第八章 生气的顾客

One Wednesday afternoon, Wang Jie went out on business, and Lucas was alone in the shop.

The shop wasn't too busy, only a few customers. Lucas was sorting cups while humming a song.

Suddenly, a man's voice rang out in front of the counter:

"Where's my milk tea?! I've been waiting almost twenty minutes!"

Lucas was startled and the cup in his hand almost fell to the floor.

He hurried over and said, "I'm sorry... What did you order..."

"A pearl milk tea with less sugar!" the man said with a bad expression, "I've asked several times, and every time you say 'coming right up' – how long is 'right up'?!"

Lucas lowered his head to look through the orders, flipping back and forth, his heart growing more and more panicked.

It's over – he seemed to have missed this order.

His palms started to sweat, and at this moment he was the only one in the shop.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered what Wang Jie had said: "When you meet an angry customer, apologize first, then solve the problem."

He took a deep breath and stood up straight.

"I'm really sorry, I missed your order." He tried to say each word clearly, "I'll make it right away. This cup is on the house, is that okay?"

The man didn't expect this answer and was stunned for a moment.

"I'm in a hurry to pick up my child." The man's tone softened. "Just be quick."

"Okay, right away!" Lucas turned to make the milk tea, and his hands became much steadier.

Soon a cup of milk tea was made. He added an extra portion of pearls and handed it over.

"Here is your milk tea. I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting."

The man took the milk tea, gave him a look, nodded, and left.

After the customer left, Lucas leaned against the counter and let out a long sigh of relief.

That one minute just now was harder than the weekend rush.

He thought about that man: he said he needed to pick up his child. Maybe the child was waiting at the school gate, and he was afraid of being late, so he was so anxious.

Many times, customers get angry not because they dislike you, but because they are pressed for time and anxious inside.

Understanding this point, Lucas knew that his job was ordinary but still needed to be taken seriously.

Wang Jie came back and asked him, "How was the afternoon?"

"A customer got angry." Lucas said.

"Oh?" Wang Jie looked at him. "And then?"

"I apologized, remade a cup, and even added an extra portion of pearls." Lucas said.

"Didn't the person say anything more?"

"No." Lucas said. "He said he was in a hurry to pick up his child and left."

Wang Jie smiled: "Well done, Lucas, you can handle it on your own now."

Lucas scratched his head and smiled.

At night, lying in bed, he thought about the day's events. In the past, because he worried about his Chinese, he was always afraid to talk to people.

Until today, he had handled a customer's emotions on his own, without worrying about Chinese language issues.

Lucas realized that it was his own worry that had been holding him back.