Bad attitudes and random acts of kindness
The only reason I am relaying this part of the story is to provide a bit of background. I prefer acts like this be subtle and details kept only between the parties involved, but to set the scene I need to illuminate more than I like. Mrs. Grumpy and I were making our monthly trek to the grocery store, the bigger Publix up on Busch because it has a broader selection than the one here in Seminole Heights. As such, we have quite the load to place on the belt. There was a young couple in line in front of us. I was occupied with transferring items so I didn't get all the details of their plight, but it seems that their credit card was declined. They did not have cash to complete the transaction and the young man dashed out to the car, I reckon to find the rest. The cashier had already finalized the register and it was awaiting a credit card or something and he was unfamiliar with how to back out of it. All the goods had already been bagged and placed in the cart. Mrs. Grumpy decided to pay for the order. The cashier then proceeded to blurt in a smart-ass tone "Well, you must have plenty of money." How rude! First, what business is it of his, and why did he feel necessary to inject such negativity to this situation? He then cursed several times under his breath while manipulating the register. This is what I can't figure out. Why would a person who seems to have such disdain for people work at a job that requires constant interaction with other people. I will be the first to admit that I am not the most people-friendly person(They don't call me Grumpy for nothing), so I would never choose to work in a field where I need to deal with strangers all the time. I can understand having the occasional bad day, but when we spoke to the manager, it was apparent that this wasn't the first time. I wish this was an isolated event, but bad attitudes are permeating society. From restaurants to retail, from doctors to driving. I guess it sounds funny, Grumpy complaining about bad attitudes, but being grumpy isn't the same as being rude. Anyhow, I reckon the manager is going to coach the young man, and maybe he can learn from this. The young couple did give us some cash just before we were leaving the store. They were only short eight dollars. I reckon we had plenty of money.
posted by Grumpy at 3/05/2007 09:26:00 AM
3 Comments:
I have noticed quite a few comments from grocery cashiers and baggers at another area publix that I did not really appreciate. There is a line to be drawn between being friendly with a customer and being too personal or actually rude. I can excuse some of these employees since they are obviously mentally challenged to a certain degree, but others are just plain ignorant of what is acceptable to say to a stranger and what is not. I think publix needs to address this by training these folks before letting them loose on their customers. I am sure your act of kindness was appreciated. This reminds me of a quote by a noted millionaire philanthropist: When you die, you only take with you that which you have given away.
I love it when the cashier comments on the contents in my cart.
One time I had a lot of vegetables and low fat items and the cashier said "oh dieting" as if normally I eat unhealthy foods.
It made me self-conscience and uncomfortable.
I had a friend who was a little portly and was wearing this free flowing hippy dress; the cashier assumed she was pregnant and totally belittled her for purchasing beer. The cashier told her she was what was wrong with society and she should be ashamed of herself. It brought her to tears.
And it took everything to get the manager to apologize.
The positive outcome was that my friend was so hurt that she changed her lifestlye and lost 50lbs.
Small talk from cashiers is certainly appreciated, commentary such as you mentioned is inappropriate no matter how well-meaning the intent. I would say I might welcome a suggestion, say if I was buying brand X and brand Y was on sale or maybe a warning the Brand X might not be as reliable or something to that effect, but a person passing judgment like that is nothing short of RUDE. What I can't figure out is how these folks get so far in life without learning basic courtesy. Most of the time these are not 16-year-olds just learning the ropes, these are folks old enough to know better. The other thing is why are they taking jobs where their primary responsibility is interacting with folks. With their demeanor they can't be happy doing the job. I was always taught to find a job that makes you at least more happy than not and the money will come. Life's too short to carry around all that anger for such a big part of most folk's day. While the outcome of your anecdote was positive, I fear that someone might use that as justification to be rude again. It seems that tact is a dying art. Sorry for rambling.
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