If there is one thing that I would have thought the pandemic would have taught us is … patience.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always seem to work that way. This is about those who take out their frustrations on those who work the front-lines, and that includes those working behind the plexiglass barriers to ring through and pack our groceries. Maybe it’s more than frustration – maybe it’s a character flaw.
This is to the woman customer who recently reduced a young cashier at Wal-Mart in Port Elgin to tears. The reason? She wasn’t putting the items through as quickly as this woman would have liked.
Did she care that the young cashier had been on her feet since seven o’clock in the morning? Apparently not. Did she care that the young cashier may be working two jobs to survive? Apparently not – as she created a scene yelling at the cashier.
When the manager-supervisor tried to intervene it didn’t work and so the woman was escorted out of the store. Did she apologize? No. In fact, she laughed.
The result however for the cashier was that she had to go home as she was so upset.
According to staff, they receive this kind of treatment from at least thirty per cent of customers and this store is not alone.
We have heard this kind of thing appears to be happening more and more in local businesses. Why? That’s the question. Is the pandemic over? NO. Do we stop appreciating those who have continued to work through this trying time? NO – or we should not. So … what is the answer?
One staffer said that it seems as though those who are now double-vaccinated are behaving as though they are more important than others. “They want what they want and immediately,” said one staff. “When we say that we unable to get a certain item, they become angry and take it out on us as though it’s our personal decision.”
Perhaps, there should be a sign at each cashier station that reads “please treat me like you want to be treated” or at the entrance to the stores “please treat our staff they way you would like to be treated”.
Come on people … you know the old saying … walk a mile in someone shoes. Everyone is trying to do their best.
By the way, it was determined that the Wal-Mart woman was not a local resident.
