Your Patience Must Be Stretched Very Thin

I worked in a deli. This lady came in every couple of weeks for “about $20 worth of very thinly sliced Prosciutto” — her exact words — and she wanted a plastic deli sheet between each paper-thin slice of meat. It took a couple of minutes to do when most customers could be helped in under a minute.

We would prepare it for her while she stared daggers at us. We’d nicely bag it for her, and multiple times in front of the counter (while other customers were waiting) she’d open the bag and check to make sure we didn’t put two slices between a plastic sheet instead of one.

Once she was satisfied, she’d walk away. No thank-you, no acknowledgment of the time it took, and no apologies to the customers waiting while she blocked the counter. She was so rude.

One time, someone “sliced her meat too thick” (after she approved the slice) and she made him do it all over again.