An epidemic is spreading...

I was flipping through my recorded shows on tv and noticed an episode on Dr. Phil called the "rudeness epidemic." I didn't get a chance to watch it because my eyelids were drooping, but I've experienced it first hand lately. I'm not so sure what's wrong with Americans these days. Is the economic crisis making people less patient and more rude, or what? The other night I was at Walmart exchanging something. There were six people behind me and about the same number in front of me...and one anxiety-ridden clerk. I don't think it was the number of people that was stressing her out...I think it was the loud-mouth behind me who had to remind every one in the vicinity every ten seconds that there was only one clerk and a million people in line...and how Walmart just doesn't care about customers anymore. She was annoying and I wanted to smack her, but I dug my nose deeper into a People magazine and tried my best to tune her out.

A few days later I was at Old Navy....it was my lunch hour and the store was packed. I could hear the lady behind me making grunting noises as we waited...FIVE minutes or so...to check out. I began to wonder if it was really a human behind me...or perhaps, a raging bull. But sure enough...it was a woman and when it was her turn to check out the cashier asked her, "How are you, mam?" And she responded with, "Not so good. Why do you all only have four cashiers open when there's so many people? I don't know why "you people" want to make your customers mad. It makes me not want to spend any money here" (apparently it didn't make her want to NOT spend money that badly because she had a heap of clothes she was buying) The cashier who was helping her was really nice and he just said sorry meekly. But my cashier spoke up and told her that a lot of people called in...(afterall, it was Friday of Spring Break and the weather was a gorgeous 75 degrees that day)...and they were doing their best with the staff they had. The ladies response was...silence with a deathly glare.

Two words...chill the hell out. Okay, maybe that's four words. I know it's annoying to wait, but what is grumbling and being rude to employees who have no control of the situation gonna do about it? Nothing. Everyone's stressed during these tough economic times...Employers keep less employees on staff...and employees have to deal with more b.s....so just take a minute to be a bit understanding and less rude. Do your part to stop the epidemic from spreading. ;)