If Only They Could Monitor Their Own Behavior

(I am in line at a popular electronics store to pick up my laptop I had purchased a few days prior. At this particular store, they advise you to make an appointment to avoid unpredictable wait times.)

Employee: *looking at me* “Hi, ma’am. Do you have an appointment?”

Me: “Yes, my appointment is at 1:30 under [My Name]. I am here to pick up my laptop I purchased the other day.”

Employee: “Okay, thanks. Hold on one moment please and I will go back and get your laptop.”

(An elderly couple walk in each holding a large computer monitor. The couple pushes me aside and sets the monitors on the counter. Not wanting to be rude, I quietly move aside.)

Old Woman: “We’re here to drop off these monitors. They need to be fixed.”

Employee: “Okay, ma’am. Did you have an appointment?”

Old Woman: “An appointment?”

Employee: “Yes, we recommend making appointments to help better serve our customers. It is not required, but recommended because wait times can vary to five minutes to a couple of hours.”

Old Woman: “No, I don’t have an appointment. I just want to drop these things off.”

Employee: “I’d be more than happy to help you, ma’am. However, I was in the middle of assisting another customer. She had an appointment so I have to help her first. You can take a seat over there and the wait time right now is twenty minutes.”

Old Woman: “TWENTY MINUTES?! That won’t do! We have a movie to catch!”

Employee: “I apologize, ma’am, but like I said, I need to assist customers with appointments first. You’re more than welcome to wait twenty minutes or I would be happy to schedule you an appointment for later.”

Old Woman: “That’s ridiculous! I’m not waiting twenty minutes. We already drove all the way here! Can’t I just leave these here with you and pick them up later?”

Employee: “Sorry, ma’am, but I just can’t let you leave these here.”

Old Woman: “Well, can’t I just sign some paper or something saying I’m leaving it here?”

Employee: “Yes, that’s what we require. We also would need to know the issues you are having with the monitors but like I said, I can’t allow you to cut in front of customers with appointments. I was already in the middle of helping this young lady–” *gestures towards me* “–and like I said she has an appointment. So you can either wait or schedule an appointment for later.”

(After watching this go on for a few minutes, I had decided I’d let the elder couple have my appointment as I didn’t have anything else to do that day and twenty minutes really wasn’t long.)

Me: “Excus—” *gets cut off*

Old Woman: “THIS IS RIDICULOUS! F*** THIS! I DIDN’T WANT TO COME TO THIS PIECE OF S*** STORE ANYWAY! [Husband], LET’S GO!”

(She snatches the computer monitor up, still going off and making a scene. Her husband takes the other monitor and without a word, follows his wife. The employee apologizes again to the man who rudely dismisses him.)

Employee: “I’m sorry about that.”

Me: “That’s okay; I work in the restaurant business where I have to deal with customers like that on a daily basis. I was about to just offer her my appointment until she made that big scene and started cursing.”

(Moral of the story: If that woman had handled herself differently and treated others with respect, her computer monitors would be fixed right now.)