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and right in front of me is a nice old guy, probably in his 80's with a cane, hearing aid and using his rolling grocery cart as additional support... He gets up to the postal clerk and makes a little small talk, asking about the old guy who usually works there. It's harmless and, heck, it's probably his big event of the week, going to mail his taxes at the post office. Anyway, this woman behind me says "Hey, can we speed things up here?!" I calmly say, "Hey, let's cut the old guy some slack, OK?" She says, "I'm in a rush and I don't have time for this!" Then I say, "You know, we will all move that slowly some day". Then she says, "Not today!". At this point I gave up and just shook my head side to side, feeling very sorry for her; however I cannot deny I had thoughts of smashing her head into the postal counter... My wife says I shouldn't have bothered to say anything, but I bet she would have said something, too... What about you guys?
T.

At our post office it's very difficult to tell which are slower, the customers or the postal employees...

...my apologies to the many hard working postal employees...they just don't work the counter at my PO...

jb

im with ya toner i always tell people t 'chill out ' everybody is always in a hurry to get there and wait

I'm with you on this one Toner. I would have taken as long as possible when it got to be my turn. Maybe using a check, then screwing it up, and when all done, asking for more stamps. It would be fun to see if you could get here to go "postal".

Whats wrong with people they have to rush the oldsters? Its so rude its hard to comprehend.

Have to confess to having thoughts like that especially at Dunkin Donuts in the AM when I'm running a tad behind schedule. I think my mama raised me well enough to not actually SAY such a rude and crass thing. I think most people like the lady mentioned above have NEVER had a retail or customer service job in their lives.

Toner, BIG THUMBS UP to you for speaking out. In this over PC'd world, too few people are willing to speak up to the rude, overbearing lowlifes infesting our neighborhoods. Lady, if you're running behind whos fault is that?? dont take it out on those around you.

Craig

I would have said something politely to her too. Not hurrying or living by a watch is a part of my life everyday. I purposefully don't know what time it is unless I have to know. It is very freeing. And you don't hold other people to your timetable.......cuz you ain't got one! It gives you a chance to notice things other people miss.

Wait a minute people...lets not become Harley here... yeah sure, the woman was rude, but think about it..we *dont* know what she was late for. Maybe her fathers funeral, who the hell knows. Cut her a break. Havent you ever been *late* for something and maybe sped just a little bit on the freeway, maybe cutting people off just to save a minute? Don't lie, you know you have!!

I say be Christian whenever you can. Do onto others and all that!

Mark

Yeah! I agree Mark. I side with the lady in a hurry…Not that she should have been rude about it, but let’s face it. We live in America! Capitalism drives us! Time is money and all that jazz. There are a lot of people waiting their turn in line. It was no place for the old geezer to make small talk. He should go sit on his porch and wave at his neighbors. He has a mailbox, doesn’t he…surely! I would hope that when I get to be 80, I don’t have to go down and stand in line at the Post Office holding people up and making a nuisance of myself. Give that lady a dime for speaking up.

It has to be expected of the post office workers. They stand there all day looking at stamps and addresses and seeing the same damn thing hour after hour. It makes sense they would forget when someone comes along wanting to talk. So it’s up to the customers to keep things moving along. Hurry up now! Get outa my way! Move over! Let me in there! Tip! What tip? You were too slow. You don’t deserve a tip! Here, I’ll give ya a tip! Get the lead outa you’re a$$!

If she was in THAT much of a hurry, she should have planned ahead (what, is this her FIRST trip to the post office?), and LEFT EARLY. We all have to get along in this world, and if she doesn't want to, she can frak off. There's no need or excuse for this behaviour - country or city. None.

Well, I will side with toner here. I am as impatient as the next guy and admit to thinking bad thoughts when people hold me up. But our society is drifting, no wait, speeding wildly, away from any semblance of politeness and civilized bahavior. And we are not the better for it. Keep the comments to yourself would be the better, and more decent, idea. With the exception of pointing out people's poor behavior to them, of course!

And about your thoughts of smashing her head, you are suffering from stress my friend. My definition of stress is what happens to your body when you resist the urge to beat the crap out of someone who really deserves it!

I'm all for being Christian -- in fact I am one -- but this lady was being self-centered. It was all about her, and her issues, and where she had to be, and when.

While I might not have said something myself, I support Toner in this situation. He was trying to get her to have some compassion for the less fortunate.

Being born and raised as a Pennsylvania Yankee, impatience was a way of life with me. I submit that it is a learned behavior. It doesn't help that modern life is stressful and we've gotten accustomed to having everything on-demand. Our lifes are filled with deadlines and commitments.

That's not to apologize for the lady's behavior, though - she was rude and disrespectful, at the very least. Although many times I've been tempted to blow off some steam and gripe out loud myself, I've never done it, primarily because I've found that it doesn't get you anywhere, it only serves to get somebody else pissed off at you. And don't we all have enough of that already? I sure do ...

After 23 years of living in the rural south, I've learned that I'm simply not gonna speed up folks whose way of life is so much more, uhm, relaxed than my own. I simply try to remember where I am (think Mayberry) and go with the flow. Helps my blood pressure, too ...

I think city life anywhere causes people to be impatient. Have you been to Atlanta lately? I've noticed that some of the slowest drivers I've ever encountered were in upstate New York.

I'm somewhere in-between on this issue. I don't condone the lady's behavior, but I can see where she would be frustrated as I've been in similar situations before. I just keep my mouth shut and put my mind to something else to where I won't go crazy waiting in line.

Small talk is great. Waiting in line is not. If you are in a line, do your business and get the hell out of the way.

Tripton wrote:Small talk is great. Waiting in line is not. If you are in a line, do your business and get the hell out of the way.

No standing lines at Tucson area Post Offices, thank you. You pick a number and park your a$$ on a bench 'till your number is called.

And you have to turn off that freakin cell phone before you reach the counter. And keep that loud kid of yours under control!

Seems to work well, there have been no reported incidents of gun play.

Ed..

I make plenty of small talk at the postal counter when it's with one of the two hotties they have working there.

No one has ever said sh*t to me.

And for the record, although I can be a real PITA, impatient, type A, little old people get my unqualified respect.

Seems to work well, there have been no reported incidents of gun play.

Except of course from the postal workers! (just kidding, for any postal workers on the board!)

Tony - I agree, a society that does not respect it's elderly is doomed.

It's better to be 20 minutes late in this world than 20 years early in the next. Stress kills.Chill.

.. and the part that makes all of this come around full circle is the old man himself. I imagine he didn't even hear that lady complain and if he did I'm assuming he could give a rats arse about her, just as she has no compassion for him. Just because he is 80 really doesn't change the fact that in this day you gotta take care of your own business. These situations have too many variables to get a clear picture of what is really going on with these two people. I would have said something too, I just don't know what it would be. Humor, perhaps ?

yjleesvrr wrote:I think city life anywhere causes people to be impatient. Have you been to Atlanta lately? I've noticed that some of the slowest drivers I've ever encountered were in upstate New York.

There's a good reason for that, upstate NY Troopers tend to pay more attention to the speed limit than most places I've lived. I've been pulled over for going 75 in a 65 on an Interstate highway. It was on the way home from my parents on Mother's Day no less. I drove past 3 PA state police over the weekend doing at least 65 in a 55 this last weekend.