There's a good possibility that this bothers me because I've worked in retail for a span of six years, or maybe it's the hardships of my two shifts in the food service that still haunt me, but, really...be kind to the people serving you. Seriously.
There's nothing less attractive to me than seeing someone being cruel to anyone else, but it's even more noticeably awful when you're being awful to someone that's serving you. We all recognize the cliché of the rich housewife being terribly cruel to the foreign housekeeper, and, often times in our Western culture, it's played for laughs even though, if we ever actually encountered that sort of cruelty, we would all be very appalled.
I think that everyone who has ever been rude to their waiter should watch the movie "Waiting" just to see the kinds of ridiculously disgusting things that the employees of that restaurant do to people's foods. Serving a restaurant full of people isn't an easy job, and to then have the people you're serving complaining about something not being warm enough, something not arriving soon enough, something no longer being on the menu, it's a lot to take in for such little pay, and the strange thing is that a lot of those waiters and waitresses will then work harder to try to make that customer happy. They will bust their asses in an effort to prove their worth to you, and when they've gone far beyond reasonable expectations to get you what you want, you're probably not even going to tip them.
There's something to be said about the common courtesy of simple manners; you treat other people as you would have them treat you. So, unless you're some form of sadomasochist, you should probably consider being quite a bit kinder to the people surrounding you.
If you're going through a line at the checkout, and you start freaking out because something rang through the computer incorrectly, there's really no point to screaming at the cashier, as they are likely not the one at fault. Just keep your calm, ask to speak to someone that can fix the issue, and don't fly off the handle, because you'll then become a spectacle for the other customers as well.
When I'm out with someone, I'm very careful to try and be on my best behaviour, and it's something that I think I expect from them as well. If the girl I'm out with starts complaining that the service wasn't fast enough for our meal, I start to wonder whether or not I was just so boring that she needed to shovel her food into her face as an excuse for not having to continue our conversation. Yes, it's very possible that she's just hungry, but it makes me think that I've somehow failed her.
When you're dealing with stock personnel in a department store, it's not unreasonable to ask if there's a possibility of more stock being kept in the back if the shelf is empty. It's also reasonable, should the department store be a chain, to ask if they could check to see if there's any stock of that item at one of their other locations. What isn't okay is to get angry with the staff and place blame on them, as the situation is likely not their fault. Odds are I wouldn't take you department store shopping on one of our dates, but, you know, for future reference and what-not, don't act like a monster.
The lesson is just to treat people with the respect that they deserve, as they're working in a position where they're trying to help you. It's difficult to come across as attractive when you're spewing hate upon a stranger.
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