Frustrating Friday

Once again, I must complain about Customer Service.

First of all, let me ask you if you are a Cashier or work in some other Customer-oriented type job, do you enjoy it? If not, what are you doing there? Surely in today's anti-social day and age where there are limitless possibilities of making money with online endeavors and with Ebay and Amazon in high gear, you can literally stay home making money and not deal with a soul face-to-face.

That being said, I assume that if I come into your establishment, or a store where you work in a Customer Service position (such as a cashier, attendant, manager etc.) that you are there of your own free will. Yes, I think that you actually applied for your job and choose to wake up and go to it each day. Am I wrong in assuming this?

Even so, I continue to encounter the foulest, "sourpuss" cashiers imaginable.

The girl at the Walmart Neighborhood Market last night couldn't find it in her heart to even cough out a "How are you today?". So, of course I do the "reverse customer service maneuvers", and I extend the olive branch to her only to have it snapped off by her lemon-puss expression and mute state. Oh, wait, obviously she had to have lost her tongue in a disasterous shelf-stocking accident and therefore she can't speak. She's literally mute? How horrendous--I'm such an ass.

Really.

So then, she continues to scan my groceries, and I put them in my basket as she gets done with them. She can barely whisper my Total under her breath. Thank God that they have little digital screens to tell us this because it makes their antisocial job so much easier for them--they don't have to speak... right? So I scroll my debit/credit card through the machine (this is even easier for them so that they don't even have to reach out and get any money from you... even less interaction imposed upon them.

Oh wait, I forgot. She's required to hand me my receipt but that still made no difference. She hands me my receipt with a cold blank zombie-like stare.

It's all up to me again... I say hopefully, "Thanks, you have a good evening."

((silence)) followed by moving sourly along to the next customer.

Me, responding even LOUDER, "...OR DON'T!!!!!!!!!!"

Pissed, I roll the shopping cart away with all my stuff... the little haint didn't even check to see if I was forgetting anything, and go the extra 'inch' to assist me in any way, so I ended up leaving my bag of apples.

When did treating people nice become such a huge inconvenience for you cashiers?

Is it just me that feels this way?

Passing along a smile actually makes you feel better, not worse. Even if you've had a bad day and you don't think you can even hang in there one second longer, you're working for the public. Their business pays your salary. By passing along your sour attitude it really does have an affect on everyone involved.

Things are tough all over, but there are a million people out there that would be happy to have your job and serve me with a smile. So please, go somewhere else and do something that you actually enjoy so that we (the customers) can at least get treated with a little humanity.

Oh and, "Thank you... Have a Nice Day."