Not Very Closed-Minded, Part 42
Current Events, Germany, Jerk, Library | Right | November 19, 2020
I work at a public library. The DMV has just moved next door due to their office being renovated. Since both they and the library belong to the city administration, we both have the city logo on our front door. This seems to confuse people, and they enter the library while looking for the DMV on a regular basis.
I’ve just closed the front door behind one of our maintenance guys as a woman with the stereotypical entitled look approaches. She stops right in front of the door when they won’t open and starts reading our opening hours, as well as the sign posted saying that you need to call ahead before visiting because of visitor limitations due to the current health crisis.
Foolishly, I think she’ll recognize that we won’t open until almost an hour later, but she spots me and starts knocking on the glass. We usually just point to the opening hours and wait for them to go, but then I remember that my boss told me about a phone call she had earlier that day and that she’s waiting for some kind of inspector, so I open the door.
Woman: “Finally! I need to deregister my car since I’m moving next week.”
Me: “Oh, I’m sorry but this is the wrong building. The DMV is—”
Woman: *Interrupting* “—next door, I know. I’ve just been there. But they gave me this ticket and said it’ll be about an hour wait! Can you believe that? So I wanted to stay here until I can go back and sort this out.”
This isn’t an unreasonable request… if we were already open.
Me: “I’m sorry, but we’re not open for another hour today.”
Woman: “Oh, that’s not a problem. I can stay here, right?”
Me: “Unfortunately, I can’t allow you to be in the building as long as we’re still closed. You’d need to call ahead anyway due to the heal—”
Woman: *Huffs* “Well, where the f*** am I supposed to go, then? I thought this was a library!
Me: “There is a nice café just down the road. Maybe you’d like to wait there?”
Woman: *Huffs again* “How useless. At least you could give me some of those papers to make up for that!”
She gestures to our magazine rack.
Me: “I’m sorry, but those are for loan only. I can’t give them to you if you aren’t a registered member of the library, and especially not for free.”
Woman: “Oh, my God!”
She storms off.
Woman: “How useless!”
I locked the doors behind her and escaped to my office, out of sight from the front door. Well, at least she wore a mask?
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