This started out as a post where I bitch about customers and turned into one where I bitch about society.

SO many idiotic customers today. And I've had a LOT in the last couple of weeks. Things have been a bit topsy-turvy at work, hence the lack of posting here for AAAAGES. I think most people will know what I'm talking about. If not, I'm sorry, I can't post about it directly (MYSTERY).

Some people seem to have a shocking lack of perspective. Especially when it comes to retail. There is this expectation, one which has been fostered by the 'customer is always right' nonsense which retailers bear a lot of the responsibility for, that somehow, if you're in a shop, everything should be exactly as you want it. Because, as one customer once put to me, "we pay your wages."

This is clearly wrong. But not just in an 'actually-the-people-who-employ-me-pay-my-wages' sort of way. It smacks of the old 'taxpayer money' idea. That somehow because X pays tax (or deigns to spend money in the shop where I'm employed) they should be able to loudly complain about every tiny thing they don't like. Certainly, taxation needs to be accompanied by some form of democratic representation, but the idea that there is a mythical catalogue of taxpayer funded things that citizens can choose from, is an entirely ridiculous one.

Consumerism, basically, sucks. And yes, if it didn't exist I might not have my job in a shop. If consumerism didn't exist I might be able to attend university without the need of a job, or if I had one it might be one which actually values me and my skills. Instead of being Employee No. 472247 I'd be me. I could make suggestions to my boss about stock and I'd be listened to. Instead of getting ridiculous directives from slick executives who've probably never stepped into my city, let alone my shop.

What I'm trying to get at, is maybe instead of thinking of ourselves as 'paying customers' or 'taxpayers' who can behave as badly as we please to the faceless 'employees' because we indirectly remunerate them, we should start thinking of ourselves as valued individuals who have different skills to bring to our communities and different needs to fulfill.

Is that so freakin' hard?

And if it is too hard, and we're irrevocably stuck in this nightmare that is consumerist capitalism gone mad, can you at least not yell at me?

Thanks.