Don't hate me because you hate your job...

" I do not like work even when someone else does it."
: Mark Twain

After working out at lunch, I decided that I was going to go for a Pita to ease my lunchtime hunger... its fast, its fresh, its healthy... you really cant go wrong...

So I stroll down the street to a local shop called "The Pita Pit", a place I have frequented many times before... normally, the staff is courteous and relatively friendly... even though they all have the outward appearance of overly-pierced, angst-ridden, non-conformist adolescents.

Today was vastly different...

After entering the shop, I stroll up to the counter, and proceed to order a "Club Pita", but not even 2.5 seconds later I change my mind and say, "No, sorry, make that a "Chicken Caesar Pita"... without even looking up or acknowledging my existence, the lackey at the till, sighs, punches some keys on the till, which makes it beep in error... then she proceeds to shut it off (and odd choice I think, considering there is a big old button that says CLEAR... but what do I know?), and as she does this, she looks up at me with disgust, sighs and rolls her eyes at me...

I was a little taken back by this blatant rudeness, but I was snapped out of it when she said, in a monotone voice of obvious displeasure, "That'll be $6.49"...

... I know what you're thinking... $6.49 for a pita? I often think the same thing... I'm pretty sure I could make them for around $1.34 each... but hey, time is money...

anyway, she didn't let me finish before she totaled everything up, as I also wanted a diet coke, so I said, "Oh, uh sorry, could I get a Diet Coke too please?"... now at this point, she has clearly had enough of me, as she has to go through the whole production again (with the beeping, the shutting off of the till, the sighing and the eye-rolling)... so, in an effort to diffuse this situation with comedy I say... "Jeez, could I have made this order any harder for you?"

Now, my comment was obviously meant to put the blame unto myself, but this multi-pierced malcontent again didn't even look up or acknowledge my presence and simply said (with another sigh) "$8.64"...

I have never felt the need to berate or challenge someone in the service/retail industry for their rudeness until that moment... I mean, I am a 28yr old man, who am I to be lecturing 18yr old punks? I can see my Dad doing something like that, but not me... does this mean I am slowly turning into my Dad?

God help me...

Anyway, I fought back the urge to say something to Bitchy McBitcherson, and simply moved along to get my pita... but I couldn't help thinking to myself, how can someone knowingly be that rude to someone? I mean, if it were me, and I even tried to be that rude to someone (on purpose), I would feel bad about it... maybe, its just me... maybe its just her...

Regardless, as I walked out of that shop with my CLUB Pita... yes, they screwed up my order any-damn-way... my final thought to myself was, "don't be pissy to me just because you hate your dead-end low-paying job..."

I felt good about that comment as I walked back to the office, but now, as I type it... I feel like a prick... See? I cant even be non-verbally rude to someone without feeling bad...

Maybe I just don't have it in me... maybe its because its Christmas... who knows...

All I know is that next time I go in there... I am sooo going to be rude to her... on purpose! -- No I wont... who am I kidding?