"Tis the season for cranky customers"

At work a few days back it seemed as though every customer was cranky about something. No matter what it was they had something to whine about. A friend/co-worker of mine put it in the best way possible, "Tis the season for cranky customers." You would think everyone would be spreading holiday cheer and would be courteous towards others. Wrong. They are more rude than any other time of year. You must be thinking, "Why Stacey, you're crazy! Everyone is so happy around the holidays." Well dear readers, this used to be the case but all of the Black Friday deals and counting down the shopping days until Christmas has just made everyone thrifty and in a "go go go" attitude. It takes all the fun out of Christmas when you are fighting others for a TV that's 50% off. Is it really worth getting minimal amounts of sleep and standing in the cold for hours? Christmas is supposed to be about giving, yes, but not when all people care about are the material possessions. It's devastating to me that all anyone cares about is what  the next cool thing is going to be that they can get their hands on. I will say on Black Friday none of the customers I came into contact with yelled at me.  I was shocked...this was different from a few years ago. However, I worked when many people were going to wait in line so they hadn't reached their breaking points yet. Either that or they got the goods they wanted. I received many "Merry Christmas!" and, "Happy holidays!" wishes. So I will say thank you to those who didn't bite my head off when I brought out the hot Caramel Mochas and Peppermint Hot Chocolates. Black Friday is a stressful day for retail workers and people in the food industry.

What customers don't realize is that the earlier stores open (yes, you get good deals) the earlier everyone else opens. I would have much rather spent the night with my family but I had to get ready to work.

So..maybe this year isn't the season for angry customers and it's finally the season to be jolly.

Thanks For the Memories

On this day four years ago I called my mom from school to see if one of my friends could come over for dinner. My grandma had been sick and we weren't expecting her to be with us much longer. My mom sounded distressed and instantly I knew something was wrong. But, surprisingly, it wasn't about my grandma..it was about my aunt. My aunt had died and it came out of left field. I wasn't really close with my aunt but now I wish I would have been. You never know how much time you have with someone. A year ago tomorrow we had to put my dog down. I still think about her all the time and tear up. Nothing I can do will bring her back and it kills me inside. Something I will always have are my memories. I will remember my aunt how she was and I still had 18 years with her. I had 14 with my dog but that still wasn't enough. When I was younger I would joke that I was going to clone her so she would live forever. So, thanks for the memories Penny and Aunt Sandy. I love you and rest in peace.

Penny

About two months ago my family found out my dog had cancer...she was 14 years old so it really wasn't too much of a shock. The vet told us she either had 2 months or 2 years left. Pretty vague. So, my parents decided to get her pain pills. Not only because that would help her, but it was the only option since she was too old to have surgery. She was doing better. She was able to walk around the house more and she was more playful and didn't hate to be pet. Then, she slowly started getting worse. I didn't want to see it at first, until I had to force myself to realize she might not be with us much longer. She wasn't eating...she laid around all day...and she didn't even want to go outside to go the bathroom. The vet also said if she started vomiting it was a bad sign...guess what happened? I was at my friends house and we were watching movies and playing games on the Wii. She was helping to distract me from the dramas of my life (my break up with my boyfriend, my sick dog, and my sister moving to Florida with her now husband) and for a little while I thought, "Hey, maybe things are finally turning around." It was about 3:30a.m. and we were saying our good byes when my phone rang. It was my mom..typical. I figured I was going to get a call from her soon because I wasn't home yet. But this phone call was different...she sounded exhausted and distressed. She asked if I was coming home or staying the night at my friends & when I said I was just about to leave she blurted out, "Penny's sick. Your Dad and I are going to take her to the vet tomorrow morning and she might not come back." I had no idea how to react to this...the dog that I have had since I was 6 years old was going to die. On our hand none the less. I rushed home to find my mom and sisters crying and sitting with her in the living room...and, of course, I joined them. We were up until 5:30am with her. When I got up at 8:00 to get ready for work my family was already awake...it was a sleepless night in the Rate household. My dad came home and we said our final goodbyes. He put her leash on and walked her out to the car and she started wagging her tail because she was going for a ride, even though it was her last. I said, "Don't be excited!" and we couldn't control our emotions any longer...this was one of the worst days I had had in a long time. She was my companion. My best friend. Whenever I had a bad day I would hug and pet her and sometimes sing/dance around the room and she seemed to like that. When she would look at me it was as if she was saying, I'll be ok Stacey. I'm here for you." It's going to be hard coming home and not seeing her. In my mind she still isn't gone. It just feels like she is in another room sleeping, or she's at the groomers getting a haircut. I don't think it will sink in for another few days. I still remember everything that happened the day we got Penny...and I will never ever forget her. She was the best dog and will be irreplaceable. 

We have this love/hate thing...you and I

Over the years, I have had friends come and go...some of these people were really close to me and others were merely a blip on my radar screen. (Harsh but true). I have come to realize some I have thought to be my best friends weren't really friends at all...just a person behind a mask. My best friend since fourth grade was one of them. She let a boy tear us apart...he treated her like dirt and I let her know it. He didn't like me for it so he told her to stop talking to me and that's exactly what she did... A few people I was good friends with in elementary school have just recently come back into my life because we attend the same college. It's funny to me how you don't have anything in common for years...or at least you think you don't, and one college course helps bring you back together. My mom, who always knows the right thing to say, told me, "You won't stay friends with everyone you went to high school with forever. But, you will make new friends who are going through the same things as you are." When she first told me this, I was horrified and depressed at the fact I may never talk to my friends again. But, going into my third year of college, even when I was in my first year I knew she was right. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. Now that I have...I could honestly care less about the people who have left my life and it is infinitely better without them. If our relationships were THAT close, we would have remained friends. Call me all the names you want, but I think it's a good thing I moved on. I can grow as a person, and I can be more myself. I also think coming back to some of my original friends tells me something about myself...I think it means I have good judgment. I must have done something right in picking out the same people twice, right? On a recent episode of How I Met Your Mother, they thought found the fifth doppelganger for their group. This turned out to be wrong, and the main character, Ted, gave one of his famous inspirational speeches, and in that speech he said, "We've all been searching for the five doppelgangers, right? Well eventually, over time, we all become our own doppelgangers. These completely different people who just happen to look like us." I think this is one of the truest statements I have heard in awhile. People change all the time, sometimes for the better...sometimes for the worse.

Would you like fries with that?

Working at a fast food restaurant for two years has put things into a new perspective for me...before being hired at the golden arches I was like almost everyone else in this country. I thought fast food workers weren't very bright. When in fact, I am probably smarter than some of the customers I get. Granted, not every one who gets hired is the next Einstein, but they have substance and somewhat intelligent thoughts. Just because I am employed at McDonald's people think it gives them the right to treat me like a piece of crap. For example, the speakers in the drive-thru aren't always the best, and whispering your order doesn't do much good. Someone came through yesterday and ordered a tea, I didn't hear her because she was speaking softly, so I very politely said "I'm sorry, what kind of drink did you say?" and she responded with "AN UN-SWEETEN-ED TEA!" like I was unable to comprehend the English language. Not only did this piss me off, but it made it very difficult to be polite to this woman. I get hundreds of customers each day, and almost all of them act like this...every so often I will get lucky and a few winners will come through...but I don't hold my breath. Usually, those customers are the ones that brighten my day and whenever they leave I think, I wish everyone was like that. (you know...has manners and treats human beings with respect). However, unlike other Americans, I always was hospitable and treated the workers with respect and I expect the same in return, I don't think that's too much to ask. So, now when I go to other McDonald's or any restaurant for that matter, I try to be the one customer that brightens their day...because I know how rude people can be.