Grrrr!

I read this Fox News column several weeks ago and I thought, "yeah, what's with people anyway?".
Columnist Mike Straka turned to his keyboard several weeks ago to offer up this rant on recent customer dis-service encounters. I have had several hum-dingers myself recently as I shop in the great metropolis of Ottawa. And as I've been left shaking my head, sometimes visibly, I think, how much can a person be expected to take before the last poor sap just gets an earful. Now, as a Christian, I need to rein in this urge to verbally lash out at incompetence. But seriously, why aren't people being trained in performing even the most basic acts of customer service? Why for instance, when I was attempting to purchase an item at a Canadian retail icon, was the teenager unable to translate my question about the sale price into one of action? Which was namely, call someone who knows something, don't just let me figure this one out on my own. Or the girl at the same store who when asked where a certain product was located, gestured down towards several aisles and gave out a number like a bingo announcer. As my small son and I trudged along, I thought, "I hope she's right, cause if I can't find it, chances are I won't find her again". Now before I get accused of being cynical or worse, pessamistic, just think about the last time you needed assistance in store larger than your bedroom and were completely satisfied with the ease at which you found both your product and it's sales team? It's not as common as we think or we wouldn't be so surprised and grateful when the service is outstanding.
The best places to go I have learned are the smaller, locally owned stores where they actually care if you say you will be back. When we lived in Fredericton, there were several small stores that valued my business and I knew it. Finding places like that have been harder, but I will persevere, if for no other reason than to keep my santification process from being a complete train wreck.