A Story About Common Courtesy

Yesterday morning I did my husbandly duty and went to the local bakery (Panera, an excellent place if you like baked goods) to pick up some fresh rolls for our breakfast. I arrived at about 7:25, as the store opens on Sundays at 7:30; it was a very pleasant morning and there were already about a half-dozen people waiting at the door.

At 7:28 - I know what time it was because one of the other waiting customers had just made a laughing comment that they obviously wouldn't unlock the doors until exactly 7:30 - a big SUV roared up to the curb and stopped. The flashers came on and a large, heavy-set woman jumped out and strode up to the bakery door. She pulled on the handle and, discovering the door was locked, began to rattle the door and pound on the glass to attract the attention of those inside...she kept this up for the next two minutes, until one of the employees came out and unlocked the door.

At this point, the woman launched on the poor fellow: "Why aren't you open? You're supposed to be open at 7:00!!"

"No, ma'am," the fellow replied, "We open at 7:30 on Sundays." He pointed to the sign listing the operating hours, prominently posted on the door.

"You people told me yesterday you open at 7:00!!" the woman thundered, then proceeded to push directly to the ordering station, in front of the group of us who'd been waiting. She barked her fairly large order at the clerk, paid for the items, then stormed out of the store like a tank upholstered in bright colors. She did not apologize to any of us for her behavior in cutting into the line...clearly, her time was more important than ours.

As you know if you've read this blog over time, I am a strong believer in courtesy and good manners. I learned these from my parents, who would have dragged me outside and smacked me silly had I acted like this obnoxious woman, and I have tried by example to pass these values on to my children and grandchildren.

What was this woman thinking about? Clearly, she had no concept of courtesy. Not only did she park illegally at the curb (flashers or no flashers), she then went on to berate the hapless bakery employee at the door, cut shamelessly into the line in front of those of us who'd been waiting, treat the counter person rudely, then roar out without apology. The behavior itself was bad enough, but what was truly unfortunate was that the woman was a member of a minority group...and you know that some people observing the scene would attribute this rude and obnoxious behavior to all members of that group rather than just to one silly, self-centered idiot.

I went on to have a very nice Father's Day, but this incident put an unfortunate blot on an otherwise pleasant morning.

It doesn't take any longer to be courteous than to be rude, and it makes everyone feel better. In the words of the bright neon sign at a local restaurant: "Be nice or get out."

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo