How Not to Act in a Cheese Shop
"I don't know what I want. I usually like Kraft cheese—do you have any of that kind?" Ask this question to Stephanie Vander Weide at artisanal cheese shop Cowgirl Creamery and she will bust your ignorant ass. Not really. But she will be justifiably annoyed.
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9 Comments:
GO Stephanie!!!
...if there is any justice in the afterlife- and I pray there is...
customers like the ones she described, will have to go to a "special hell" to wait on customers who act like total self centered asswipes..for eternity!
bisbee at 5:17PM on 12/11/07
How about asking if Velveeta is made from the milk of Point Reyes cows?
Seriously, visit this cheese shop. You wont be sorry.
LearP at 5:30PM on 12/11/07
Oh my goodness - I just had to read the whole post & was laughing during it - I work at a small gourmet chocolate shop - so doing customer service is a big thing - I just love that aspect - I love chatting with the customers & getting to know them - but seriously - this post is just so hilarious - people will be able to relate.
lizrana at 9:50PM on 12/11/07
Oh my goodness - I just had to read the whole post & was laughing during it - I work at a small gourmet shop - so customer service is a big thing - I just love that aspect - I love chatting with the customers & getting to know them - but seriously - this post is just so hilarious......
lizrana at 9:51PM on 12/11/07
This is one of my favorite things written for the Internet. Ever.
I remember reading it years ago before I even knew Stephanie and crying I was laughing so much. It's even better if you've watched the mayhem that is Cowgirl Creamery on a Saturday.
jen_maiser at 10:31PM on 12/11/07
You know, I understand where she's coming from (I've worked retail for 12 years), but I think when customers ask "dumb" questions, they're really just asking to be educated. Do we have to be intimidated by the cheese shop now, too?
Tellicherry at 10:59AM on 12/12/07
I feel so sorry for this customer. An adult asking for Kraft cheese in a gourmet cheese shop! Is Kraft cheese really cheese, anyway? I mean their American cheese (which I could never figure out to begin with) says "Processed Cheese Food". Sorry, but this is the ONLY cheese for an old-fashioned grileed cheese sandwich! I would have said to this customer in response, "Oh no, we don't carry toxic waste".
RichardCrystal at 1:59PM on 12/12/07
Telliacherry, I'm afraid you misunderstand my complaints. I welcome questions. Please read the piece I linked to where I talked about customers I love, particularly the Curious:
"Cheese is scary. The shop is scary. Sometimes the cheesemongers are scary (I mean, all those weird Cheesemas Carols? What's that about?). Customers understandably feel timourous and trepidacious (is that a word? Fine, then I (tm) it.) when they approach the Barge o' Cheese, slick with sweat (cheese sweat, not ours! God.), and stank with stench. They look around, eyes as round as...well, cheese rounds, and clutch timidly at their big yellow numbers. (The shy ones know to take a number, they just aren't always bold enough to speak up when they're called, the poor dears.) They don't know much about cheese but they're quietly willing to learn, especially when I tell them graphic stories about how classic, real, British cheddar is made or what turns cheese orange. They love it, they buy it, and they smile when they leave the store."
And also, the Challengers: "They come to me with terribly delicious conundrums. What cheeses to pair with Mint Juleps or Laphroaig, or which cheeses would melt wonderfully well on a grilled sandwich? That second one seems like a gimme until you consider that the sandwich will also contain...PICKLED CUCUMBERS! I love these cheesy challenges because I don't often get them. It's more like, what cheese is good in a salad, or pasta, or fondue, or for appetizers? There's nothing wrong with those questions, of course, but I get into a rut with them and don't exercise my little cheese cells nearly enough."
Aventinus at 11:11PM on 12/12/07
Thanks, Aventinus. I'm afraid I had not read the other article.
Tellicherry at 6:49AM on 12/13/07