Would you like some courtesy with that?

[gardnerhill]

The other day I stopped by a Papa Murphy's Pizza (NOT Papa John's) for one of their marvelous chicken / herb-garlic pies. I'd phoned in the order and when I came in they told me the pizza would be ready in a minute or so (you buy the raw pizza and bake it at home - half the price of a regular takeout pizza). They were making it right now. I said, "

Comments

[cattraine]

Yeah. I cannot help but wonder how many of those rude people realize how good the odds are they end end up with spit (or worse) in their food if they are assholes to food service folk?

[gardnerhill]

I once went to a banquet at a great Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles Chinatown - and unfortunately the organizer of the event was the worst kind of self-important asshole know-it-all white dude who knew Everything about why all the dishes were Wrong and he explained it at length to the waiters, in a confrontational manner. The rest of us, thoroughly enjoying the wonderful food, were horrified and kept trying to let the waiters know that we didn't agree with him and we weren't with him...

My personal favorite argument in favor of offering health insurance is "Three-fourth of all fast-food workers don't get sick time off and come in to work. Which ones handled your food?"

[methylviolet10b]

I've often thought everyone should be required to work a retail, customer-facing job through at least one holiday season at some point in their lives. I think common courtesy would be a lot more common as a result. There's nothing like working through the madness of hordes of holiday shoppers to bring home just how difficult those jobs often are - and how a few basic manners can make everyone's day so much better. (I have to say, though, from my own experience, the wretched, demanding, self-entitled, selfish customers cut across pretty much all income levels - as did the much-treasured awesome, thoughtful, appreciative ones.)

I'm glad you were able to make that man's day a little brighter. :-)

[gardnerhill]

My minimum-wage job helped another way - in a resume, it counter-argued my ritzy home address (I grew up in the 2nd-wealthiest suburb of Los Angeles) to a prospective employer. Three years of minimum-wage dishes immediately let them know I wasn't some snotty rich-bitch whose daddy bought everything for her, and I'd work hard for them.

My sister had to live on food stamps 30 years ago. She now tips like a Vegas big-shot (and taught me to do the same), because she remembers being poor.

[ladyana5]

Oh, yeah. That's why I will never work retail again. (well, unless possible homelessness is a factor and even then...) From being a cashier in a high volume resale shop to selling eyeglasses, the public never ceased to amaze me with their impatience, rudeness, ignorance and self-entitled bullshit. :::hugs-the-job-I-now-love:::

[gardnerhill]

And some of those familes are walking birth-control pills - you hear their screaming at each other, see how haggard the women look (never the men) - and firmly resolve to forget to have kids, EVER.

[ladyana5]

:::nods::: Also how they let the kids act! As a child, I would've been slapped into next week if I'd done 1/4th the crap I've seen what some parents let their kids get away with in a store, public place, etc.

[gardnerhill]

And you KNOW you're in trouble if the kid has a trendy-TV-show name. "Dawson, honey, Mommy doesn't like when you scream for 3 hours straight," "Willow. Willow, come here. Willow. Willow. Willow. Stop that, Willow."

[ladyana5]

...and that's why I don't have kids! Seriously, there are ways to discipline children without corporeal punishment, but I just don't any maternal instincts.(except for animals!)