Hey Mr. Pink Floyd! What's happening? Do you and the band still take that flying pig with you when you tour? (Heh heh! Sorry! I just couldn't resist!)As for the anti-customer attitudes the employees may exhibit, hey it's not our fault they have dysfunctional bosses and/or a francshise owner who's tight on the money.
A few years ago I had a supervisor who was pleasant on good days, but on bad days she would tend to take them out on me. But I was still pleasant to my co-workers, and the internal customers...those who received the computer-printed reports I delivered. I'm just not going to get into pissing contests with people because I'm having a bad day at work. Many of the people there are good friends of mine.
And again, there is more than one side to the story. In addition to those employees who are mad at the world and get a buzz out of being total horses' asses to all customers so they'll "feel better", there are other types of employees too. Here in the States at least, McDonald's and other fast food corporations have many of their franchises and company stores in middle-class and affluent suburban communities. There you'll find many 16-18 year old males who exhibit this psuedo-Californian "surfer dude" talk ("Duuude" this and "duuude" that), and many 16 - 18 year old females who emulate that snobby "valley girl" talk...or at least the tone ("Whateveeer!"). They are one of the types most likely to slack off or gossip with the rest of the crew while the lobby and DT lines keep expanding and the queue keeps growing. Then there are these Marilyn Manson types who have "attitude". They treat the customers like second-class citizens because their boss is "such an asshole". They may even spike the customers food if they're given any mouth, or just for fun. And they always have a scowl on their face because why should they attempt to make the customer actually feel welcome?
Is the customers just supposed to keep their silence? Just be dormats? After all, they're "poor, abused, and underpaid sad sacks" ...until they get home and daddy subsidizes them with an "allowance" or 3 of his credit cards. Is the new manager who doesn't [and shouldn'] suffer fools just supposed to back off, be a wimp, and let the customers continue to be frustrated? Or should he get that store in gear and wake up those brats? If he's like Joey Stalin (Where are you? Haven't heard from you in awhile!) he'll most likely do the latter. Then when that happens both the suffer-dude-and-valley-girl kids and the angst-ridden-Marilyn Manson-and-Curt Cobain-types will whine to mommy and daddy while they're getting their allowance or credit card subsidy about how the new manager Joey Stalin is "such a shit, he makes us WORK! We need a union! We're gonna strike!" Then after their night of clubbing, spending all their money, or adding to their parents' plastic tab, they'll fire up the PC, log onto AOL or Worldnet, and post their tale of woe to McSpotlight.
Another type of employee: The single mother who for years has gotten away with taking the utmost advantage of the welfare state. Now she finds that her benefits are going to be cut (gasp!) by Newt Gingrich and those NASTY Republicans. No longer will she be able to leisurely lie on her back, spread her legs, and 9 months later have her benefit$ increased. She actually has to go out and GET A JOB!!! Now she's pissed off at everyone, that asshole manager actually expects her to show up ON TIME, and WORK, and those STUPID, GODDAM CUSTOMERS are making her life hell! So she scowls and frowns at them while taking their order, and snaps at 'em whenever she finds the perfect excuse. [Oooh boy! If this gets posted, I'm gonna get some heated replies for sure! That goddam right-winger! The nerve of him for actually truthfully saying there are those who abuse public assistance.]
To tie this up, it isn't a one-headed coin like people who think the ultra-liberal way want you to believe. They want us all to subscribe to the view that willful actions such as shouting at customers, farting around on the job, stealing/embezzling etc. are not the fault of the people doing the deed but are entirely the fault of the Republican Congress, the corporate world, and the franchis owners/managers. They want you to believe that all employees are downtrodden, abused, innocent victims, and that all managers, franchise owners, and executives are evil, meanspirited bastards, who again are 100% to blame for all the bad things in this world. The first step in solving the problems that exist is to get off that one-way-street bullshit logic.
"All in all it's just another brick in the wall"
Mike.
