Customer called me useless over a $4 coffee, so I comped it. Coworkers say I should've fought back.
I work mornings at a cafe downtown near the courthouse, and a guy came in Tuesday around 7:45 already mad about something else. He ordered a large drip, took one sip, and said it tasted burnt, then told me I was useless at my job in front of like 6 people in line. I could tell he was having a rough day, so I just said sorry, tossed the cup, poured a fresh pot, and gave it to him free without charging for the first one. He grabbed it, grunted, and left, no thank you, nothing. My shift lead said I let him walk all over me, and two coworkers think I should've told him to leave instead of handing him free stuff after he insulted me. I keep going back and forth on it, because part of me thinks being nice de-escalated it and part of me thinks I just taught him that yelling gets you free drinks. Has anyone here dealt with a customer who insulted you and then still expected to be served? Did you comp it or stand your ground?
Man, it's a $4 coffee. That's it. Dude was rude and that sucks, but you poured a new cup and moved on with your day and the line kept moving. Coworkers acting like you needed to throw hands over a drip coffee need to chill. Some guy being grumpy at 7:45 in the morning isn't worth the drama, and you didn't lose anything but a few cents of coffee.