Growing up in the service industry - my folks owned a small gas station and motel - customer service wasn't just a buzzword, it was survival. Having worked plenty of thankless jobs myself, I make it a point to be patient with service workers. Lord knows there are enough jerks in the world without me adding to the collection.
Since semi-relocating to the Bay Area, I've been a regular at this Shell station, usually just grabbing water, snacks, or lottery tickets for my electric vehicle pit stops. The same young man typically works the counter - no small talk, all business, which honestly I respect. He always seemed a bit checked out, but hey, maybe he's cramming for finals or dealing with life's curveballs. We've all been there.
This last visit, however, crossed a line that even my service industry empathy couldn't overlook.
I came in carrying my toddler (as parents do), made my usual polite transaction, and my son even handed over the cash for lottery tickets like the helpful little guy he is. After checking my old tickets and finding no winners, I politely asked if he'd mind tossing them for me. Standard request, hands full with a kid, no big deal.
Or so I thought.
Instead of his usual silent treatment, this time he angrily snapped that he "doesn't throw trash away" and I should do it myself. When I noted that my hands were literally full with my son, he rudely pointed to a tiny trash can behind me and repeated his stance on not handling "people's trash."
The attitude shift was so jarring that it became clear this wasn't about job duties - this was personal animosity toward me, my kid, or both. Whatever chip he's carrying on his shoulder, he decided to make it our problem.
I made a point of suggesting he reconsider his manners, to which he replied "whatever" with all the charm of a DMV clerk having a bad decade.
Look, I get it - service jobs can grind you down. But when you're actively hostile to a customer with a toddler over disposing of a lottery ticket, you've officially lost the plot. My family won't be contributing to this particular establishment's bottom line anymore.
Sometimes the service industry tests your patience. Sometimes it reveals character. This was definitely the latter. read more