Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Very Special Senior Day

Until I can find a full-time teaching gig, I'm subbing and working at Kroger. My second day back was last Wednesday...Senior Day. Senior Day is the first Wednesday of every month, and it's when senior citizens get 10% off their whole order. Sometimes, Senior Day can really suck (especially when the nursing home vans start pulling up). Senior Day is also a delight when you're afraid of old people (like I am). Here's a tale from a very special Senior Day.

I'd subbed the whole day, then went straight to Kroger. I had all sorts of things to arrange, clean, etc. What was directly in front of my first table? The table with complimentary coffee and cookies for the seniors--awesome, not in my way at all. There I am working, not being bothered by seniors, just going about my business. I'm also trying to drown out the ever-present ringing of the Salvation Army bell (and we already know my feelings about those). You know those people who do good deeds in order to get the recognition and kudos? They suck...and one is about to bust up in this story.

This guy comes in, stands right in front of the coffee/cookie table and loudly asks, "Where are the cups for this coffee? Because I want to take her a cup of coffee." First of all, the cups were right in front of him. I swear, I thought I saw him reach for one before he asked me. I suppose he wanted me to be super impressed at his generosity. But I was not about to cock my head to one side, smile and saw, "Awwww," like I'd just seen a puppy. When I encounter people like this, I make it a point not to acknowledge what they're doing (and encourage you to do the same), because it drives them crazy.

I also do this to "compliment fishermen" (people who try to show off in order to get a compliment). Compliment fishermen do things like sing when no one else is singing because they want you to say, "Oh wow, you have a nice voice." Don't do it. If you compliment these bastards, the terrorists win. Anyway, I alerted ol' boy to the cups sitting in front of him and he went about his "good" deed.

Whatever, that guy is weird and that's fine. It wasn't until yesterday (a full week after the incident) that I started getting pissed off about the situation. I'm not trying to insinuate that the Salvation Army lady has it easy--by no means. However...let me compare our situations:
  • She is sitting in a chair. I am not allowed to sit down while working.
  • She is wearing a hat, coat and mittens. Am I allowed to bundle up? No, despite the fact that I work right next to the door.
  • She is ringing a bell. I am doing a variety of other tasks in addition to answering the questions of the elderly.
  • It's not like she's not allowed to come in the store; she comes in, buys a snack, takes a break, etc.
I guess my point is that, most people work hard. Does one person deserve more admiration and appreciation simply because they work for a charitable organization? No. Why not? Because I said so.

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