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A not general decline in standards moment.
I grabbed a quart of milk for my girlfriend's coffee at the supermarket this morning (a brief Fading Fast household crisis occurred when she realized there was no milk - she is a wonderful person when she has had her morning coffee - 'nough said) and got in the express line behind a guy who had +/- 10 items (the allowed number) and he immediately offered to let me go in front when he saw I had one item. I declined, but he then persistent so nicely and enthusiastically that I did.
Then I noticed that the gentleman in front of me was deep in his nineties, had some sort of combination walker and cart and was not fully aware. The checkout clerk was incredibly helpful to him - very politely scanning his credit card and signing on his behalf (she did all she could to explain to him what to do and kept asking if what she was doing was okay). This entailed helping him get out and put his credit card back in his wallet. With his bags on the end of the counter, she started to ring me up when I noticed that he could not get his bags in his cart.
So I slid down and started to load his cart for him - at which point he started given me directions in a loud (my guess his hearing isn't great) and slightly commanding voice of where to put what. As nice as I could, I try to accommodate him and loaded up his cart. He then started to shuffle off and I went back to my purchase. After paying, I saw another store employee was very nicely helping him navigate his way out of the store.
I walked away thinking about how much I complain about the decline in civility - and there is a marked decline - and how, once in awhile, the right people - the two employees in the supermarket were awesome - are involved and civility triumphs. And the guy who really, sincerely wanted me to go first was another "hey, the world still has it moments" moment.
I grabbed a quart of milk for my girlfriend's coffee at the supermarket this morning (a brief Fading Fast household crisis occurred when she realized there was no milk - she is a wonderful person when she has had her morning coffee - 'nough said) and got in the express line behind a guy who had +/- 10 items (the allowed number) and he immediately offered to let me go in front when he saw I had one item. I declined, but he then persistent so nicely and enthusiastically that I did.
Then I noticed that the gentleman in front of me was deep in his nineties, had some sort of combination walker and cart and was not fully aware. The checkout clerk was incredibly helpful to him - very politely scanning his credit card and signing on his behalf (she did all she could to explain to him what to do and kept asking if what she was doing was okay). This entailed helping him get out and put his credit card back in his wallet. With his bags on the end of the counter, she started to ring me up when I noticed that he could not get his bags in his cart.
So I slid down and started to load his cart for him - at which point he started given me directions in a loud (my guess his hearing isn't great) and slightly commanding voice of where to put what. As nice as I could, I try to accommodate him and loaded up his cart. He then started to shuffle off and I went back to my purchase. After paying, I saw another store employee was very nicely helping him navigate his way out of the store.
I walked away thinking about how much I complain about the decline in civility - and there is a marked decline - and how, once in awhile, the right people - the two employees in the supermarket were awesome - are involved and civility triumphs. And the guy who really, sincerely wanted me to go first was another "hey, the world still has it moments" moment.
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