The Rude Hamptons - Tales of People Behaving Badly In Long Island’s Summer Playground

On a snowy December morning I rushed to The Emporium in Sag Harbor to get a part for a failed toilet. The store had not opened on time and I had to wait outside with other customers.

I was looking in the plumbing department for the needed part and noticed that the help was carefully avoiding offering to help me. I continued my search and heard from behind me one of the young gentlemen employed there saying loudly, “I’m going for coffee” then refering to me in the other aisle he said, “watch him,” like I was some kind of potential thief.

After he left I found the part I was looking for and went to pay. A teenage boy was at the counter with an embarrassed look on his face and I said to him, “I was offended by the comment ‘watch him’ when he should have said ‘can I help you?’”

This group of youthful employees are rude and have an “attitude” when it comes to being helped. This is not the first time I have observed this in this store. In all fairness, I must say that another employee did go out of his way to help me at another time but the general feeling I get in this store is disdain for the customers.

I am an East End retailer and would never treat my customers this way. I grew up in Sag Harbor and I think the young employees of this store need an attitude adjustment. They are not even a shadow of the old Emporium or Barry’s Hardware.

-J

So, I decided to get out early on Saturday morning to do some yard saling. Me and my sister ran into Noyak Deli in Sag Harbor to get breakfast. We ordered and were just standing around waiting for it to be ready.

A little later, two young college dropout looking guys go up to the counter with five or six cases of beer and start yelling at the cashier because the store doesn’t take ATM Cards and they have no other way of payment.

Me and my sister were actually scared to go get our breakfasts on the counter once they were ready because of how angry these guys were getting.

It’s not the cashier’s fault they don’t take ATM Cards! And it’s not like there’s anything they can do about it. You don’t have money? Sucks for you! Yelling will not make an ATM Machine suddenly appear so chill out and enjoy your vacation in the Hamptons.

- Hannah