Can Old People Survive The Life We Lead?

I have come to shun WalMart whenever I can, but there are certain things,
like printer ink, fish food, mouthwash, and cough drops, which are impractical for a person of limited means to purchase elsewhere.

This morning, I went to WalMart on the way to do some other errands. When I got the the checker, a very nice young lady came up and placed a "lane closed" sign, saying, "I'm closing this lane, but you can go ahead!". Thanks, lady, I'm glad I have your permission to check out!

As a curmudgeon, who remembers civility, I've been offended by the trend of all the "big box" stores to steer the customer toward serving himself. I would have no trouble working their stupid machines, but I simply prefer the contact with a personable checker, who is earning a salary by providing a service.

So this morning, I had picked one of two checkers who was working at a bank of something like ten checkout lines, and now one of them was closing. Naturally, when I mentioned to the checker that I didn't approve of having no checkers, she simply said, as I was sure she would, "It's just a new company policy". Well sure it is, a new policy to make sure the customer knows that his place is to buy, not to act as if he's entitled to anything.

My wife had asked me to pick up a copy of the bank's latest deposit agreement, which was mentioned in our most recent bank statement, but not included. I could easily get the information online (serving myself), but my wife does not like having such intimate contact with the WWW, and I like the idea that any time I get an email that says someone has been trying to access my online account, I know it's bogus.

I asked for a copy at the bank, as the bank statement said I could, and the sweet young lady at the bank went into an office and brought out a folder. She said she'd give me the whole new account package, which contained the agreement. I replied, "All I need is the current deposit agreement". "This is the most recent one, there'll be a new one out in April". I suspect that I'll be able to get the one mentioned in the bank statement at exactly the time it becomes effective, (if I remember to go to the bank and pick it up). I grumbled something about "customer service", and she vociferously assured me that they're there to serve us and make our banking experience as pleasant as possible. Sure they are!

I could go on forever about the days when people were available to provide a pleasant experience for customers, but that's really all I have to grumble about that happened on this day. Of course, I spent most of the day at home!