Ahhh … satisfaction

?I just had the most satisfying experience.

I walked out of a grocery store because I was sick of waiting. I was picking up a few items on my home from work. The line wasn�t too long; just two customers — a lady at the front of the line was writing her check and the guy directly ahead of me had about less than a dozen items on the conveyor belt.

Five minutes later, the cashier was standing at the customer service counter twiddling her thumbs.

She needed to get the lady’s check approved and there was no manager there. Finally, a manager showed up. He was no help. The cashier left and trotted over to find someone in the office who could.

Finally, I had enough. I marched to the customer service counter and dropped my paltry four items on the counter.

“How can I help you?” the manager asked.

“Got tired of waiting,” I said, then turned and walked out the door without looking back.

Some would say I was being rude. Hardly.

My time and my money are valuable to be. When a business treats me like dirt, and I give them my money anyway, I am telling them I agree to the shabby treatment. It is no different than letting someone verbally abuse you because it would be rude to insist they stop.Being treated like crap sucks away your dignity and sense of self respect.

This one evening, I was sick of it and I wasn’t going to put up with it.

It wasn’t my fault it wasn’t taking so long. It wasn’t the check-writer’s fault either, all she wanted to so was pay for her groceries. It wasn’t the cashier’s fault either; She was trying to do a job her managers gave her no authority to perform, otherwise she would have been able to approve or deny the check.

Does a store have the right to be careful when it comes to whether or not to accept a check?

Absolutely.

But I have the right to insist I be treated right with respect from those with whom I do business.

Next time, I’ll do more than walk away and leave my groceries behind. I’ll fill it up with ice cream, fresh meat, fish and poultry. Call it my way to provide the free market with an incentive to provide good customer service.