Working retail

Sometimes while working retail you meet the most rude, patronizing, and straight up mean people. It often happens that someone will treat you like they're servant, rather than someone who is there to help them. In fact if they thought about it, they should be thankful to us retail workers; how else would they find what they want in the large maze of aisles and price tags?
Often I think we find reasons when someone is mad at us, and I think its perfectly reasonable. After all, I would like to think that if someone mouths off during closing there would have to be some sort of cause. But a lot of the time when I find a cause, it surprises me because its completely unfounded. Some of these reasons are;




1) She had short buzzed hair. She's probably just a lesbian with a vendetta against men.
2.) He's (insert non white race) and I'm white. He probably just thinks I'm racist.
3.) She's wearing a cross and I'm wearing a pentacle. She probably thinks I'm in league with the devil

The list goes on.

Now, I have to ask, who is the real asshole in this situation? The person who is irritated since I don't know how much a shell bracelet is, or is it ME. I find it odd that I have the audacity to size someone up based solely on their looks in relation to mine and decide why this person is a dick.

Maybe they are in town for a family member's funeral, and the reason they want a new amethyst pendant is because doing something nice for themselves will help them feel better.

Maybe she just likes short hair. Or maybe she is a lesbian, but what would that have to do with it, really?

Maybe the native/african american/ whomever person doesn't like me because I (god forbid) said something nasty, and my skin color has nothing to do with it.

Sure, I think a lot of the time people can just be jerks and that's it. But I think that as long as I have no idea why they are upset, I might as well assume that they are in a bad spot. And that maybe I can make their day just a little better.

I mean if I can't spread love, even to an unloving person, then I'm probably not very loving either. If I want people to cut me some slack on my bad days, I need to start doing the same thing for other people.

Wow. I'm all inspired to go to work. Well, on Friday hopefully I can practice what I preach :)