RUDE AS F***. I saw a young man purchase many items, possibly ten, at the counter. When he went to pay, the young female cashier quoted him the price. Fair. Then he went to pay and just one split second before he put his credit card on the reader, the older male employee behind the counter jumps up--from being on his phone the whole time and chatting nonsense about their day and plans while ignoring customers--and suddenly says in Italian, "Charge him more. That's too cheap." This is not right.
This is unethical. It is illegal.
This young female cashier actually went through each item line by line and calculated everything on a handheld calculator at the register. The young man was startled, the cashier was startled, but the older gentleman employee insisted the customer pay more because "it sounded too little" of a final bill. But the female employee had already meticulously calculated every item and double checked it out loud, on her fingers, in her head, on her calculator, and on the cash register.
The female employee said, "No, it's charged correctly" in Italian. The other employee responded, "Just charge him. He's a tourist. He doesn't know Italian. Don't you hear him speaking English? Dumb American doesn't know better." So she charged him several Euro more. Around 5 Euro.
The young American customer was clearly turned off but he remained polite because what can he do? Argue over 5 Euro? He didn't know what was being said out loud and loudly about him to his face. While the female employee appeared uncomfortable with the transaction and charging him 5 Euro more, the older gentleman--short hair, thin, perhaps in his 40s--went back to playing and tapping on his phone with his head down and ignoring customers who were standing there obviously waiting to be greeted, served, or at least paid attention to. Other customers stood inside the entrance and at the counters for minutes and minutes because these workers, the older employee and others behind the counter, just laughed and chatted about their days and played on their phones right in front of them while they should be working and ignored the new customers who were obviously waiting. Even when the customers said ciao and waved their hands, the employees who were two or three feet away would ignore them.
This is a horrible, inept business who not only ignore customers but actively insult them loudly in Italian. Then they skim off several Euro at each transaction even to customers' faces right before they're about to pay. Rude as f***. Unconscionable.
Who does this? Corrupt, shady, lying businesses, that's who.
If you want to be ignored, insulted, and upcharged many Euros, go to this business. Otherwise there are plenty of other cafes who respect their customers and don't engage in rude, nasty actions like this business. read more