Treating Them Im-Parcel-ly Is Only Polite

(I witness a customer exchange at the counter while I am in line.)

Customer: “I’m here to pick up a parcel; here’s the delivery card.”

Clerk: “Sure, I’ll just look that up for you.”

Customer: “By the way, why were you rude to my daughter?”

Clerk: “I… what?”

Customer: “My daughter came in earlier to get this parcel. You were rude to her, and wouldn’t let her pick it up for me.”

Clerk: “I’m sorry. As I explained to her at the time, only the person whose name is on the parcel can take it. We have to do that to prevent fraud.”

Customer: “Her name is on it! Look at the card!”

Clerk: “Um… I’m sorry, but you wrote that in yourself. It’s a different coloured ink, and the handwriting is different.”

Customer: “Are you calling me a liar?”

Clerk: “Look, I’m sorry; only the person whose name is on the card can pick it up. I explained that to your daughter—”

Customer: “You should learn how to speak to people properly, and stop being so rude!”

Clerk: “Um… let me go get your parcel.”

(The clerk is visibly upset as she leaves. Her supervisor comes back with the parcel in question.)

Supervisor: “Here is your parcel. Now, can you see here on the parcel where it has your name on it?”

Customer: “I don’t f****** care whose name is on it! I wanted my daughter to pick it up, and you should have given it to her!”

Supervisor: “That would have been illegal. We can’t just give out parcels because someone says—”

Customer: “I don’t f******* care! Just give me the f******* book to sign!”

(She signs for the parcel and storms out, offering one final pearl of wisdom before going out the door.)

Customer: “You should learn to f******* speak to people more politely, b****!”