A shout out

I was at Walmart early on Saturday morning and this is what was in front of the customer service counter. 

This is just a fraction of the carts that were there. These are not returns, these are items that people picked up and then left laying throughout the store. Grapes left in hardware. Deodorant next to the mac and cheese. Bug spray in housewares. 

What in the world???

Maybe this just grates on me because I worked at two grocery stores and a department store in high school and I spent hours facing shelves and organizing clothing racks. Or maybe it's because I find this to be rude, indecent human behavior. 

When I worked for the department store I would go into the dressing room to find piles of clothing and swimsuit bottom liners stuck to the wall. Gross beyond gross. Who does that? Sweaters hung up in the bras. Bras in with the jeans. Jeans left in the shoe department. Gum ..... everywhere. People returning clothes they had obviously worn. I once had to process a dress return and it wreaked of B.O. so bad that I almost gagged. And the woman returning it, who also wreaked of B.O., had the gall to claim she'd never worn it. I wanted to call her a liar in front of everyone.

Oddly enough, while I was tending to this stinky woman, a rude woman with two teen daughters started screaming at me from thirty feet away. "Clerk! Clerk! You! Do you hear me talking to you?! You better get over here and help me! Don't you keep me waiting!" Really? Can you not see that I am tending to another customer and I am the only person working this department? It reminded me of a child throwing a temper tantrum. I'd rather deal with a stinky customer over a rude one any day of the week. 

I have had plenty of negative experiences with people who work in retail or in customer service, but today I'm going to give a shout out to all of them! I know they spend their days tolerating the rude, inconsiderate, and sometimes disgusting behavior of others and how frustrating that can be. Shake it off, put a warm smile on your face, have a welcoming greeting for the next customer, and maintain a professional, helpful attitude. Your shift will be over soon and you can sit in your car and scream to let loose the tension of the day. It's a 40-hour week and here's your feel good song!

40 Hour Week - Alabama

http://youtu.be/Kuz8_PP3bqY

There are people in this country who work hard every day 
Not for fame or fortune do they strive 
But the fruits of their labor are worth more than their pay 
And it's time a few of them were recognized 

Hello Detroit auto worker, let me thank you for your time 
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line 
Hello Pittsburgh steel mill worker, let me thank you for your time 
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line 

This is for the one who swings the hammer, driving home the nail 
For the one behind the counter, ringing up the sales 
For the one who fights the fires, the one who brings the mail 
For everyone who works behind the scenes 

You can see them every morning in the factories and the fields 
In the city streets and the quiet country towns 
Working together like spokes inside a wheel 
They keep this country turning around 

Hello Kansas wheat field farmer, let me thank you for your time 
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line 
Hello West Virginia coal miner, let me thank you for your time 
You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line 

This is for the one who drives the big rig, up and down the road 
For the one out in the warehouse, bringing in the load 
For the waitress, the mechanic, the policeman on patrol 
For everyone who works behind the scenes 

With a spirit you can't replace with no machine 
Hello America let me thank you for your time