AAARRRGGGHHHH!!! I lost it!!!

I did it! I lost it! And now I'm getting written up. It's one of those CYA moves, I guess. But still, it reflects on me.

We have been short staffed at work, and we have those busy days when the lines just do not end. On Friday I had one woman approach my station talking loudly on her cell phone . . . telling the person on the other end of the line, her email address. The chatter did not hint of anything more than one side of those annoying conversations that everyone within 50 feet can hear in detail.

She threw her membership card on the counter and continued talking on the cell, not saying one word to me. Since I still do not speak sign language nor have I mastered mindreading yet, I figured I'd wait till she finished her conversation, and continued to count my new cash in my drawer. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that she was getting fidgety. She then threw her payroll check on the counter, still saying nothing. I continued to count. She then made a comment about just cashing her check. By then I was annoyed that she was behaving so rudely and disrespectful. I told her that I would be happy to do her transaction when she was finished with her phone call. She snapped back...just cash my check.

I told her that I would appreciate it if we could concentrate on our business transaction because I want to make sure that I don't make a mistake. She said that if we didn't want people talking on the phone then we should put up a sign, to which I replied, "Would it make a difference?" We already have a sign that says Wait here for the next teller, but many people approach the window anyway. She then told me that her mother had recently died and that this was a very important call. I replied (maybe here I lost it) that I had lost both of my parents but it is not an excuse to be rude to people. Which I guess was a very wrong thing to say to her because she immediately lodged a complaint after I gave her her money.

I think that more than her talking on the phone was the arrogant and disrespectful way that she treated me. I conduct transactions many times with the other person on the cell phone, but they usually excuse themselves and at least talk in a civil manner to me, not just throw things at me. And many of them end the conversation when they approach the window.

Reminder to self: Don't sweat the small stuff and don't sweat an idiot's behavior. Just smile and give them a not-so-nice hand jester under the counter where they can't see it.