Wow! It's been a long time since I've posted, but I have returned from my holiday!
The most useful phrase I learnt whilst being away, was the Hungarian for "I don't understand". Strangely appropriate therefore, that when I return to work I witness the funniest misunderstanding I've seen in quite some time.
2 receptionists are due on duty as we have a lot of check-outs, but one of them has called in sick. As a result, I am staying on for a couple of hours just to cover the peak departure time and relieve some of the pressure from the remaining receptionist.
I have just finished up on reception, and am in the lobby telling a guest who has just checked out that her taxi has arrived. The morning duty manager, who has only just arrived on shift and has not been informed of our sick receptionist or my continued presence, walks over and says, jokingly I might add;-
"What are you still doing here? Go home!"
The guest I am speaking with turns and looks at her appalled, till I address the guest with;-
"Oh, don't worry, she's speaking to me, not you!"
I don't think I will ever forget the look of embarrassment on our duty manager's face as she realised what she had just done. Priceless.
P.S. Hungary was lovely, people all very nice, but bloody freezing!
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5 comments:
*Grins*
Things like that always make me chuckle.
Along similar lines, I read in one of those "Senior Moments" letter pages in some magazine about a woman who has a husband who constantly never listens, and wanders off whilst they are in the supermarket doing their shopping.
She said that one day, she was so fed up with him, she grabbed his arm, dragged him over to their trolley, and proceeded to give him a dressing down.
Apparently, it was only after a few minutes that she suddenly realised the man she'd grabbed was a total stranger and not her husband!
Oh, and what is the Hungarian for "I don't understand", by the way?
nice hahahaha
Sometimes I don't think that customers expect staff to have a laugh with each other. Where I work there is a lot of banter going back and forth between the various departments and sometimes the customers look appalled!
I think you have to judge the customers in front of you. Some of them really don't like seeing staff being informal, but some like it as it makes the atmosphere less stuffy.
For example, whilst on reception I playfully flirt with the receptionists, no matter how attractive or ugly they are, and I even do it slightly with the male staff. Again though, you need to be very careful which guests you do it in front of!
Oh, and the Hungarian for "I don't understand" is 'nem ertem'. There's an accent in there somewhere...
yes,there is :nem értem
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