by Deborah Allan

Created on: December 08, 2009   Last Updated: December 09, 2009

A few days ago, my boyfriend and I went to Wal-Mart to finish up some Christmas shopping. While we were there, I did not experience any rude customers....except me. Yes, I will admit it, I became a rude customer, and I know why. The reason doesn't justify the means, however, it gave me a better understanding of why customers are rude, and from now on, I have to try to be more polite, and have a little more patience. Let me explain.

We went to Wal-Mart during the early morning, expecting it not to be busy. When we got there, the parking lot was full, and I assume it was because most people were shopping before they went to work, or after getting the kids off to school. Well, I am the type of person who does not like crowds, and the reason is that I am not a patient person, I have a task at hand, and that was to go in, shop, get out. But, when you have people standing in the middle of the aisles talking, and people blocking the shelves and things of this nature, I can't help but get a little bit miffed. I know, I know, Goodwill toward men. I don't want to make excuses, but I did pretty well until the very end of my shopping adventure, with my boyfriend, who just so happens to be the world's most patient man.

Our last stop was the movie section. We were looking for "GI JOE" which we knew had to be there, it just got released. Not only were the staff no help to us, with three different associates telling us they were in three different places, but the fourth associate told us they did not even get them yet, which boiled my blood, because they had us running all over the place for something that wasn't even there. So my boyfriend asks if we can go to the new release bin, and see if there is anything else there we might like to get. Picture it, a woman parked on one side, talking on her cell phone, a man on the other side, using the bin to hold him up while waiting for his wife, and the third side was empty. So, I asked the gentleman if I could squeeze in, and he just looked at me. He didn't say anything. He didn't move. He didn't even acknowledge that I had said anything. So, I went to the lady, and she just waved me by. At this point, I just looked at my boyfriend, and said Let's go. On my way to the checkout, he casually asks why I was in such a hurry to leave, and I said, very loudly, "Because I can't deal with these idiots, too many in one spot, count me out".

I know a lot of people heard me say that, and I know that most people would have brushed it off, but not my boyfriend. He pulled me aside, and told me to simmer. He made me apologize to him for screaming at him, and when I cooled down, we went back to look at the movies. Was it OK for me to be upset? Yes, I think so. Was it right for me to say what I said? No. I sank to a whole new level, and I know it was wrong. But, I do understand why people are rude, and the reason is that we all go in there with the same goals in mind, and the amount of people sometimes overwhelm us. I don't blame the people themselves, I don't want to judge, but the sheer amount of people, and everyone with their own agendas. One person going one way, someone else going another, no one taking the time to slow down, excuse themselves, or say Merry Christmas.

I hope that in the coming weeks leading up to Christmas, I can stay cool and calm when finishing my shopping, and if something does bother me, I hope I can just let it go. Tis the season.

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