I was working at a restaurant years ago. A woman came in and made like we were

[applegrove]

old friends. She started chatting me up. At some point she made a statement that made me think she was racist. Thing is I have conduction aphasia and cannot hear and think at the same time. She kept talking. Since she was a customer I kept listening. I know I should have gotten curt right then and there. But I'm a sucker. I have a hard time not being pleasant to people. What should I have said or done? What would you do? She came back and I was pleasant to her one more time I think. I have a problem being a polyanna I know. But how would you have handled it?

[Warpy]

1. If you were working there, you were being paid to be civil

I had to be civil to a lot of assholes when I was a nurse.

You handled it correctly, civilly and professionally.

If you see her outside of your workplace, ream her a new asshole from me.

[applegrove]

2. Thank you. That incident came flooding back to me this past week. I feel so guilty obviously.

I wish I wasn't such a soft touch.

[TheMadMonk]

4. Ah, no. Because that would make it workplace connected.

Now if you meet such a person and they make fresh racist utterances in your presence, deck'em.

In a public facing workplace, casual racism is going to be a given. No choice but to ignore it.

Blatant overt racist commentary on the other hand, take to the manager and if they don't make the call to ask the customer to leave, start looking for another job.

[safeinOhio]

3. It cost nothing to be nice.

The ruder a customer is to me, the nicer I get. Drives em freaking nuts too.

[ObamaFTW2012]

5. I believe in being nice

to everyone - saying, "thank you", and "you're welcome", holding doors open, etc. I try to be polite, but sometimes people are just such inexcusable assholes that I can't bite my tongue. I'll make a shitty comment in response to their offensiveness, and then walk away.

People who park in handicapped spots are the worst. My friend's mom has MS, and she has great difficulty in walking. Inconsiderate people park in the H spots, forcing her to park far away and walk painfully to get to the store. When I see cars parked in H spots, without a hangtag or H plate, I make it a point to call it in and/or remind the car's owner how selfish, inconsiderate, and lazy they are.

[Glassunion]

6. You almost did everything right...

You were supposed to be nice. You handled that well.

You should have spit in her soup however and delivered it with a smile.