"Some lessons I have learned recently"

O.K., Most of you know I have ventured into the world of retail with my new position as Department Head of the Lawn, Garden, Pool, Landscape etc. for a nationally known Home Improvement store with orange colors. (If you have ever noticed before this is how people on "Wheel of Fortune" describe the companies they work for when asked by Pat Sejak. It's because of some legal jargon regarding not being an official representative of the company.)
Sorry, got sidetracked.
Anyway. I have learned some new lessons in life.
One, I can't believe what such a**ho*** some people can be.
For some 20 odd years I have been either self-employed or worked on a contract basis.
This freedom of owning my own businesses has allowed to choose if I didn't like a way a customer was acting or if I found they were difficult to deal with, then I simply explained to them that I chose to no longer do business with them.
I remember one lady years ago when Pattye and I started our pool business that was insistent on having her pool serviced on a every other week basis. Well, what that means is you end up having to do twice the amount of work and are only receiving half the compensation.
Think of it like this. Suppose you have a housekeeper that comes once a week for $60.00. Well, you decide that you want to save a little money and have her come every other week. Naturally, the amount of work is going to increase (double dust bunnies and so forth). Well then, you pay more for the every other week work.
This lady was adamant when I told her that I could not provide the type of service she wanted and that she would have to find someone else. She said, "you have to do this". I said bye-bye.
Well, unfortunately, I don't own the orange-painted home improvement business and I have had to suck up or in one case actually walk away because a customer was flat out rude!!
As much as an ass I have been in my life, I can't think of one time, (okay, maybe one) when I have been a complete a**ho** to the person simply trying to do their job.
So, what happened to cause me to add this new lesson in life was during last week's big Friday after Thanksgiving and we were swamped and this guy wanted to see a manager.
I took the bait and with my smiling face said. "I am a manager".
This guy just started going on and on and saying something to the affect that "you just don't have anything in this store."
My natural instinct from years of owning my own place was to tell him to get the hell out and shop somewhere else and never come back.
Oops. Can't do that any more. So, I politely told him that I am sorry that he couldn't find what he was looking for and perhaps I could find an alternative way of meeting his demands.
He kept bitchin and I walked away. Later he said, "well I do like to shop here and maybe I can find something else that would work.
So maybe during this holiday season when you are out shopping, remember that all of us put our pants on one leg at a time. We are all the same. And if you don't like the service or can't find the products then don't spend you money at that store. And also, try not to be an a**ho**. We have plenty of them in the world already!