Shopping in the big box club store in summer with children is an adventure. The odd lighting, oddly quiet and then blaring music, the pushy sample grandmas, and the lack of selection all line up to make everyone off sorts. This last time it started at the door. As I corralled the kids around our cart du jour, I saw that several people walked in with a dour expression and moving very quickly. Consequentially, none of them had to stop, dig out their cards, and show them. I'm not rude and with a three year old in tow, I'm not moving quickly. I got the cart, maneuvered my kids around a cart in a way they won't fight with each other, walked toward the store, and smiled at the clerk at the door. She made me stop, get my card out of my purse, and show it.
I showed it, because that is officially the rules, but I could not help but be annoyed. If that truly is the rule, then follow it with every customer even if they look upset and in a hurry. Otherwise you are just annoying an already annoyed and harried subset of people: slow moving moms.
This made me stop short and filled my mind the rest of the trip. I wasn't annoyed by having to show my card, I was annoyed because people who had been rude didn't have to because they were rude. There was so much there I could not wait to sit down and tell you all about it.
1. There is never any reason to be rude to little old lady door greeters at Big Box Club Store. Truly. I need to give them a break and let them do their job. Yes, you saved one minute by not having to take out your wallet, but you became less of a person in the process.
2. When in a place to do a job, I need to consistently apply what I know to be true. Inconsistency breeds frustration in my family. In my life as a SAHM, there are rules and schedules of the day that really frustrate my children much less if they are consistently applied. For example, every Wednesday needs to be a clean up day every single week if I expect them to participate happily, I need to clean my bedroom working hard beside them as they clean theirs. If I skip Wednesdays, I know that next week I'll hear, "Do we have to Mom?????? We didn't last week!"
3. I need to stop punishing people for slowing down and being polite. Especially my children. When they want to help but have no skill set to do so and would make my job that much harder, I need to acknowledge that they WANT to help. Somehow I need to include them and make them a part of what I am doing so that they will always want to help in the future. They will be given many reasons to stop being helpful and polite in the future I must not be one of them.
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