The Weekly Rant with Gary Patella

Thoughts and ideas on various grievances that are relevant to everyday life.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

On Stupid Customers

Whether shopping is a joy or a hassle, it is something that everyone must succumb to at some point. Some people consider shopping a hobby and choose to make a day out of it. Others, such as myself, prefer to be in and out of the store as quickly as possible.
While there have been cases where this quick shopping method has been executed, it is usually not possible. There are two main culprits that delay purchases: cashiers and customers. Sometimes it's the cashier, other times it is the customer, and for those even less fortunate it is a combination of the two.
A reasonable explanation for the slow cashiers was once given to me. A friend of mine claimed that Huxley's Brave New World held the answer. The people were divided into Alphas, Betas, and so forth to Epsilons. This was done because different intelligence levels were required for different positions. His claim was that a very intelligent person (analagous to an Alpha) would not be satisfied with the job, and so an Epsilon is needed. I agree to a point, but I believe that intelligent high school and college students would work as a cashier and should be given preference.
But the cashiers are not the main problem. The customers are the ones who cause the most delays. And the customers include everyone. To me this demonstrates that most of humanity lacks intelligence. A person that has to ask ten questions about each item should do so before they get to the register.
One of my main issues is with people on line at a fast food place. Everyone serpentines through the ropes taking anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to reach the register. When all is said and done, there are people that still have not decided what to order, and they are always the person in front of me! How can one be so indecisive? Even Sinbad has had to comment on these people in one of his acts.
The supermarket is even worse. People shuffle up to the register with a whole cart full of groceries, and after every single item is scanned they have to stop the cashier to ask the price. This is especially true of senior citizens. Many people will defend them and say that it is only because they are old. I don't think this is the case at all. I think that someone who acts like that has been an idiot for his or her entire life. Do you really believe that a rocket scientist will calculate complex physics equations for his entire life, and then suddenly become an imbecile on the day of his 65th birthday? I certainly don't, and neither should you.
Stupid, indecisive, questioning, pestering, haggling customers have turned shopping into a nightmare. In every store and on every line, it is always the same thing. Supermarkets already have express lanes for 10 items or less. Perhaps they should invent a new type of express lane-- for customers with IQs of 115 or higher.

3 Comments:

At 10:12 AM , Blogger .melody. said...

ha! nice.

i used to like going to the hello kitty store in times square, but now it's just too much of a pain. the cashiers are extremely distracted and i actually end up being the customer that holds everyone back because i want my hello kitty points and the cashier keeps forgetting to stamp them and then looks at me funny. so i have to ask again and point and show. and then they go and ask somebody else and come back wondering why i am still there. wtf?! shouldn't the sanrio people already be schooled on the point process?!

i hate people >:(

 
At 6:02 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a clear memory of being on your line at the supermarket while a little old lady wanted to pay for her paper goods with food stamps. Is this blog how you are finally venting all those bitter memories of the elderly back from your very first job?

Well Done!

 
At 7:51 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

did you work in key food? ;)

 

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