Clowns To The Left Of Me, Jokers To The Right

Taking advantage of my Labor Day off, I took lunch to my husband (who, unfortunately, had to work) and then headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up some supplies for a few projects. I was waiting for an employee to cut some material for me when two women came up and interrupted.

"Excuse me," they said. The employee said nothing; she didn't even look up. I thought that was kind of rude, but it was none of my business, so I just waited while she kept cutting. They tried to get her attention again, and I could tell by her face she was purposely ignoring them (she had that same look most people have when they pass a panhandler on the street -- eyes down, pretending not to hear). After a few more attempts by the customers, she told them tersely, "just a minute." One of the women started to ask a question, and the employee told them again, "just a minute," and the customers upped the rude ante by telling her, "'I'll be with you in a moment.' That's what you're supposed to say." The employee and the customers argued for another minute, with the customers ultimately walking away, saying, "you serve the public, honey."

I thought that was the end of it, but as the employee finished cutting and folding my material, she started muttering, "I hate this job, I hate this job." Despite my best efforts to put on the same panhandler face she'd been wearing a minute before, the employee decided to tell me that she's worked at Hobby Lobby for seven and a half years and hates the job, then explain that she was busy helping me and didn't like customers interrupting to ask her a question. Then she told me that she plans to put in her two weeks notice. I'm not sure whether she was planning this before or if she had just decided. I thought it best not to ask, lest I get myself into an actual conversation. I felt it better just to nod and get the hell out of there.

I'm not sure who to side with here, because the customers were pretty rude, but she was rude first, and I really don't think it's good form to tell a customer "I hate my job." Plus, I really don't think counting to one yard and and cutting in a straight line could be all that difficult that she wouldn't be able to at least look up to acknowledge another customer who has a question. Then again, I wouldn't want to acknowledge any customer who tells me what my job is. I like to see customers standing up for themselves, but I have never so much as raised my voice in a store, and I've certainly never resorted to "you serve the public, honey." So I guess I will side with myself, the innocent bystander, who not only had to listen to the altercation but then had to listen to the employee ranting about the altercation.

I listened to her for as long as I could stand while still being polite, and, as soon as she broke for a breath, I said, "I hope your day gets better" and high-tailed it away from her.

Happy Labor Day to all.