Service industry: Misunderstandings with customers

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The service industry is probably one of the worst fields for those of us on the spectrum (due to our social ineptitude). However, due to the service industry's low barriers to entry, a lot of us end up in the service industry.

What are some misunderstandings you've had with customers?

Here's an example of mine: A customer was buying a small item (which most customers wouldn't want a bag for). So I said "You don't want a bag, do you?"

The customer thought I was being rude (and telling her I don't want to bag the item). Really, I was merely making an educated guess (and would have been totally willing to bag it)

I know neurotypical service employees also run into misunderstandings. However, I get the impression we're more likely to run into misunderstandings.

some customers might actually want a bag for a small item..i dont think it was rude to ask if they want a bag i think quite the opposite actually
i have bought a small item before but wanted a bag because i knew i was going to buy more items elsewhere and have a bag to put them in


as a bus driver i like to serve the passengers my own way like if there are a lot of passengers waiting for my bus in the bus station i tell all the pass holders to get on first

i think im the only bus driver that does that and it probably isnt what some the passengers want but its just the way i like to do it

I get a bit irritated by being constantly asked in stores whether I want a receipt. Of course I want a receipt, and it should be the default procedure to issue one. I can only conclude that the current trend is some sort of pointless virtue-signalling sop to environmentalism.

As for buses, one thing that really annoys me is the fact that people are still allowed to buy tickets from the driver in my part of the country. The people who do this probably add at least 25% to most journey times. You can get maybe twenty people aboard a bus in half a minute with contactless payments, whereas one passenger paying with cash can take well over a minute to board, as he or she fiddles around with coins, then the driver sometimes has to issue change before finally printing the ticket.

Some people also ask the driver where the bus goes to, despite the fact that this information is often available at the bus stop or on the front of the bus. The job of the driver, in my opinion, should simply be to drive the bus and get the passengers to their destination with the minimum of delay.

sometimes if passengers are riding a bus route for the first time they like to double check there going to the right destination for reassurance

i do admit cash holds up passengers because a lot dont get their money ready and still have their wallet tucked at the bottom of their bag and they dither about

Do most people use Oyster Cards where you are?

I can't speak for Caz72 obviously, but I have a feeling that Oyster Cards are very much a London thing. I had one for a couple of years, and very impressive it was as well. You only needed to wave it in the general direction of the scanner, and you were cleared for entry to the bus in under a second.

The 'contactless' cards in use where I live aren't so great in comparison. You need to hold them physically on top of the reader for several seconds, and the readers themselves can malfunction on occasion. And of course, as previously mentioned, quite a number of passengers still pay by cash.....

In London they phased out cash payments many years ago, and even though that can still cause the odd problem, it was the right move in my view.