Ever take a step back and look at the society that we are a part of? I do it everyday. With the wonderful world of employment in the retail industry, I get the pleasure of seeing and experiencing some of the worst examples of human kind. The way society has changed is scary. The way people act is atrocious! I would love it if everyone in the world had the chance to work in retail for, oh lets say a year, just so they are able to experience all walks of life. So they are able to see themselves on the other side of the counter and how they have treated people. It’s a pretty humbling experience.

How many of us have walked into a gas station at the end of a long day. We’re tired and just ready to get home. But you’re not the only person in there, of course. There is a line that you get the pleasure of standing in for what seems like an eternity. Really, it’s only for about a minute but because you have more important things to do, you automatically decide the cashier must be an idiot. By the time you get to the front of the line you are so frustrated that you speak very shortly to her. You barely make eye contact because of your anger. You mumble out your request for $25 in gas on the green car-as if she is psychic, as if she had nothing better to do than watch you pull up to the pump. But that must have been what she was doing, right? I mean with 3 whole people in front of you, surely she hadn’t been doing her job. Just staring out the window, right? When she ask you, what pump you are on, you treat her like an idiot. You storm to the door with exaggerated motion and sarcastically say, on the other side of pump 1. You go back to the register, pay and leave, thankful to be out of there. Well let me tell you something- she’s thankful that you’re gone too! Who the hell are you to take out you bad day on a perfect stranger that you have deemed to be less than you?! Because of her occupation and your yuppie prejudicial ways, she is now trash to you.

Walking into a grocery store, talking on your cell phone. People are greeting you, as they are supposed to do. You ignore them. Employees ask you, is there anything I can help you find? You shrug them off because they are interrupting your conversation with soccer-mom Sally about little Chase almost accomplishing something on his own. “Why, he’s almost 10 now, and well, he deserves a party for nearly completing his homework!” As you stroll through the store aimlessly, you finally realize what you’ve come for. You grab the first person you see wearing a smock and interrupt them, helping another customer by asking, where is the milk? Because she is in the middle of something, she directs you to it. This insults you. You have come to the belief that you deserve hold-my-hand service. You expected her to excuse herself from the customer she was helping to walk you over to the milk case. You listen partially to her directions because the phone is still glued to your ear. After wandering a bit more, you find someone else that appears to be an employee and ask where you can find the milk. He puts down what he was working on and walks you over to the dairy section. By this time, you are finally off of the phone. Realizing that the first person you spoke with didn’t hold your hand all the way over to the milk, an idea begins in your mind. You were dis-serviced by the first employee, she didn’t treat you as if you were royalty. You completely forget why, that she was helping another customer. Your first instinct is to ask to speak to a manager and complain. Your complaint comes out as if you are a skilled customer service representative. You explain the treatment you received from this lazy uncaring employee. You even stress to the manager about how you drive 10 minutes out of your way, that you drive passed their competitors just to come to this store and that you don’t appreciate being treated in such a disrespectful manner. Because of the economy, the manager realizes that they can not afford to lose a single customer. You are given apology after apology. You are offered financial compensation for your treatment by means of a $25 gift card to the store. You laughingly reject the gift card, stating that you just want to make sure that the management is aware of how this employee is acting. You are assured this will not happen again because she will be terminated immediately. You leave feeling redeemed. That no one is going to treat you this way. But before you can even get to your car, you are back on the phone, this time with Beta Club Bonnie. You regale your story to her of how you were treated. How you stood up for yourself and fellow man and did not allow yourself to be stepped on. You both agree that you will never shop there again. But what have you done now? You cost someone their job, their livelihood. And to top it off, you aren’t even going back there and will make sure none of your friends shop there either. Your uppity ways have caused quite a few problems today but none that will reflect on you. You don’t have a clue as to what you just caused.