s not always right. Sales [representatives] also get tired. Just try to understand. Don’t curse them.”
He added that even if Salazar had been crying, she still sold pizzas to customers. “I wanted to hug her. I feel like she was helplessly bullied.
The video had over 1.9million views, 19,000 likes, and 35,000 shares as of this article’s posting. Netizens thought the customers were too much.
Rhaz Basa said: “Respect really doesn’t come with age, it’s the personality of someone. If someone’s older than you but is as rude as that, that’s just not acceptable. Those elders are acting like they didn’t learn anything for the duration of their lives in the world.”
Jerameel Vicente Termulo wrote: “‘Many people are educated but few are well mannered.'”
Raymond Bongcaras Garcia shared that he too was a service crew member before.
“In all honesty, our work is hard and never should be treated as if you or the customer is always right. Secondly, you don’t have the right to throw profanity to (sic) us – you never give (sic) us [a] single [centavo] and never been (sic) our boss,” he said.
“Please respect and give us your understanding of how we should serve you by abiding with our policies and standard operating procedures.”
Gino Paulo Areglado asked: “Is it their first time to buy bottled water in Araneta? Because ever since 2003, they’ve been upholding [that rule] already.”
Coconuts Manila has reached out to Salazar for further comment but she has yet to respond.
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