To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here
Monday, January 29, 2007
Impatient People Annoy Me
I was in the grocery store today, and the shortest check-out line only had one person in it. I got in line just as the checker started her stash. It was a big stash of munchies- someone's going to have a big party this weekend, from the looks of it.
Within a minute or so of me getting in line, a guy gets into line behind me. The checker is still going to town on the previous cart'o'goodies, but she had to stop every now and then to bag up what she'd wrung up so far (there weren't any baggers to be found). We're standing there a few minutes, and the guy behind me goes and finds someone to ask for a bagger to help the checker. There weren't any.
About 10 minutes or so, the guy behind me pulls out his cell phone, and I can only presume that he called the grocery store's corporate office because his call started with, "Hello, I'm at your Cedar Park store, and I've been in line over half an hour."
So, I'm standing there, patiently watching this poor checker scan and bag close to $400 in groceries (why the lady in front of me couldn't help bag is beyond me- maybe she doesn't know how), and listening to this bozo lying through his teeth about how long he'd been in line and how much he spends at the store every week and how his kids would be out of school in a few minutes and he'd be late (if they got out of school at that time, they're in middle school or high school and wouldn't be traumatized by a few minutes' delay in the oh-so-frigid 50 degree weather). He also claimed loudly that he spends a lot of money at this store, and if this was the kind of service he was going to get, he's just going to go to the more expensive store on the other side of town. And so on... and so on...
I just stood there, biting my tongue. I didn't want to get into it with this moron. I'm still not feeling 100%, and I had a headache, and I wouldn't have been my chipper self if I'd opened my mouth. Turning around and saying, "you lying sack of #*$&" probably wouldn't have gotten me far, anyway. Instead, when it was my turn, I paid for my items with a big smile, said "thanks" and when the poor checker said, "sorry about the delay," I responded, "No problem, it wasn't your fault. You're doing a great job." And then I went straight to customer service.
I asked to speak with a manager. I had to wait a couple of minutes. Not a problem, I'll wait for this. When the manager came by, I explained to him what happened, and said that I wanted him to know, in case he got a call from corporate, that the guy was exaggerating more than a little, and that (insert name of checker here) was doing a wonderful job and should be praised, not reprimanded for her job today.
He just stood there, stunned, for a moment. "Thank you, ma'am." "You're welcome. It was my pleasure."
There's a little part of me that wishes I'd turned around and told the jerk to shut up. The grocery store is always busy at that time of day. If he was in such a hurry, he should have planned better.
Then again, I hope he does start going to the other store- their service stinks.
Within a minute or so of me getting in line, a guy gets into line behind me. The checker is still going to town on the previous cart'o'goodies, but she had to stop every now and then to bag up what she'd wrung up so far (there weren't any baggers to be found). We're standing there a few minutes, and the guy behind me goes and finds someone to ask for a bagger to help the checker. There weren't any.
About 10 minutes or so, the guy behind me pulls out his cell phone, and I can only presume that he called the grocery store's corporate office because his call started with, "Hello, I'm at your Cedar Park store, and I've been in line over half an hour."
So, I'm standing there, patiently watching this poor checker scan and bag close to $400 in groceries (why the lady in front of me couldn't help bag is beyond me- maybe she doesn't know how), and listening to this bozo lying through his teeth about how long he'd been in line and how much he spends at the store every week and how his kids would be out of school in a few minutes and he'd be late (if they got out of school at that time, they're in middle school or high school and wouldn't be traumatized by a few minutes' delay in the oh-so-frigid 50 degree weather). He also claimed loudly that he spends a lot of money at this store, and if this was the kind of service he was going to get, he's just going to go to the more expensive store on the other side of town. And so on... and so on...
I just stood there, biting my tongue. I didn't want to get into it with this moron. I'm still not feeling 100%, and I had a headache, and I wouldn't have been my chipper self if I'd opened my mouth. Turning around and saying, "you lying sack of #*$&" probably wouldn't have gotten me far, anyway. Instead, when it was my turn, I paid for my items with a big smile, said "thanks" and when the poor checker said, "sorry about the delay," I responded, "No problem, it wasn't your fault. You're doing a great job." And then I went straight to customer service.
I asked to speak with a manager. I had to wait a couple of minutes. Not a problem, I'll wait for this. When the manager came by, I explained to him what happened, and said that I wanted him to know, in case he got a call from corporate, that the guy was exaggerating more than a little, and that (insert name of checker here) was doing a wonderful job and should be praised, not reprimanded for her job today.
He just stood there, stunned, for a moment. "Thank you, ma'am." "You're welcome. It was my pleasure."
There's a little part of me that wishes I'd turned around and told the jerk to shut up. The grocery store is always busy at that time of day. If he was in such a hurry, he should have planned better.
Then again, I hope he does start going to the other store- their service stinks.
