Be forewarned, this is going to be a rant! I try very hard not to vent too much, I'd rather entertain and share fun, funny and interesting things with all my blog buddies. But I read a comment on another blog the other day that really got me worked up. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. One of my very favorite blogs featured a post regarding a hapless sacker at her local grocery store. The poor boy was obviously not having a good day! Our dear blogger wrote a very funny post describing the exchange. I repeat, it was funny but not at all mean spirited or ugly. I dare say that if the young man in question read the post, he would laugh. Before I go any further, I want to clarify that I enjoyed the post and the authors good humor. It was a comment that made me see red. One of the comments left stated that " she got frustrated also, but then she had to remember WHO was working at such places as the grocery store, restaurants, etc." Really? Does anyone else find this as offensive as I do? I do not work in a restaurant or a grocery store. I work in a professional office with highly educated people. But I cannot get over the arrogance of this remark. There are many people (myself included) who may not have had the benefit of a college education. But that certainly does not mean that they are any less intelligent. And believe it or not, there are some people who enjoy working in the service industry. Although, if dealing with attitudes like this is the norm, I can't for the life of me understand why! I get frustrated with incompetent people also, but I assure you that they can be found in ALL walks of life. Have you taken a look at Congress lately? Not to mention our lovely Texas State Legislature. Or perhaps the executive officers of major financial institutions? I have a feeling that this person is the type who never looks her server in the eye when being waited on. Heaven forbid she might actually have a conversation with someone so beneath her standing. It's really a shame, isn't it? You never know what kind of interesting people you might meet on a daily basis, from every background and region. As to WHO is working in "these places", has she checked the state of the economy lately? I promise you, there are plenty of college graduates out there working in restaurants, convenience stores, retail establishments, and just about anywhere they can find employment. I can only hope that this comment was a miserably failed attempt at humor, rather than just "snarky" as my dear daughter would say. I find it unfathomable that anyone could be quite that out of touch with reality. And it also proves my daddy's point that an education does not necessarily make someone less ignorant. I fully expect to get comments regarding my thin skin, etc. Let the arrows fly! My rant is now over, and we will return to our regularly scheduled happy posts next week. Hope everyone has a great weekend. And if you think about it, smile at that waiter or grocery checker. You just might make their day! Hugs to you all, Kathy
14 comments:
I 100% agree with what you said!!
{{HUGS}}
Robin :o)
Kathy I worked retail sales for twenty years! Boy can I ever relate to this. I have too many stories to even count.
I always understand where people are coming from in all types of jobs because I've been there.
Amen my friend!
Have a wonderful weekend.
~Melissa :)
A friend of mine decided to help out at a homeless shelter one Christmas and found two interesting characters waiting to get some food. One was a former university professor, the other one a former successful CEO of a company. It rather goes to show that education is no guarantee, as you so well put it in your 'rant'.
When it comes to intelligence, I recall a rather poignant story of a social science researcher doing a study in a remote tribe in Africa across the desert. His research was on intelligence, his hypothesis was that this tribe would have a lower intelligence.
During his trip, the heat got to him in the desert, and he fainted for lack of water. He would have died had not a village person, who was passing by, dug a water retentive root out of the sandy ground, and revived him. The question is who was more intelligent .... intelligence has nothing to do with accumulating knowledge.
When it comes to this dear hapless person you decribed from that blog, another thought comes to mind. So often situations happen in people's lives which are devastating. That takes so much energy and focus that they are 'absent' mentally on the job and can do incompetent things.
So, bottom line, I totally agree with you .... maybe that commenter had a bad day themselves ... who knows .....
hugs from me too :-))
I quit school in grade 11 to go to work. I am extremely smart, creative, talented, versatile, with a huge amount of common sense.
I worked in a restaurant briefly and was horrible at it. It was very hard work.
I also worked in retail for many years and advised people on many health products, home products and technology items. This is not for the faint of mind.
In my opinion anyone who is trying to earn a living is to be respected. Period.
I am in total agreement. My smart daughter is working at a high end restaurant to make ends meet while she is finishing her college education, as are most of her coworkers. She works her tushy off trying to make the dining experience a very pleasant one for all of her customers. She works for $2.10 an hour, yes she knew that going in, but also counts on her tips for going above and beyond the call. When she gets stiffed by people who just spent $75 on lunch, it is really hard for her to understand, how can people be so mean? she asks, I dont know babe, I just dont know. Thanks for your rant maybe it will fall on the "right" ears! Sue
I totally agree Kathy!! My daughter has been a server and is a bartender. She has MANY stories of rude people and some people not tipping at all!! Just a couple weeks ago a man left a $4.00 tip on a $87.00 bill!! What do these people think! Not too much!
Anyway, "Good Rant!!"
I'm back again to say that one of my sons is also a bartender. The minimum wage here in B.C. is closer to $8 per hour quite a difference. Years back our other son delivered pizzas. They have both been stiffed on tips.
Now we have to make up for it and we tip so well at the door and when we are out. Above and beyond because we know how our guys felt. It is getting pretty expensive though. lol.
Oh Kat...I so agree with you! Many people would give their eye teeth to have a job anywhere doing anything in this economy! It's not a matter of WHO works somewhere. We are all just grateful to have a source of income! My daughter worked as a server and on her first night on the job, she had a table with a couple having a fight. She tried to be very nice and smiled...gave them good service. And they left NO tip whatsoever!! That turned her off so much that she soon found another job and never went back to food service. It's hard work and basically unappreciated! Thanks for reminding us all to be nice to everyone we encounter in the working world. You never know what kinds of circumstances have lead them to where they are...or may lead us in a different direction ourselves!...hugs...Debbie
Bravo Kat for speaking your mind and I could not agree with you more. I too read that particular blog and found the comment to be disgusting. Your dear father is so right and my mother use to always tell me that you cannot buy class! Love ya,
Pat
Hear hear!! My two lovely, generous, considerate sons both work in a supermarket here in the UK. They needed work after school, weren't really sure what they wanted to do and already had weekend jobs there. Some of the people that they describe really aren't fit to clean their shoes, we must all remember that those WHO shop in stores wouldn't be able to if nobody worked there! Rant on!
I so agree with you! Rant on! laurie
Thank you for speaking up and ranting. I love your daughter's word - snarky - because that completely describes mean spirited words. Great post. I'm new to your blog and I'm "this" close to being an empty nester myself.
Hi Kathy, thanks for ranting! Before I became a graphic designer I worked in the restaurant industry. I eventually went into management, but I fought it for many years. Why? Because I loved being a server! I spent most of my career, and yes for me it was career, working in California. I worked in the county of Los Angeles and most of my peers were actors or musicians, so the culture was different there than in most other places. Once in a while, I would get someone who thought they were "better" than me. I laughed all the way to the bank, I made great money in those days, probably more than most of them and I only had to work about 25 hours a week.
With that said though, there are many people who work two and three jobs at low wages to be able to support their families. They didn't have the benefit of an education and they do what they have to. They deserve our respect more than the CEO who used his/her education to bilk people out of their life savings.
Be sure to visit me on Outdoor Wednesday, I have something special for you!
I don't care what kind of job a person has -- everyone deserves to be treated with respect. In fact, I've met lots of people who are "just" janitors or waiters or grocery baggers who are far more deserving of respect than some of the "professional" morons I've had the displeasure of working with!!
Kelly
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